Does anyone make howdah pistols anymore? If so who? I want one soooooo bad.

Yeah, thats been going around lately.

If I read the BATF link correctly that I think Lar45 posted, it should not be difficult to get one made. $200 manufactor tax for making a new short barreled shotgun/rifle. $5 dollar transfer tax for AOW when you take possesion of said weapon. Plus cost of origonal gun, parts, and labor. I think work has to be done by a federally licesned manufacturer, not just a run of the mill gunsmith.

I have not seen the Gold Label yet, but I think it would probly make a really strong action for a Howda. Tho being a 12ga, you would need to do something serious like .50AK or .500NE or .50 Sharps 3", or even .475GNR(or its various otehr incarnations), or .470NE like Lar45 is talking about, or...

While you are at it get a pair of sound supressors.

Kristofer

If I understand what a Howdah is, then what you need to do is contact an 07/02 Manufacturer. It can't be any old gunsmith. What you want to build is a Short-Barreled Rifle( barrel[s] under 16", total length under 26"), these are covered by the NFA Act of '34. There will be a $200.00 tax stamp involved. The 07/02 will provide you with a BATF Form 4 to fill out and send in to the ATF, along with a check for $200. 90-120 days later, he gets the form with stamp,you get to pick up both. This is provided you are both in the same state. If not, the transaction must go through a Class 2 dealer in your state.

The $5.00 AOW tax will not appliy, this is not an Any Other Weapon. An AOW will have a forward Pistol Grip, and cannot be assembled from an action that has ever had a shoulder stock attached.

If you can find a SXS shotgun or rifle action that has never been assembled into a long gun then you can build it yourself ($200.00 manufacturing tax) or have an 07/02 build it and transfer it to you ($5.00 AOW transfer). This is where Shotgun , AR15, and FNFAL AOW's come from.

So you are saying it has to be made from scratch. Can not be a conversion of an existing firearm? But if that is true then it would have never been a long gun, it would just be a double barreled pistol from day one, and not subject to any NFA laws. Because it would have rifled barrels making it not a short shotgun. And if it *never* had a sholder stock then it would not be a short rifle.

Kristofer

KB,
Yep, you're right. I read the other posts after I posted here. I didn't understand what a Howdah was , . For some reason, I was imagining a shoulder stock on this.

If you start with a bare action, you can make your pistol, no extra paperwork involved. As long as it is under .50cal and not a shotgun(smoothbore), then it's a destructive device (this I'm not completely sure on, it's been a few years since I read all the NFA Regs.). If you start with a COMPLETE rifle/shotgun, you have to go the short-barreled rifle/shotgun route, whether you keep the stock or not.

This, of course is my understanding of the regs. I can and have been wrong before...

Never do anything, with firearms, just because some goof on a message board says you can, find out from the Tech Branch at the ATF if it's legal first.

[ 04-18-2003, 11:21: Message edited by: GeorgeInNePa ]

Thanks for the help guys.
Andy

I wonder if the info above is correct.

If the Howda is made from scratch and did not start out as a shotgun or a rifle, I do not see how the 1934 act applies. The 1934 act does not apply to derringer 45 colt pistols, so why would it apply to derringer 45-70 pistols?

Isn't it a destructive device ONLY IF the bore is over .500? My understanding is that a 45-70 Howda made from scratch would not be a destructive device, and would not be AOW (short barreled rifle or short barreled shotgun).

Your understanding is correct......if you could find or build a double barrel action that had never been assembled as a long gun, and had barrel/s with a bore size smaller than .5"....you could build a Howda just like any other pistol.

As far as AOWs go, a short barreled rifle or shotgun is NOT an AOW if it was ever assembled with a buttstock......a cut down rifle is a short barreled rifle, a cut down shotgun is a short barreled shotgun.....neither are considered AOWs.

An example of an AOW would be a handgun that has both a rear pistol grip and a front pistol grip (HK SP89 with MP5K front grip installed).... novelity weapons that don't look like a weapon can also be considered AOWs and, unknown to most folks, a wallet holster which contains a handgun and that is designed so that the handgun can be fired without removing it from the holster is also an AOW!

At this point I would even settle for a muzzle loading percussion howdah. Does anyone know if reproductions are made?
Andy

Note:

Even if the short bbl. shotgun has never been assembled with a buttstock it is still an AOW as it then becomes a smoothbore handgun. This is why you cannot just go to the local gun shop and buy a 12 inch "Witness Protection" remington 870. The way around this part of the law, of course, is to rifle the last inch or two of the 12 bore or 10 bore howdah pistol in paradox style rifling. U.S Firearms makes a really nice single action revolver that is done in this way to shoot shotshells for exhibition purposes AND bullets. Apparently it works like a champ.

Best Regards,

JohnTheGreek

[ 04-22-2003, 21:09: Message edited by: JohnTheGreek ]

cz550,

You obviously want to double check the legalities of this but I believe you could make such an animal yourself. Percussion rifles and shotguns are not considered guns and to my knowledge are not subject to NFA regulations regarding bbl length. I would think you could find a gunsmith to properly convert a 12 bore rifles or smoothbore Pedersoli into such a beast without too much trouble. A percussion Howdah actually seems to make sense to me since they were a last resort sort of weapon anyway and if you fired your two rounds, you probably weren't going to get to reload if the tiger was in the "howdah" with you atop your elephant.

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

Possibly a (relatively) cheap alternative would be to find an Ithaca Auto+Burglar gun. These are (I believe) a 'curio' and transfer with only a 5$ tax. These are 12" double barrel 20 ga. pistols. They look slick. With slugs they would certainly get anything's attention. Last time I saw one the asking price was about 600$, but it has been several years.
C.G.B.