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In Colonial India, hunters ensconced in Howdahs on the backs of elephants were vulnerable to the attack of Tigers, that leapt from the trees in most unsportsmanlike (but perfectly sportstigerlike) fashion. The rapid approach, size and ferocity of the beast required matching by a quick eye, a quick hand and an enormously powerful firearm.

Historically, Howdah Pistols were well-balanced, double-barrelled, high-calibre weapons, appearing more as "sawn-off shotguns" than pistols, though not in any sense improvised weapons. The typical version was a muzzle-loader, but for speed of loading the Ordinal Howdah Pistol is a breech-loader; what appears to be the ramrod is in fact a release catch allowing the pistol to be easily disassembled for cleaning. Do not, therefore, pull this when attempting to reload.

For more pictures of the Howdah Pistol, please visit this Flickr Gallery.

To see a demonstration video piece, please visit this page on Vimeo.