Howdah you like this Double Rifle? A rare Westley Richards w/ 16" Factory Barrels

Hello All,

Some of you may have seen the Guns International listing back in 2013, about a Westley Richards .375 x 2½" Nitro Express Double Rifle with 16" barrels. I was hoping these were Original 16" Factory Barrels and not just cut-down from some longer length. I took a chance, and soon the rifle came to resides with me. I crossed my fingers and wrote Westley Richards to request a Factory Letter of Authenticity.

What a fun little Double Rifle. It tips the scales at a stout 8 pounds 10 ounces, and has an overall length of 32-7/8". That's 1-3/8" shorter than a Winchester Model 92 Trapper model with the same 16" barrel length.



The large Butt Plate and stock with a 14-1/2" LOP, means it wasn't meant for a kid. Rather, this was a compact, fast swinging "Howdah Rifle". A Howdah is a small hunting platform on top of an elephant, used for hunting Tigers.



This rifle has many very interesting features: Horn Forearm Tip, Horn Grip Cap, and Horn Butt Plate with the Westley Richards Logo. Super condition wood. Sling Eyes. One standing and 4 folding leaf rear sight, 50/100/150/200/300. Lots of original Case Color in protected areas, and a Bore as sharp and bright as any I've seen. Overall finish of the metal is a superb original "purplish-brown" that shows its character from use years ago. Nice overall Engraving with a "Buck Deer" on the bottom of the action, a "Crouching Tiger" on the bottom of the trigger guard, and a "Saber-Tooth Deer" on the back of the Lever. Yes, a "Saber-Tooth Deer".

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Westley Richards Factory Letter arrived. It indicated that this rifle was ordered by M. Saleh & Co. in Bombay, India, and "yes" the original ledger indicated it was ordered with 16" barrels. M. Saleh is still in operation today by Saleh's Great Grandson. I telephoned him and he indicated that this rifle was special ordered by his Great Grand Father in 1927. He wanted a compact Double Rifle for Tiger hunting from the close quarters of the Howdah. Hooray!

This is my Favorite Little Tiger Rifle!

Wow what a find! It is very interesting with such short barrels. It is a wonderful functional work of art. Too bad you would not be able to actually use it on a tiger. Thanks for sharing

Since you have a Crouching Tiger on the trigger guard may i be so cheeky as to suggest you call this your Hidden Dragon rifle.

I can only imagine that the recoil would be a little stout but since this was meant as a close quarter battle rifle i am curious as to the accuracy that you are getting. I would love to know how long it took the factory to regulate this little beauty.



Thank you for sharing.

Got a little muzzle jump?

Really, have you shot it? i imagine it balances beautifully.

I believe Ross Seyfried did article on one these years ago in Guns and Ammo. I do not remember the year but he did load and fire it.

Thanks

358win

Ross did an article on a Howdah pistol. He may have done one about a rifle also, but I don't remember it.



Thank you for sharing buckstix, enjoyable thread & images. Yes, I'm envious.

Great find and a wonderful bit of history to go along with it. To a collector provenance information is invaluable. Congratulations!

What a work of art. A far cry from the guns I've seen and used in my lifetime. Functional art. I am curious how difficult it is to find or produce ammo for such a piece. Thanks for posting!

Wow, a double barrel carbine...

It is good to have the provenance. How does it shoot? Rusty

Here is a link to some pictures of fanged deer, it does seem that they were/are native to the mountains of India so perhaps the engraving is appropriate.

https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/musk-deer-with-fangs

drover

Wow if that rifle could talk! Wonder how many tigers it has dispatched?

That would make a very handy rifle for close range pigs and deer, in the absence of opportunities to hunt tiger. The weight should make it a pussycat to shoot too, given the modest ballistics of the cartridge for which it is chambered - have you tried it?

I wonder what the original barrels were?

Hello Azshooter,

Thanks for the reply.
Its my responsibility to keep the Tiger population under control here in Wisconsin, So far I've been doing a great job.


Hello krupp,

Thanks for the reply.

