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Locally Made 'Katta' Pistols Seized Across India

The Firearms Blog, Blog

3 November 2014

By ImproGuns

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Homemade firearms have long featured strongly in Indian criminology. Known locally as Kattas or tamanchas, these crude handmade pistols account for up to 30% of firearms related crime.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, their use is continuing an upward trend with around 75% of gun homicides in the capital being carried out using homemade weapons. Almost all examples are smooth bore, sometimes utilizing a sanitation pipe or automobile steering shaft as a barrel.

As well as 12 gauge, many are notably chambered in the 8x50mm mannlicher /.315 bore and British .303, both very common cartridges in the region. The designs themselves are typically influenced by old British flare pistol patents, such as the Webley MKIII.

In India, acquiring a legally owned and licenced pistol can cost up to 63,000 INR, assuming you can convince the police of your need to possess one. This being far beyond what the average individual can afford, the alternative cheap and disposable country made pistol costs between merely 500 and 1500 INR – the obvious choice for many.

[Editor's Note: Visit the original publisher's link for photos and videos of Indian craft-produced handguns.]

ID: N680

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