I know it's barely outta the box Enfield, but, can you share your initial impressions with us? Build quality, trigger pulls, balance, etc?
Have fun with her, Skychief
PS, if you run any birdshot through it for patterns, please get a hold of me as I'd love a report!
My initial impressions are very favorable. However, I will list my criticisms of the pistol first.
Getting the ram rod out of the pistol was very difficult. I solved that problem by flattening out the retaining spring very slightly. It didn't take much.
Then I went over the rod itself with some fine grit sand paper. I used the sand paper just enough to smooth out the surface of the wood without affecting any stain. To keep the ram rod slick, I wiped it with the beeswax/olive oil lubricant. It impregnated the wood nicely. This slicked up enough to get the rod in and out of the gun without any problem.
The only other major criticism I have is regarding two little imperfections underneath the pistol by the muzzle. They are two small plugs(?) that stick out and are rough enough that it scratches the brass end of the ram rod.
I will be taking a small file to these later then re-blue the surface. See the photo below. You can see the brass on plugs. I think these plugs were used to fill in the screw holes for when they had a permanently attached ramrod on the swivel.
I would have liked to see them retain that feature.
I neglected to take a photo of the underside of the pistol earlier. As you can see in the next photo it also looks good.
This is not a criticism but worth mentioning with regards to a person's expectations of this pistol. When you buy this thing, you have to realize that it is not a target pistol. With that said, the original design concept behind this hand-held behemoth was to put a really big ball (or a lot of them) into the brain of a really big and mean pussy-cat.
So for it's practicality in the modern world there is none, except for the fun factor. So I don't need anymore excuses to buy the pistol.
Now realizing that you aren't going to be participating in any competitions with the Howdah, realize that this thing is extremely muzzle heavy. You cannot hold it up for very long with one hand. It's not impossible but you could get tired of holding it for any appreciable length of time.
I have small hands. They are only a little larger than most women's hands. A small glove will fit my finds if only a little snug. The medium gloves fit my a little loosely. I say that to let you know that if someone has big hands they won't have any trouble reaching the front trigger which releases the hammer for the right barrel.
I can hold this pistol with one hand and easily reach the rear trigger (for the left barrel) easily. Reaching the right trigger is not impossible. I have to stretch the finger in order to touch it with the tip of the finger.
I can still pull the right trigger without shifting my grip. If I wanted to place the pad of the finger tip on the trigger, I need to shift my grip and move the hand up closer to the lock. I'll have to try it but that might be a little uncomfortable with a hard kicking load.
Since I shoot with both hands, I'll explain this next method for a right handed shooter.
Knowing that the front trigger requires stretching the trigger finger to reach it without shifting the grip, I tired grasping the pistol with two hands. This allowed me to hold the pistol on target without shifting the grip and placing the right finger on the rear trigger.
My left hand is grasping the left side of the grip/right hand. With my left hand helping to support the pistol, I am able to reach the front trigger with my left finger very comfortably.
It's my theory that this would help me get off a quick second shot or fire both barrels at once since I'm grasping the weapon with both hands.
I really like the hooked breach. The wedge pin is in the slot very tight. Use a plastic hammer to tap it out. Watch the technique for how Hickok 45 removes the wedge pin. I used his method without any problem. Fast forward to 13:45 to see how he does it.
Regarding the wood to metal fit and finish, I think it is adequate. This isn't a $20,000 custom made double gun. It is an $800 pistol. So there are very minor gaps in places that don't bother me or detract from the pistol's appearance.
When you first lay eyes on it there is the "WOW" factor. So unless your a snob when it comes to fit and finish of fine firearms, don't let this scare you from buying one.
I have some pre-measured loads of 3/4 ounce 00 buck shot for my LeMat that I'm going to try in this little marvel. I will be adding another 3 pellets of the buck shot to make it a full ounce.
I hope everyone doesn't mind but these pre-measured loads are assembled with a plastic wad. I'll explain the loads in greater detail on a future posting.
I will also be trying out some loads with 7 1/2 and number 4 shot. I'm also hoping to open up the door to the garage to cast some .614 round balls in the next day or so.
Here are some more photos in comparison to my other guns. I would have liked to placed a 3rd model dragoon next to it but it's disassembled awaiting new parts for repair. The LeMat is a big revolver and look how small it is compared to the Howdah.
I want to let you all know that I forgive you for failing miserably to talk me out of buying this twin barreled hog leg. I don't like to waste money just to look at guns. I shoot them - a lot. This one will get shot.
PS: I forgot to add that if you get this Howdah be sure to clean all the grease out of the barrels and off the gun. There was a lot on it.
In addition the nipples were not screwed in very well. They were very loose. I applied white lithium grease to the threads and reinstalled them. A pistol wrench is too small for the nipples.
I used one of my old musket sized nipple wrench to tighten them. So if you don't have a musket sized nipple wrench you could probably use a small crescent wrench to get them in and out. Just be careful so you don't slip with the wrench.
