European Firearms Certifcate Very pistol

[PilotWolf]

It’s a shame there is no safe way of practicing as I fired one and the kick was a bit of a shock.

I have done survival courses where hand flares were used. But I don’t know I’d any still do so as it involved a lot of telephone calls to CG etc and paperwork.

Be interested to know how a Very pistol compares to the recall of a normal firearm.

W.

 

[Graham376]

Safety & Training - Pains Wessex - Marine Signal & Rescue Products

 

[newtothis]

Be interested to know how a Very pistol compares to the recall of a normal firearm.

Few of us are old enough to recall a Very pistol.

 

[PilotWolf]

Few of us are old enough to recall a Very pistol.

I saw one once

W

 

[Blue Sunray]

How can the exhaust gases, having departed from the rocket and being unattached to it, have any ability to steer the rocket?

I can't speak specifically for parachute flares but the effect of crosswind on most rockets is to push the tail in the direction of the wind (AIUI as the CoP for the wind is behind the CG of the rocket), thus the exhaust gases are now off centre and directing the rocket into the wind. For this reason 'aiming off' for crosswind with unguided rocket projectiles is counterintuitive in that one has to aim downwind (the opposite of conventional shooting).

 

[Gary Fox]

I can't speak specifically for parachute flares but the effect of crosswind on most rockets is to push the tail in the direction of the wind (AIUI as the CoP for the wind is behind the CG of the rocket), thus the exhaust gases are now off centre and directing the rocket into the wind. For this reason 'aiming off' for crosswind with unguided rocket projectiles is counterintuitive in that one has to aim downwind (the opposite of conventional shooting).

Thanks very interesting, although it raises more questions than it answers, food for thought.

 

[Adios]

Some expired flares I've let off in the past on bonfire night (well away from the sea) have been pink rather than red so colour seems to degrade with age. Only one parachute refused to fire but that could have been faulty from new.

Same here, disposed of a large bag of assorted rockets and handhelds some as much as 20 years out of date. All of them went off perfectly and i ended up feeling conned for buying new ones. They are built to survive being on a boat for years so should be pretty much impervious to what would age them. I think as long as have a number of old flares the chance that none of them work is very slim. I do have an LED flare now which I attach to myself at night or single handing along with a handheld radio. Seems a better solution all round.

 

[Halo]

I have never heard of old flares self igniting or being a risk except for the fact they may not work. I had some 20 year old non parachute flares and let them off on bonfire night -every one worked and i thought "why did I do that rather than having them on board ? " AT the moment I get new flares when the old ones expire and keep the old ones on board.
When a ship is bearing down on you let the out of date white flare off first and then the in date one ! When you are stuck in the life raft a new flare and and old one. This must be better than only 1 flare !

 

[Alicatt]

Our coast guard station got our old flares for disposal, they usually saved them up for a big yearly exercise and for the harbour day RNLI demonstration and celebrations in the evening.

Just beside the coastguard station on the south head of Wick Bay is a big quarry with a large pinnacle of rock to the seaward side, they practice firing ropes across from the top of the quarry to the pinnacle and then doing a breeches buoy rescue of the people on top of the pinnacle, my house back then overlooked that part of the bay and we had a ringside seat to watch the practices.