Sometime ago my friend Ed sent me an article he wrote suggesting a revival of the double barreled “Howdah” pistols. In one section he points out that such an action could handle quite powerful loads and would make a useful hunting pistol. It would lack the bulk of a large frame revolver but still allow a quick second shot. One can expect it to have very good pointing characteristics too and be fun guns for target shooting or plinking. The gun I'm going to suggest isn't really a Howdah pistol unless it is chambering a powerful "stopper" round. Maybe we should call it “The Deuce”.
The above modified image of a Thompson Contender pistol gives us some idea what a modern Howdah pistol might look like. Two side by side barrels is an alternative but the Over-under configuration may be easier to holster. Ed also mentions how easily a pair of barrels could be removed to change calibre. We can take this concept further by having the individual barrels removable so that the shooter can “mix and match” in any combination that he sees appropriate. A squirrel shooter may opt for .22 shorts for upward shots at sitting targets, and a .410 shotshell for moving targets. A turkey shooter may opt for a 20 bore and a .22 magnum barrel. Shooters of larger game may opt for a high velocity long range round in one barrel and a large bore “stopper” in the other.
Another refinement that I suggested was to have the barrel's chambers as a removable component. The same .22 or .30 barrel can therefore be used with dozens of different rounds. The rifling of such a barrel may not be optimum for some rounds, so it is possible there will be “universal” and “dedicated” barrels. Barrel length, style and weight can all be varied to suit the user. One way I see of doing this is to have chambers that screw into the breechface and barrels that screw onto the front of the chamber. In the above image what appear to be the barrels are in fact intended to be barrel shrouds that mount the sights etc. The barrels are inserted into these shrouds and are free-floated. Some users may prefer fully adjustable front sights mounted directly on the barrel.
I can see these barrels being offered in every calibre from .17 (4.5mm) to 20 bore (.615” or 15.6mm). Barrels for a longarm variant might be offered as large as 10 bore (0.775”). Longarm barrels would have a smaller diameter attachment collar so illegally short barrels cannot be attached to a stocked unit.
In an idle moment I considered some of the less commonplace rounds that such a pistol might use.
A interesting round for use in long barreled pistols may be the .223 MIKE or 6mm MIKE rounds.
The .45 Springfield Magnum would be useful for many purposes, having 10% greater frontal area than a .44mag and greater potential for bullet weight and velocity.
For longer range large game shooting, Ed suggests .257 or .280 rifle bullets in a necked down .45-70 or 444 Marlin cases. I can imagine a very useful pistol having one of these rounds in one barrel and .45 Springfield magnum in the other.
For those that do expect to meet tigers at close range, Ed points out that the brass of the 7.62x54R russian rifle round can be opened out to .50” and might be fitted with a bullet of that diameter. Maybe we should call this the ".50 Boris". The strength of the standing breech of this design should withstand such a load if the shooter can.
As an alternative to the .22 magnum for long range small game shooting the 5mm Remington magnum round is now available as a reloadable centrefire.
Another interesting alternative with even greater velocity are James Calhoon's .19 calibre bullets. Calhoon offers .19 bullets in weights of 32-40gr. Ed favours rimmed rounds for this pistol, so for his “Nineteener” would probably opt for a .19 56gr pointed boattail round in a casing such as the .357 or .44 magnum. He suggests calling this round “The Spear”.
Another interesting chambering for this weapon is SSK's6.5mm Whisperâ. With a 100gr bullet this is a nice small game round that bucks the wind better than smaller calibres. In a 120-129gr load it is a good deer or pig round with low recoil and good performance from short barrels. JD Jones of SSK also offers a range of rounds all based on the .308/.30-06 case with the .280 and .416 being of particular interest.
Notes. Information on the 5mm Remington magnum/5mm Craig is not too common, so I thought I'd reproduce some here.
Muzzle Velocity (fps)
Velocity at 100yds (fps)
Muzzle Energy (foot-lbs)
Energy at 100yds (foot-lbs)
38gr 5mm Rem Mag.
2100
1605
372
217
40gr .22 Win Mag.
2000
1390
355
170
Both rounds are considered suitable for hunting Fox, Racoon and Jackrabbit. The 5mm Rem Mag uses up all its propellant in 10" of barrel, so when fired from a long barreled pistol such as the Thompson Contender (or Deuce) it will have a velocity equal to or possibly greater than when used in a rifle.
