Flare gun

Flare gun
An Orion-brand single shot, breech loaded, 12 gauge flare gun. Its design is highly typical of commercially available flare guns.

A flare gun is a firearm that launches flares. It is typically used for signalling, as distress signalling, at sea or from the ground to aircraft. It is not designed to function as a weapon.

Contents

Types

The most common type of flare gun is a Very (sometimes spelled Verey[citation needed]) which was named after Edward Wilson Very (1847–1910), an American naval officer who developed and popularized a single-shot breech-loading snub-nosed pistol that fired flares (Very flares).[citation needed] They have a single action trigger mechanism, hammer action, center fire pin.[1] Modern varieties are frequently made out of brightly-colored, durable plastic.

British 1" calibre Very pistol of World War I

The older type of Very pistol, typical of the type used in the Second World War, are of one inch bore.[citation needed] Newer models fire smaller 12-gauge flares.[citation needed] In countries where possession of firearms is strictly controlled, such as the United Kingdom, the use of Very pistols as emergency equipment on boats is less common than, for example, the United States. In such locations, distress flares are fired from single-shot tube devices which are then disposed of after use. These devices are fired by twisting or striking a pad on one end, but the contents are otherwise similar to a round from a flare gun, although the flares themselves are much larger and can burn brighter for longer.[citation needed]

Flare guns may be used whenever someone needs to send a distress signal. The flares must be shot directly above, making the signal visible for a longer period of time and revealing the position of whoever is in need of help.

Use as weapons

A Molins No. 1, 1 inch calibre Very pistol, c1940, made by Berridge Ltd. The bayonet lug on the muzzle fitted in a port in an aircraft

While not intended as a weapon, flare guns have been used as such in some situations. In 1942, at Pembrey Airfield in Wales, a German pilot mistakenly landed at the field. The duty pilot, Sgt. Jeffreys, did not have a conventional weapon; he grabbed a Very pistol and used that to capture the German pilot, Oberleutnant Arnim Faber.[2]

Kampfpistole used in combat.

In World War II, Germany manufactured grenades designed to be fired from adapted flare guns known as the Kampfpistole, or Sturmpistole in its final form. The weapon was designed to function as an anti tank weapon but failed to perform to expectations due to the minuscule amount of TNT carried in the hollow charge projectiles.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ *Julio S. Guzmán, Las Armas Modernas de Infantería, Abril de 1953
  2. ^ Pembrey Airport: History
  3. ^ German Flare Gun

External links


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