The Girandoni Air Rifle: A Napoleonic Wunderwaffe?
The Girandoni Air Rifle was quite an incredible piece of equipment. It didn't require gunpowder, it could fire up to 22 rounds every minute, and as a breechloader it could be fired prone with ease! And yet, despite these extraordinary traits, it only ever saw a few years of very limited service in the Austrian army. It never even saw service against Napoleon! Why not? Well, reality is always a little more complicated than just a simple comparison of who could fire their guns faster!