Smoothbore .656 inch percussion pistol, 1873

This weapon was intended for the Indian cavalry and was made for the East India Government by Birmingham Gun Trade. Smoothbore weapons were issued to Indian troops long after the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859) had been suppressed. This pistol, produced in 1873, has a storekeeper's stamp of the Ferozepore Arsenal for 1885.

After the transfer of responsibility for the government of India from the East India Company to the Crown in 1858, the term 'East India Government' (EIG) is found on arms and in contracts and correspondence, but does not appear to have been used in any constitutional context.