Hello all,

I recently acquired this rifle and I thought that I should upload some photos of it for the archive. This rather unusual double rifle was built in 1888 for Prince Louis Esterhazy (1844-1912), Military Attaché at the Austrian Embassy in London from 1885 to 1902. Prince Esterhazy was an avid big game hunter. He was in India from 1886-87 and again from 1890-91 and he went to Africa in 1895. So far, I haven’t been able to uncover any details about this trip to Africa—only a single mention of him having left for Vienna on his way to Egypt. This tidbit of information came from the January 21, 1895 issue of the London Evening Standard newspaper. A large collection of his belongings exists at Forchtenstein Castle in Austria and I expect that in the future I’ll be able to uncover more information about his life and adventures. Here are some details about this rifle:

- Weight of Rifle: 13 lbs. 10.7 oz.
- Weight of barrels alone: 7 lbs. 14.1 oz.
- Width of action at breech to barrel interface: 2.365"
- Length of Barrels: 26-1/8"
- Rifling twist rate: 1:27"
- Bore diameters at muzzle: 0.687"
- Groove diameters at muzzles: 0.703"
- Groove diameters at the breech: 0.711"
- Type of cartridge: 3-1/2” drawn brass case, grease groove bullet?
- Diameter of chambers at forward ends: 0.730"
- Diameters of chambers just forward of rim cuts: 0.760" (this is the size of a 14-bore brass case)
- Rim cuts: standard 16-bore
- Sights: 50 yard standing, 100 yard folding
-
I found the following account of hunting tigers very interesting and I thought that many of you would enjoy reading it. The article appeared in the Barton County Democrat newspaper of June 16, 1887 (Great Bend, Kansas—he went to America after leaving India in 1887):

Prince Esterhazy's Dangerous Adventure in Eastern Jungles
"Tiger hunting in India is best carried on by baiting with cattle, so I took a drove of forty head with me," said Prince Louis Esterhazy, of Austria. "A band of some thirty of the natives were started three weeks in advance to seek out the best hunting grounds and whenever a good spot was found one of the shikarees dropped out with a certain number of cattle to await my coming. In this way I was enabled to hunt in the wildest sections. The cattle were tied one by one to trees in the jungle in the margin of a circle sometimes as much as five miles across. They were placed there at night. The tigers came forth at night to seek their prey, and, finding the cattle, leaped upon, killed, and devoured as much as they cared to and went their way. Much of this country is low and wet, and the tigers could easily be tracked in the soft soil, especially by the expert native Indians. Following the tracks each successive morning after baiting we would come upon and shoot them. In this way in eleven months, with but a single gun, I myself killed nineteen tigers. This is the best record made in India in eighteen years. I had a very big rifle, what is known as an eight-bore gun, carrying twelve drachms powder. With this an expert is able to bring down even the largest tiger easily, and sometimes by a single shot. But the sportsman must be as quick as lightning, for no sooner does one of these wild tigers see you, even though he may be surfeited with food, than he will leap for you with all the quickness imaginable, and if you do not make sure work of it you are gone. The first two or three times, when undergoing these experiences, it made me somewhat nervous, for fear I would not make a center shot, but in time I got more confidence. I speak now of hunting tigers on foot, as I was doing. This is the most dangerous way, but it is more fascinating. I several times went off into the jungle entirely alone, and hunting in this way I had a number of very narrow escapes. On one occasion I was tracking a tiger and was raising my gun to shoot, having come upon it suddenly, when I was startled by the deep growl and rapid tread of another coming upon me. I was so hard pressed that, after shooting one I had to flee for my life, and only just escaped by climbing a tree. In the eleven months I many times slept out alone in a dismal jungle with only my blanket to keep off the rain. I suppose I underwent many such an experience, so far as exposure is concerned, as your American trapper and miner did in earlier and more dangerous days. Another way to hunt tigers is to do the shooting from elephants or camels. When this is done a smaller rifle is generally used. I hunted principally as much as two or three hundred miles away from the farthest outpost. I had a regular caravan of elephants, shikarees, tents and various equipage, but wandering away by myself I was forced to camp and rough it and endure hard ships which I hardly anticipated. This was the case when, for quite a long period, all my servants got sick with fever. I shot more and bigger tigers during the rainy months. In ten days in July I shot five tigers and a panther. A tiger always comes from a hill and goes back to a hill. He will not stay long on low ground. Usually three or four at least of a hunting party are killed before the season is over. You will understand, therefore, what good fortune we had in escaping loss of life.”