if you have seen the people who use the larger ones every day, you'll be glad you didn't have to. but you'll build up arms of steel in a short time if you use them with 3' and 5' chipping bars frequently.
Yes they are very similar to a rivet gun. Same concept but different application. It is the same technology and today it hasn't changed much. I bet you could get it to work with current parts. It is more of a chipping hammer than a standard air hammer. It is used to chip concrete and refractory. I have a CP version a little larger in my service truck. At work they have around 75 of the smaller ones for furnace and refractory rebuilds. And around 100 of the larger "river buster" or he'll dogs.