Very Pistol Questions

[Robin Craig]

1. I am under the belief that a Very Pistol is classed as signaling device and hence does not need firearms paperwork here in Ontario, is that correct?

2. What was the era that they were issued and used within the CF and for what vehicles?

Thanks

R

[rob love]

Not only are they not a firearm, but they also do not fall under ITAR, so you may bring them back and forth across the border. Seems like the best deals on them are in the US.

There was a spot in the Bren carrier for the 1" pistol, and I believe other armoured vehicles had them as well. There was also the 1-1/2 inch version, used on aircraft and a ground version, but I think for ground version the 1" was more common.

I don't know when they were phased out of Cdn service, but I can tell you that the 37 pattern flare holsters were removed from Canadian inventory some time around 1995.

[Robin Craig]

So,

lacking any input from anyone else than Rob I guess im going to have to go over to the CF old boys site and post same question there.

R

[charlie fitton]

Originally Posted by Robin Craig

So,

lacking any input from anyone else than Rob I guess im going to have to go over to the CF old boys site and post same question there.

R

Geeze Robin ........you make that sound like a threat...

[David Dunlop]

Hi Robin.

It might be easier for us to help if you tell us the vehicle for which you were thinking of obtaining a Very Pistol.

If arm waving generalizations will help in the interim, the Canadian Forces have been using Very Pistols all the way back to World War One, and probably even a bit earlier. There are many variations and manufacturers, but as Rob Love commented, the 1" is probably the most common. It started out as a signalling tool for infantry and rapidly expanded in use to cover artillery, aircraft etc. It was typically a combat vehicle issue and did not form part of the 'normal' kit for soft skin equipment. Some armour was equipped with a built in flare pistol as per the Staghound, which has one mounted in the right side turret roof close to the loader/operator's hatch. It pointed forward at a 45 degreeish angle and I think was a 1.5 inch size.

As an interesting aside on the amount of use the Very Pistol had in the Canadian Forces, part of the course work for the BCATP Wireless School No. 3 here in Winnipeg during World War Two, was a requirement that part of the signals training wireless operator candidates need to learn, was the use of signal flares.

Regards,


David

[rob love]

They recently pulled that on the frame of a certain Eastern European blank/flare gun, where they decided it could also be used on a different model of revolver made by the same company. Only problem is that if you look at the other models, they are also blank/flare guns.

The frame of the 1" flare gun is very flimsy compared to the frame of any webley revolver. I did make an adapter for the 1" barrel to accept .32 blanks. The flare pistol was used in a theatrical production. I never did, nor would I try, to fire actual .32 ammo out of it. I am not sure the frame and stirrup would put up with the recoil of actual rounds for very long.

[Robin Craig]

OK Gnets,

we are wandering here.

The intent of the question was:-

1 which type / model of Very Pistol was used by CF in modern times

2 In which vehicles

3 When was the usage ended (answered by Rob Love)

R

[rob love]

1) In modern times, for at least the last 25 years or more, it is a pen flare launcher.

2) In olden times, flare pistols were a component of most if not all armoured vehicles. If you look at the kit stowage for most of the Cdn armour, you will see either the 1" flare pistol holster stowed, or (I think I have seen) a hole for the 1-1/2" pistol lugs.

As to wandering threads, that is a trait of an MLU thread. I am almost surprised, that after a chain of 8 response in a thread, we have not migrated to weather or English vocabulary by this point.

[David Dunlop]

How 'bout whether the weather wandered?