Old Gun Addiction FLARED-UP Again:

“The difference between men and boys - is the price of their toys”

This antique FLARE Pistol is a value for money, verey functional, solid lump of metal machinery. Chamber diameter as 4 Gauge (four balls to the pound of lead) "Elephant Gun". - Lots of flair here.

Yes Your Honour - I've been 'at it' again .. I swear guv'ner I'll get myself under control asap. - But I really like Webleys .. 

This is an antique Webley & Scott Mk III* Flare or Signal Pistol, 

'One inch' bore (FOUR BORE typically 26.5mm) .. date stamped 1918.

She's a beaudy .. locks-up tight as a drum and opens wide & smooth to extract positively. 

- No slack or wiggle.

The Mk III* flared muzzle extention was meant to prevent injury from the officer/shooter's hand slipping in front of the muzzle on discharge.

These guns mostly are called BRASS framed but supposedly, they are Bronze or Gunmetal framed but the flared muzzle extension may be brass. The problem here, without being too pedantic, is that there were at least FIVE different UK makers contracted to build this ordnance (Chubb, Greener, Cogswell & Harrison, Wolseley, and Webley & Scott) and some of them could well have used alloys they had laying around in their scrap heaps. 

- There is even a Canadian version having a Zinc Frame ..

- A Pleasing and Pretty Piece I opine - but if you disagree - Please feel free to P-off .

I read that these WW I  - 4 Gauge ("Elephant Gun") 1 inch Flare Pistols were proofed with a cartridge using 1 ounce of lead shot ..

ELEY Flare Gun PROOF Cartridges:

ISAA is Inspector of Small Arms Ammunition

I see that in U S of A you can find caliber convertion inserts that would permit use of smaller 12 Gauge cartridges, or even .410 or 45 Colt rounds - but naturally this might be frowned upon in some jurisdictions such as NZ.

FTF Industries .22" L.R. R/F Converter Insert - $40.

The flare cartridges used in this pistol are the same bore size as 4 Gauge cartridges - as in black powder ELEPHANT GUNS. - Called 'One Inch' bore - they are closer to 1.1 inch.

- Can you imagine the recoil from firing a solid slug in one of these? - Large bore Black Powder Elephant Guns were dropped very quickly when effective Nitro Express cartridges were introduced ..

Some folk call this type of device a VEREY Pistol .. so named after Edward Wilson Very (1847–1910), an American naval officer who developed and popularized a single-shot breech-loading pistol that fired signal flares invented by Martha J Coston in 1859:

Here are Links to a very interesting story:

https://www.engineergirl.org/125236/Martha-Coston

http://www.civilwarsignals.org/pages/signal/signalpages/flare/coston3.html

http://www.civilwarsignals.org/pages/signal/signalpages/flare/coston.html

- Here are two more Rabbit Holes to drop into .. Captive Bolt Guns:

https://www.accles-shelvoke.com/company/about-accles-shelvoke/history

and some history of Eley ammunition manufacture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eley_Limited

Oh yeah, - PS. - Do you know where you are - Like, where our planet Earth is? 

Try this:

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/galaxy/en/

FIT AND PROPER?

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.