Spring-Loaded Ball Valve patent from 1880

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

US229868A patent

My invention consists of the stock of the arm, hollow or partly hollow, receiving air under pressure and communicating with the barrel, in combination with an intermediate cook or rotary plug, which, when properly operated by the finger-piece attached to it without the striking or snapping noise incident to other air guns and pistols, opens the communication between the stock and barrel, whereby the air is directed against the projectile in the barrel and forcibly discharges the same.

The cook or plug is securely held, when closed, by mechanism controlled by the trigger, and by operating the latter said mechanism is released, and by the action of a spring the cook or plug is swiftly rotated and opened.

Nothing new under the sun

Amazingly, there prototype has been preserved as part of the Henrry Stewart Collection

[wyz2285]

Boy pumping that looks uncomfortable af... No to mention if the barrel is any shorter it's gonna be right next to your face

[Potato Demon]

Cool! The first pneumatic potato gun

[Xamllew]

Oh that is cool, reminds me of some of the early Daisy pellet guns. Wonder how it's performance would have compared to other butt-reservoir Victorian airguns, it appears to be a dump valve so probably one decent shot then 10 minutes of pumping.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

it appears to be a dump valve so probably one decent shot then 10 minutes of pumping.

If you look at the diagram, the valve marked "P" appears to give one the option of shutting off the main reservoir.