The rifle weighs nearly 9 pounds loaded so recoil is not a factor at all. I have a load with a 300g bullet at 1800 fps that shoots under 1-1/2" at 50 yards. I'm sure the folks at Westley Richards had no more difficulty regulating the rifle than any other double rifle.


Hello hatari,

Thanks for the reply.

It balances perfectly at the hinge, and yes, I've shot it - over 225 times since I've owned it.

You've shot it 225 times, so how many tigers is that?

You’ve come up with some really neat and historical guns over the years.

To me this one takes the cake.

Thanks for sharing.

DF

NICE! I'd have to load some 270gr Woodleigh round nosed weldcores to regulation spec and whack some game animals with that rig, CONGRATS!

Who is doing the FDE Cerakote and what colors and percentages did you order the new McM for it in?



Very nice rifle.

Wow what a nice rifle. A WR Coach gun. I find it a little humorous that the bottom engraving is a Roe Buck, I think it would kill a Roe Buck just fine.

Hello John_Havard, Thanks for the reply.



Hello HuntnShoot, Thanks for the reply.



Hello shrapnel, Thanks for the reply.



Hello rustyzipper, Thanks for the reply. It shoots great - under 1-1/2" groups at 50 yards.

Take another look at the image -- that deer has fangs! -)

Not a roe buck, but a musk deer buck native to India.



I think this rifle would have no trouble with one of them either!

John

that is one cool little rifle thanks for showing!

Hello drover, Thanks for the reply. Yes, nothing like it here in Wisconsin.


Hello jmp300wsm, Thanks for the reply. If one appears here in Wisconsin, I'll take care of it.


Hello dan_oz, Thanks for the reply. I've shot it over 200 times. According to Westley Richards, it started out to be a 30-06 caliber, but was later changed to 375x2-1/2" caliber.

Very cool purchase! Thanks for letting us in on your treasure.

That is one rifle that would be a keeper!

Boy Howdah......

Fantastic! Congratulations! Sometimes it pays to roll the dice!

Hello doubletap. Thanks for the reply. I killed "all" the wild Tigers here in Wisconsin.


Hello Dirstfarmer. Thanks for the reply. I like all rifles that are unique. This is one of my favorites.


Hello Tejano. Thanks for the reply. I think it was used to kill all those species of deer, and tigers too.

Hello jpb. Thanks for the reply. The deer engraved on the "bottom" of the action is a roe buck - the one engraved on the "lever" is the musk deer with fangs.


Hello mooshoo. Thanks for the reply.


Hello bigwhoop. Thanks for the reply.

buckstix: Thank you for the polite correction! This is all too rare today

Roe buck AND a musk deer buck!

Also, my apologies to tejano -- he was correct and I had just missed the roe buck!

John

Hello Mathsr. Thanks for the reply. Yes, its definitely a keeper.


Hello huntsman22. Thanks for the reply.


Hello kingston. Thanks for the reply Yes.

Very cool. thanks for sharing.

Did the great grandson have any specific knowledge of the guns use as far as how many, if any, tigers had been shot with it? Any pictures of his great Grandfather with the gun?

Hello jpb. Thanks for the reply. No need for an apology, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a sabre-tooth deer.

Hello Kodiakisland. Thanks for the reply. All the Grandson told me was that it was special ordered by his Grandfather and that it was used for Tiger hunting, He didn't say anything about how many Tigers it might have killed. Unfortunately he didn't have any pictures or additional written documentation because all the store records before 1928 were lost.

That looks to be one fine rifle.

Curious about brass, would a 303 British Case necked out to 375 work well? Where do you get your brass for that rifle?

What a unique, awesome gun!

Hello Bugger. Thanks for the reply. Brass is readily available in this caliber from several makers. I purchased Bertram brass from Buffalo Arms.

Hello moosemike. Thanks for the reply

buckstix,

Thank you for the educational thread and the pictures.

You provided an interesting glimpse back in time.

Hello nifty-two-fifty. Thanks for the reply.