Lewis/Clark Air Assault Rifle

When Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark out on their famous journey, he took extraordinary steps to provide for their safety. He provided them with a blank check backed by the United States government to purchase any ship they might figure they needed on the west coast, assuming they felt such a need, and he provided them with the ultimate small arm of the time. It appears as if this ultimate small arm might have been a major factor in the expedition not having been annihilated by Indians. Not that tribes were wiped out with the weapon, nonetheless it was demonstrated to them and they were given to understand that there was no limit to the number of shots the thing could fire and that all of the expedition people had them.

Air rifles are normally thought of as single shot, very small caliber weapons to shoot starlings and rats with; if that's your whole exposure to air rifles, this one might shock you:

http://www.beemans.net/lewis%20assault%20rifle.htm