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IMO a base position. Anyway for me. Unless it was a muzzle loader.

BGRC Howdah Rules

Howdah Pistol (Q)
a. Minimum calibre .375
b. Single or double barrel
c. Smooth or ball rifling
d. Min. muzzle energy 1,000 ft lbs
e. Min. 300 grain bullet weight

FIRING SEQUENCE
Howdah Pistol (max. 10 shots)
25yds – to be decided by Host Branch
10yds – to be decided by Host Branch
(“Tiger” target if possible)

More than a bit boring, the target shooting. Bang bang shooting at some paper. Even if a "Tiger" target.

A Howdah wasn't standing in a staid line shooting at a stationary piece of paper! It was sitting in a rocking perhaps tipping howdah elephant saddle, while a tiger was running at you, leaping onto the elephant's heading, clawing at the mahout, while the gentleman drew a howdah from a holster in the corner of the howdah saddle and shot the tiger. Or a tiger on the rump of the elephant doing similar.

Now I have been in a howdah several times. And it is nothing like standing in a boring line pinging at boring paper targets. One time was in the mountains of Thailand. This howdah was a very polished teak chair, no box sides like a lot of the hunting howdahs, and ones bum slid around that chair due to the polishing. One had to really hang on! I had my day bag, a big video camera and my SLR camera. Had to hang onto these and the rail of the chairs side. As the elephant walked on cliff side mountain paths and raocked from side to side. In danger of falling off!

Now if a tiger jumped onto an elephant's head I imagine the ride might be even more rocky and precarious! An elephant rearing onto its hind legs, rocking side to side in fright and fight. Shooting that howdah pistol would not have been such an easy affair. Just came to mind is another reason for a PISTOL, compared to a rifle or other long arm. One was probably having to hang on for dear life with one hand, while trying to shoot the tiger off one's back! As the saying goes.

One of the other times in a howdah was filming tigers in India. In the Tiger parks, the staff look for tiger sign on the roads. Then use an elephant to trek into the jungle to try and find where the tiger's are lying up. Once found, the staff setup a rallying point for hundreds of Indian tourists who drive there, waiting ina jabbering crowd, in queues, get on an elephant, ones uses a ladder did you know? Then trek on the eles back for several hundred metres to "view the tiger".

When we did this, the mahout was very nice and allowed us a much longer time over the tiger. Probably because of my impressive big video camera. Of course he got a decent tip. It was disappointing that this tiger was very hidden under a thorn thicket, and while it could be seen with the naked eye, glaring at us from underneath, the images in the video and SLR stills were unfocused or mostly so, because of all the thorn bush branches in between. One had to try to focus through them, and reasonably quickly.

The Indian tourists in this park, Kanha I think it was, generally can drive in the park themselves. Most go straight to the centre station. Wait in a steaming crowd of seeming thousands, just for the tiger sighting, elephant etc. Almost no interest in other wildlife species. A really poor show. These parks could be run so much better. Especially for the wildlife.

So back to the competition. Really it needs to incorporate some of the realities of the Howdah experience. Not a boring target shooting lines.

The BGRC does have some charging shoots. Lion and buffalo. These are great fun. Shot with a rifle.

Now a charging tiger would at the least be an improvement. Ideally shooting from a "portable" Howdah platform. Preferably one a little unstable. Unstable enough so movement causes it to rock a little. Not so unstable as to be firearms unsafe though, in our modern cotton wool world.

Ideally I would build a wooden framed "howdah" box, with canvas or board sides, richly decorated! Add a wooden seat or two inside. Perhaps the range officer sitting behind. Should wear a turban of course.

The shooter in a pith helmet! The competitor first faces a charging tiger, ideally from say 25 metres to the side-front and lower, simulating sitting on the back of an elephant. The competitor shoots his double rifle or bolt action twice at the charging tiger, hands the EMPTY rifle to his number two for safety and draws the howdah pistol. Then when the charging tiger reaches a point below the howdah box, a pop up tiger springs up in front of the howdah seat, and the competitor needs to shoot both barrels into it in X seconds.

Complicated, hey?

But would be great fun. I think the BGRC Howdah shoot sequence is enough to put one to sleep. Zzzzzzzzzz.

A small but major problem is probably next to no one has a howdah pistol to shoot with! Had the BGRC ever actually had one of these shoots? A club howdah smooth bore "sawn off" would be a great idea for people to shoot and play with.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"