POTD: The Man Stopping Pepperbox – The .577 Howdah Pistol
Sam.S 08.23.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a 577 howdah pistol. Howdahs are not a particular company’s gun but a broad term like “pepperbox. The Lancaster pistol was a unique British handgun and a classic Howdah pistol of the 19th century. Usually made in 2 or 4 barrels, the Lancaster was often chambered in large bores including .455 Webley and .577. As a modernized pepperbox design, the Lancaster .577 used cartridges instead of percussion caps. Popular with British officers abroad, the Lancaster .577 Howdah pistol provided rapid firepower with its multiple barrels, faster than standard revolvers without gas leakage between shots. The big bore Lancaster .577 was highly favored by 19th-century hunters and explorers for defense against dangerous game at close range.
“An outgrowth and evolution of the “Howdah” pistols used as point defense weapons by big game hunters, Charles Lancaster’s multi-barreled pistols used a pepperbox-style action in conjunction with large, man-stopping brass cased cartridges to deliver a rate of fire and striking power that was among the best available in its day. Though never a standard issue weapon with the British colonial forces, many officers chose Lancasters over the standard issue revolvers due to these attributes….
…According to The Army List of May 1899 by Great Britain Ministry of Defense, Captain J. Straker served with 3rd Battalion, the West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales Own) in the Mediterranean. The 3rd Battalion, the West Yorkshire Regiment received the Mediterranean 1901-02 battle honor for service during the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, while performing garrison duty in the Mediterranean to relieve regular Army battalions for active service. With the case are the following accessories: oiler, screwdriver, cleaning rod, two cartridges and two West Yorkshire insignia.”
Lot 136: Lancaster Charles Howdah Pistol 577 – Cased Large Frame Lancaster Charles Superposed Barreled .577 Howdah Pistol Attributed to a West Yorkshire Regiment Officer. (n.d.-b). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved August 22, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/63/136/lancaster-charles-howdah-pistol-577.
