View source for Howdah pistol

{{short description|19th-century handgun used in colonies of the British Empire}}
[[Image:Reiterpistolelefthand.JPG|thumb|right|Double-barrel [[.50 caliber]] (13mm) howdah pistol made in Germany]]
[[Image:Reiterpistolelefthand-Detail I.JPG|thumb|right|Breech of the same pistol open for loading. This particular weapon was made for a left-handed user.]]

The '''howdah pistol''' was a large-calibre [[handgun]], often with two or four barrels, used in Africa and India from the beginning of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century during the [[British Empire]] era. It was intended for defence against [[lion]]s, [[tiger]]s and other dangerous wild animals that might be encountered in remote areas. Multi-barreled breech-loading designs were later favoured over contemporary revolvers, due to their higher velocity and faster reloading potential.<ref name="p22">{{cite book |author=Maze, Robert J. |year=2002 |title=Howdah to High Power |publisher=Excalibur Publications |page=22 }}</ref>

==Terminology==

The term "howdah pistol" comes from  the ''[[howdah]]'', a large platform mounted on the back of an [[elephant]].  Hunters, particularly in [[British Raj]] India, used howdahs as a platform for hunting, and needed large-calibre side-arms for protection against close quarters animal attacks.<ref name="p19">Maze. - p.19.</ref> The practice of hunting from the howdah basket on top of an [[Asian elephant]] was first made popular by the [[East India Company]] during the 1790s. The early howdah pistols were flintlock designs of similar specification to the military issue [[musket pistol]], and it was not until about 60 years later that percussion models in single or double barrel configuration were seen. By the 1890s and early 1900s cartridge-firing and fully rifled howdah pistols were standard.

==19th century==

The first breech-loading howdah pistols were little more than [[Short barreled rifle|sawn-off rifles]],<ref name="p19" /> typically in [[.577 Snider]]<ref name="p20">Maze. - p.20.</ref> or [[.577/450 Martini–Henry]] calibre. This was practical in that the huntsman could use the same, powerful, ammunition in rifle and pistol.<ref name="Peterson 1971 p.239">Peterson & Elman ''The Great Guns'' (1971) p.239 {{ISBN|0600338908}}</ref> Later English firearms makers manufactured specially designed howdah pistols<ref name="p20" /> in both rifle calibres and standard pistol calibres such as [[.455 Webley]] and [[.476 Enfield]];<ref name="p19" /> consequently the term "howdah pistol" is often applied to a number of English multi-barrelled handguns including the [[Lancaster pistol]] (available in several calibres from .380" to .577"),<ref name="p20-22">Maze. - pp.20-22.</ref> and various .577-calibre revolvers produced in England and Europe for a brief time in the mid-late 19th century.<ref name="p25">Maze. - p.25.</ref> A howdah pistol with its closed breech fires at a substantially higher velocity than a revolver of the same calibre, because a revolver suffers from gas leakage at the gap between the cylinder and the barrel.<ref name="Peterson 1971 p.239"/>

Although howdah pistols were originally intended for emergency defence against dangerous animals in Africa and India, British military officers later carried them for personal protection and even battlefield use.<ref name="p20" /> By the late 19th century, top-break revolvers in more practical calibres such as [[Webley Revolver|.455 Webley]] had become widespread,<ref name="p20" /> removing much of the traditional market for howdah pistols.

==Popular culture ==

Howdah pistols have featured in popular culture such as the film ''[[The Ghost and the Darkness]]'', the TV series ''[[Westworld (TV series)|Westworld]]'' and the video game ''[[Battlefield 1]]'' which features a quadruple-barreled variant.

==See also==
* [[Animal attacks]]
* [[Ithaca Auto & Burglar|Ithaca Auto & Burglar gun]]
* [[Lancaster pistol]]
* [[List of multiple-barrel firearms]]
* [[Lupara]] 
* [[TP-82 Cosmonaut survival pistol]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==

* Maze, Robert J. (2002). ''Howdah to High Power''. Tucson, Arizona: Excalibur Publications. {{ISBN|1-880677-17-2}}.

{{Multiple Barrel Firearms}}
{{Early firearms}}
{{Elephants}}

[[Category:Camels]]
[[Category:Victorian-era weapons of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Black-powder pistols]]
[[Category:Multiple-barrel firearms]]
[[Category:Early firearms]]
[[Category:Hunting equipment]]
[[Category:Livestock]]