What is a howdah pistol?

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Howdah pistols were handguns adapted or designed to the specific requirements of hunting Indian wild game from a platform on the back of an elephant, also known as a howdah.

The sport became a favorite pastime of upper-class Britons during the crown rule of India, starting as early as the late 18th century with flintlock weapons. It quickly became apparent then that not only could the wildlife fight back by climbing the ass-end of your elephant to maul you in your silly little basket, but that said basket was then way to small to properly use your hunting gun in.
The only solution, aside from not risking your life and that of others for pelts and bragging rights, was to create a shorter more maneuverable weapon yet still capable of dealing with a tiger. Hunters simply took to shortening their rifles into high-powered handguns, before gunsmiths back in England took notice and started crafting them as such.

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Pedersoli replicas of a flintlock hunting carbine and its shortened howdah pistol version.

Howdah pistols as such were rifle-powered handguns made from hunting long arms or using similar layouts as if they’d been, more often than not boasting several barrels to give their users quick follow-up shots on target. Both these features made howdah pistols very simple, sturdy weapons, which they needed to be as any misfire could spell the death of their wearers.
Howdah hunting was popular all throughout the British Raj and as such many weapons were converted or made following these specifications.

Wilkinson-made howdah pistol chambered in .577

Because they were made using rifle calibers, fired more rapidly than single-shot pistols and with more powers than early revolvers, and followed more than a hundred years of firearm evolution from flintlocks to caplocks to metallic cartridges, howdah pistols were also used by these same upper-class Britons when it came time to bring some kind of a sidearm to a colonial war. Up until the adoption of the .455 Webley revolvers by the British army, such handguns were allegedly the only reliable way to stop a local charging at you.

The Lancaster’s four barrels and single double-action trigger gave it unmatched firepower at the time.
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Jun 3rd, 2020