British · Pistol

Howdah Pistol

Name: Howdah Pistol
Brand: British

Break action · .577/450 Martini-Henry · introduced 1870

Also known as Howdah Pistol, Tiger Pistol, Elephant Howdah Pistol

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About the Howdah Pistol

The Howdah pistol is a large-bore, break-action handgun developed for hunters and officers in 19th-century British India and Africa. Named after the howdah platform mounted on an elephant's back, it served as a last-ditch defense against charging dangerous game such as tigers when a rifle shot failed to stop the animal. Typically a side-by-side double-barrel chambered for full-power black-powder rifle cartridges like the .577/450 Martini-Henry or .577 Snider, it delivered massive close-range stopping power at the cost of brutal recoil.

When a wounded tiger charged the elephant and clawed its way up toward the howdah, the hunter's bolt-action rifle was useless at arm's length, so he drew the howdah pistol as a final, thunderous insurance policy at a range of mere feet.

Howdah Pistol specifications

General

Type: Pistol
Action: Break action
Firing mechanism: Hammer-fired
Trigger: Double action
Calibres: .577/450 Martini-Henry
Magazine capacity: 2 rounds
Magazine: Internal

Dimensions

Barrel length: 178 mm (7.0 in)
Overall length: 305 mm (12.0 in)
Height: 140 mm (5.5 in)
Weight (empty): 1.70 kg (3.75 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Right hand
Grooves: 7

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Stock: Wood
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 411 m/s (1348 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 2628 J (1938 ft·lb)
Effective range: 20 m

History

Introduced: 1870
Discontinued: 1910
Production status: Out of production
Country of origin: GB

Features

Side by side double barrel
Break action top lever
Big bore close defense
Rebounding hammers

Safety

Half cock notch

Early howdah pistols were muzzleloading flintlocks and percussion guns; by the 1870s they had evolved into break-action cartridge weapons. Calibers ranged from .380 up to .577, with .455 Webley and .476 Enfield also common. Four-barrel variants existed. Premier makers included Manton & Co. and Holland & Holland. Specifications shown are representative of a .577/450 break-action example.