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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Muzzleloaders & Blackpowder

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EDELWEISS
.375 member


Reged: 22/11/05
Posts: 576
Loc: Gettysburg
A modern Howdah
      #342715 - 23/06/20 11:18 AM

I have a Pedersoli 58cal Howdah. I initially bought the 58x58 thinking rifled barrels were "better" but Ive been reconsidering that 20gax20ga would not only better and also more historically correct. Concerning accuracy, I never looked for accuracy more than 10 feet, as that seemed about when Id want to fire if in a "Howdah situation"

Ive been trying to talk myself out of a big bore cartridge for a T/C Contender or Encore as a modern Howdah. It would be a simple barrel swap as I own a couple Encores, so something like 500SW is do-able; but I keep coming back to 1. its only a single shot, so it loses some of the mystic of a double barrel and 2. WHY?

The why is the big question. Ive been charged a couple of times by various animals (2 and 4 legged). As for the 4 legged ones a Wild Boar took some offense at me when a buddy wounded it with a bad archery shot. In THAT I would have loved a Howdah but a single round of 44mag (from a T/C Contender) dropped it at 6 feet. So yeah a second shot option would have been comforting. In 2016 I hunted a female lion that had gone rogue. We were tracking her, when she turned back on us and I made the shot at 20yards with a double 470. At that distance Im not sure I would have been able to drop the rifle and pull a pistol assuming the second shot from the rifle failed.

Conversely, "WHY" has never been a requirement for wanting a gun. Im sorta intrigued by the Pedersoli 410/45LC Howdahs. The Alaska model would be mine now if it didnt have the rubber covered grip and had blued barrels. The grip on the other version is a copy of the Ithaca Auto and Burglar---its NOT comfortable. Perhaps in 410 it might be better; but in 12ga its hopelessly un balanced.

I keep being drawn to the Diablo 12 ga muzzle loader, then I look closer and say Noooooooo! That could be such a good gun but it fails in so many ways. The grip is some silly version that looks more at home on a Thompson SMG and its too short. Likewise the barrels are too short. Then theres the issue that it only has one hammer that you have to re-cock and switch to the unfired barrel. I do like that it has a pivoting breach (like a cartridge gun) and closes to keep the percussion caps from being dislodged. Also using 209 primers is a good idea BUT none of those make up for the bad design

Ive also toyed with legally purchasing or manufacturing a sawed off shotgun as a Howdah. I think 28ga (or better yet 24ga) would be just about perfect with brass shells and round balls. Id prefer a hammer gun and Id dearly love an O/U.

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If it's not custom, it's just borrowed


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tinker
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: A modern Howdah [Re: EDELWEISS]
      #342722 - 23/06/20 01:05 PM

The Diablo is garbage.
Completely forget about it.

The 20/20 pedersoli Howdah is fun, mine is barrel-spacing accurate with 70 grains FFG and tightly patched hard roundball.

That pedersoli Alaska Howdah looks interesting.
I have a contender barrel here in 410/45 that I have loaded straightened 9.3x74r brass and well over 60 grains rifle powder and .452 bullets. Ridiculous power. Ridiculous recoil. Far more energy than you can get from the 20bore caplock.

Then there's the big bore revolvers.
A 5-shot 500JRH is far more handy than the X-Frame S&W
I'm building one on a Redhawk, and I've built one on a Ruger Alaskan, I've built many on Blackhawks. With top loads there's no bovine that can stand the cartridge.


Just some thoughts.

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--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...


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gmay
.224 member


Reged: 03/09/20
Posts: 3
Loc: MT
Re: A modern Howdah [Re: tinker]
      #344941 - 10/09/20 05:20 AM

I have the 50x50 Howdah but haven't gotten around to doing anything with it yet.

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All things being equal, which they never are, bigger bullets work better.


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