Faintly visible inscription "M.H. Rasef" on top of the frame. Air guns of this style were used primarily for hunting. "Wind guns" had several advantages over conventional firearms including that they were quieter, smokeless, quicker to reload, and relatively unaffected by rain. They also required less cleaning since they did not require corrosive black powder. This air gun is likely of Austrian or German origin, and is chambered in approximately .40 caliber/10 mm with a smooth bore, fixed notch rear sight, exposed mainspring and a copper stock air reservoir. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection