Then it went to Montana and later to a collector in Texas who soon grew I saw the rifle when it lived in Alaska many years ago.
The tiger hunter movie what rifle serial#
It was a conical mould with the hollow-point peg, and serial numbered to a Rodda 4-bore double rifle. In 2017, I purchased an original bullet mould in the huge 4-bore caliber. I have participated with pleasure but not with enough interest to buy a howdah pistol. Even at the Alaska double-rifle shoots, a few howdahs are on display and attendees shoot them, as they do all the doubles there. I have seen them when visiting his home and appreciate them as antiques and pieces of history that will never be seen again, but they never have sparked an interest. Nothing fits your hand like a Colt SAA!Ī friend in Anchorage has an outstanding collection of howdah pistols in all calibers and gauge sizes, both two- and four-barreled styles. Both have the standard fixed sights and 7½-inch barrel lengths. One is a first-generation from 1879 and the other is a third-generation that was purchased in 1981. 45 Colt Single Action Army revolvers I currently own. I have never been much of a fan of handguns. An example of a double-barrel howdah was used by Michael Douglas, playing Remington, the hunter in the film The Ghost and the Darkness. 577, 20s and 16s were limited to two barrels or sometimes a single shot, due to the diameter of the cartridge. 500s were also seen in four-barreled versions the. 577 and in 20- and 16-bore, these double-barreled hand cannons filled the ticket for hunters looking for a “stopping” handgun. Hunting from the elephant howdah, Nepal, 1911.and longer than the handguns of the day. Made with a side or top lever, or the more common Jones patent underlever system, the break-open design could accommodate cartridges larger in diameter Enter the double barrel (and sometimes four-barreled) howdah pistol. 577 Tanter revolver was too light to stop or even slow an angry tiger.
The tiger hunter movie what rifle full#
45 Colt were too anemic to dispatch a 600-pound tiger full of adrenaline. 577-caliber black powder express, or a “bore” rifle in 10-, 8-, or 4-bore) there may not be time to reload as the lightning-quick and agile tiger leaps to the howdah. The hunters have become the hunted!Īfter two shots have been fired from the hunter’s double rifle (either a. In fact, my 4-bore double rifle has engraving showing a tiger climbing up the head of an elephant to attack men in a howdah. It was not uncommon for a wounded and angry tiger to leap up to the howdah to attack the hunter who caused him his pain. The situation could be almost as deadly atop an elephant. An attack from a wounded tiger could spell death to a hunter on foot. Tigers are the biggest member of the cat family and can be 1½ times the weight of an African lion.
It was a different story with a tiger, however. It is doubtful a wounded bear, gaur, or even a leopard would attack an elephant. That height, combined with the immense size of an elephant, would assure the hunter would return at the end of the day – almost. The howdah could be up to 10 feet above the ground. When the quarry could “hit back,” the howdah provided a level of safety that could not be had when on foot or on horseback. Hunting for any game in the heat of the jungles of India was made a bit easier by riding atop an elephant while in a chair placed within the howdah.
577 Snider.The howdah pistol derived its name from the platform and basket on the back of the Indian elephant where hunters and guides rode in relative safety and comfort.