The howdah pistol was a large-calibre handgun, often with two or four barrels, used in India and Africa in the mid-to-late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, during the period of British Colonial rule. It was typically intended for defence against tigers, lions, and other dangerous animals that might be encountered in remote areas. Multi-barreled 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 term "howdah pistol" comes from the howdah, a large saddle 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 side-arms for protection from animal attacks.[2]
The first howdah pistols were little more than sawn-off rifles,[2] typically in .577 Snider[3] or .577/450 Martini-Henry calibre. Later English firearms makers manufactured specially-designed howdah pistols[3] in both rifle calibres and more conventional handgun calibres such as .455 Webley and .476 Enfield.[2] As a result, the term "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"),[4] and various .577 calibre revolvers produced in England and Europe for a brief time in the mid-late 19th century.[5]
Even though howdah pistols were designed for emergency defense from dangerous animals in Africa and India, British officers adopted them for personal protection in other far-flung outposts of the British Empire.[3] By the late 19th century, top-break revolvers in more practical calibres (such as .455 Webley) had become widespread,[3] removing much of the traditional market for howdah pistols.
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