This American muzzleloading air rifle dates to around the mid-19th century. It features a round barrel chambered in .30 caliber with six-groove rifling, dovetail mounted blade front sight and dovetail mounted notch rear sight, a hammer that bumps a valve stem for functioning, double set triggers, walnut buttstock with German silver furniture including the patchbox, a ramrod located on the left of the barrel, and a large underbarrel cylinder reservoir that fills from the front. "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. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection