Original British East India Company Howdah Flintlock Pistol- Circa 1819 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is very unusual, at first glance it appears to be the British East India Company Flintlock Dragoon Pistol, known as the “Baker Pattern” in use between 1819 and 1839. However, one swiftly notes that the pistol has a steel octagonal barrel which upon examination was once a rifled sporting gun barrel cut down with most of the rifling bored out so the smoothbore is now in .75 caliber, the same as a musket and not just .65 bore as was used on pistols.

The lock is an East India Company crested lock post 1808, made in India, and the remainder of the pistol mirrors a standard EIC Dragoon pistol of the 1819 pattern.

In fact, what we have here is a custom built EIC officer’s pistol designed for superior loads for use in a Howdah. A Howdah is the box compartment that sat on the back of an Elephant and used in tiger hunts throughout India and Nepal.

Officers would pursue this sport using high power sporting rifles to shoot their game from these locations of safety. Once in a while a tiger fought back climbing up the side of the Elephant to confront the Howdahs occupants. Therefore, the Howdah pistol was specially made to handle really substantial loads of powder together with a real tiger stopping Ball (.75 bore). Hopefully the hunter found time to lean over the side of the Howdah and shoot the invading tiger at point blank range for if not, he was quickly the tiger’s lunch!

Beautifully cleaned and ready to display, this is a totally authentic and unique part of British colonial history.