Translation of Beroaldo-Bianchini.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dean-fletcher/sets/72157630722344052/
It's just a rough Google translation but it's easy to pick out some significant information.
Beroaldo is the director of the Austrian Royal Rifle factory and his 1820 three volume treatise covers all the small arms and handweapons then produced for the Austrian Army along with the tools, diagrams generating tables, etc to realize that production. It's apparent that this is a non nonsense guy not afraid to express his opinion.
He has a low opinion of those people suggesting firearm improvements who do not have knowledge or production:
"Moreover, most of the suggestions for improvement, in terms of fire-arms, made almost always of those people who do not, or what is worse, only half the knowledge of the production, use, and had the effect of the guns, which then usually instead caused the specified Vorthelle, only new bugs and defects."
He is not impressed with air guns.
"The weak effect of air-guns, however, which have, besides, is declining while after each shot, then the difficulty and even danger, with which the press is connected to the air, have this type rifles banned forever. Besides, even the best air gun to the error is that, without being shot it, loses its force, because they are gradually discharges by itself"
He notes that the Austrian Army air tanks were being highly charged which resulted in bursting tanks that caused injuries:
"Usually, however, the air was in these Windbüchstn only 1500 shocks, or 150 atmospheres compressed, and that means a special purpose pre-directed compression machine, since it is made freeman hand Being hardly in a position, the bottle is higher than at 600 shocks or 60 atmospheres to invite, where the shattered despite several bottles at hand are, and some are still alive I know laborers who were hurt in this way very much."
He does some testing to show how underpowered airguns are compared to an infantry musket.
This is the best report there is about how well the Girandoni served the Austrian Army. This is not a misty eyed historical review but a clear eyed evaluation from the guy in charge of rifle production for the Austrian Army in 1820.