Ball reservoirs were in use since the late 17th century and had the added advantage of being easily swapped out. The smoothbore part octagon barrel measures at approximately .50 caliber/13 mm. 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. Circular brass collection tag marked "R.D. BEEMAN/PRIVATE/COLLECTION/078" hanging from the trigger guard. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection