Howdah pistol

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A Howdah Pistol was a large-calibre (typically rifle calibre) handgun, often with two or four barrels, used in India and Africa during the period of British Colonial rule in the mid-to-late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, typically for defence against Tigers, Lions, and other large, dangerous animals that might be encountered in the jungles or remote areas. Multi-barrelled designs were initially favoured for Howdah pistols because they offered faster reloading than was possible with contemporary revolvers[1], which had to be loaded and unloaded through a gate in the side of the frame.

The name "Howdah pistol" comes from the sedan chair- known as a Howdah- which is mounted on the back of an elephant; hunters, especially during the period of the British Raj in India used howdahs as a platform for hunting wild animals and needed large-calibre sidearms to protect themselves, the elephant, and their passengers from animal attacks at close range.[2]

The first Howdah pistols were little more than sawn-off rifles[3], typically in .577 Snider[4] or .577/450 Martini-Henry calibre, but later on English firearms makers did manufacture specially designed Howdah pistols[5] in both rifle calibres and more conventional handgun calibres such as .455 Webley and .476 Enfield[6]. As a result, the name "Howdah pistol" is often applied to a number of English multi-barrelled handguns such as the Lancaster pistol (available in a variety of calibres from .380" to .577")[7], and various .577 calibre revolvers produced in England and Europe for a brief time in the mid-late 19th century[8].

Even though Howdah pistols were designed for use in the “gravest extreme” against dangerous game (such as tigers), British officers adopted them in other farflung outposts of the British Empire[9], although by the late 19th century, top-break revolvers in more practical calibres (such as .455 Webley) had become much more widespread,[10], removing much of the traditional market for Howdah pistols.

In the movie The Ghost and the Darkness the character Remington (Michael Douglas) carries a unique superposed double barrel Howdah pistol.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 22. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  2. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 19. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  3. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 19. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  4. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 20. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  5. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 20. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  6. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 19. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  7. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", pages 20-22. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  8. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 25. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  9. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 20. Excalibur Publications, 2002
  10. ^ Maze, Robert J: "Howdah to High Power", page 20. Excalibur Publications, 2002

[edit] References

  • Maze, Robert J. Howdah to High Power. Tucson, Arizona: Excalibur Publications, 2002. ISBN 1-880677-17-2.

[edit] See also