Katta
Definition
Single-shot crude pistol, usually.315 or 12 bore, with a break-action or screw-plug breech and a nail-head striking pin. Dominant illicit firearm in north and central India.
- Type
- Single-shot crude improvised pistol
- Common calibre
- .315 or 12 bore
- Breech mechanism
- Break-action or screw-plug
- Striker
- Nail-head firing pin
- Prevalence
- Dominant illicit firearm in north and central India
Common questions
What makes a katta different from a tamancha?+
Both are crude country-made firearms from the same illicit workshop tradition, but a katta is typically the single-shot break-action or screw-plug type, while tamancha more often refers to a pen-gun or bolt-style improvised handgun; usage of the two names varies regionally.
Why are kattas significant in firearm examination casework?+
Their crude, non-standard bores and hand-cut barrels produce highly individual and often irregular rifling or smoothbore marks, and their improvised cartridges frequently cause misfires, hangfires, or barrel bulging that examiners must document alongside toolmark comparisons.
Related terms
- Arms Act 1959
- Principal Indian statute regulating manufacture, possession, transport and sale of firearms and ammunition. Possession of an unlicensed country-made firearm is punishable under...
- Country-Made Firearm
- An illicitly manufactured firearm, fabricated in unlicensed cottage workshops without quality control, typically smoothbore and chambered loosely. Generic Indian umbrella for katta,...
- Mikrosil Casting
- Two-part silicone casting compound used to make a negative replica of a chamber, breech face or tool-mark. Standard at Indian CFSL ballistics...
- Obturation
- The gas-sealing function of the cartridge case during firing, in which the case wall expands outward under propellant pressure to seal the...
- Pipe-Gun
- Single-shot improvised firearm built from a steel water pipe as the barrel and a sliding sleeve as the firing mechanism. Used as...
- Smoothbore
- An unrifled barrel with no spiral grooves. Gives little or no stria on a fired projectile, which makes comparison microscopy of country-made...
- Tamancha
- Generic Urdu / Hindi term for a small improvised pistol. Often used interchangeably with katta in case papers and FIRs.