Pardon my ignorance, I thought I knew what a Howdah PISTOL is/was; but Ive never heard of a Howdah RIFLE. Im confused and yet I kinda want one. Am I correct in thinking its a short Paradox? Or maybe just a "Coach Gun" used to shoot a bore size ball at close range? Is there more to it?

I have one of the Pedersoli muzzle loading Howdah pistols, its nice for a mass made BP specialty pistol but hardly reflects the original guns, in anything except maybe spirt. Ive been tempted by the Pedersoli 45/410 guns. They are priced out of any serious contention, save for just as a "this is cool" gun.

Ive handled and shot the old Ithaca Auto/Burglars with both pistol grip styles, neither felt as comfortable as a "sawed off shotgun" made from a full size gun. The 90degree grip angle of the Ithaca is brutal to hold and shoot.

I too am horrified by the looks of the "Diablo" 12 ga muzzle loader. It could have been so much better with longer barrels and a bigger grip. I keep looking for used SxS muzzleloaders as a project source.