Flare gun
Item
Title
Flare gun
Description
MARK IIIA FLARE GUN DATED 1943. Brass barrel and frame break action single shot pistol is stamped, "HARRINGTON & RICHARDSON ARMS CO. WORCESTER, MASS. U.S.A." The frame is stamped, "MARK III A ONE INCH". The one piece walnut grip with its etched diamond pattern is form fitted over the brass frame and attached by a single screw located at the back of the grip. The serial number, "A2774" is stamped on the front of the frame. A metal lanyard ring is screwed into the frame directly below the barrel and located in the area just to the front of the trigger.
Identifier
986.66.001
Format
Provenance
A flare gun is a gun that fires flares. They are typically used as a distress signal as well as other signaling purposes at sea and between aircraft and people on the ground. The most common type of flare gun is a Very pistol (often misspelled as Verey pistol), 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. Modern varieties are frequently made out of brightly-colored, durable plastic. The older type of Very pistol, typical of the type used in the Second World War, are of one inch bore. Newer models fire smaller 12-gauge flares. 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.
Date Created
1943