Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Two brass signal pistols, known to have been used extensively at the Battle of Verdun. Brought them home from my museum to clean them up a bit (photos before cleaning). I'm toying with the idea of finding a flare to put beside them in the display as a reference - people have trouble understanding what they look like. Anyone know what kind these would have fired (are there diff sizes? I'm not a flare guy).
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Nice ones, don't know what they used, but if you hunt around online somebody is bound to know. There are some Great War forums out there someplace.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
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Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
They don't appear to need cleaning. They look nice.
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Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Beautiful
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Nothing major, I just shined them up a bit with some Nevrdull.millman wrote: They don't appear to need cleaning. They look nice.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" - Flavius Vegetius Renatus (ca 390 AD)
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
What would look cool is a set of double western style holsters! Strap them on and no one would dare play with you! ;)
I like those.....don't get me started!
Dolk
I like those.....don't get me started!
Dolk
Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
I carried them out of the museum with one in each hand, looking like I was about to go postal. ...turned quite a few heads.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" - Flavius Vegetius Renatus (ca 390 AD)
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
be careful with that neverdull. it's a quick way to cut their value. brass needs to show a certain patina.
Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
I thought nevrdull was safe to use?
Either way, I hardly used it... doesn't look like it changed anything aside from adding a slight luster.
Either way, I hardly used it... doesn't look like it changed anything aside from adding a slight luster.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" - Flavius Vegetius Renatus (ca 390 AD)
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Neverdull will make brass look like new, you want to keep that aged patina on the brass, it takes decades to get that look, neverdull is best for rust removal on blued steel parts.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
To figure out the original caliber it would probably be a good idea to measure the diameter of the chamber in mm.
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Sweet! What caliber/bore are these? Have you fired them???
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
French flare/signal pistols generally came in either one of two calibers: 25.4 mm or just 25mm and 35mm. There are also some flare pistols from Europe that are 26.5 mm, but I think they were Czech.
A U.S. WW I 25mm flare could be used just for display purpose, if the French flares are not available.
Very cool piece of history.
A U.S. WW I 25mm flare could be used just for display purpose, if the French flares are not available.
Very cool piece of history.
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Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
No I have not fired them, and doubt they ever will be as they are part of our museum collection (although I will admit if our 1914 Hotchkiss was active I'd make sure to find an excuse to shoot it).
Thanks for the heads up Grease!
Thanks for the heads up Grease!
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" - Flavius Vegetius Renatus (ca 390 AD)
Re: Bet You Don't Have a Pair of These!
Still a great find. Thanks for sharing them with us!klibben wrote:No I have not fired them, and doubt they ever will be as they are part of our museum collection (although I will admit if our 1914 Hotchkiss was active I'd make sure to find an excuse to shoot it).
Thanks for the heads up Grease!
American Gunsmiths: Making things go BANG for over 200 years!
Co-Owner/Gunsmith - Diamond B Gunsmithing.
2-1942 Izhevsk M91/30, 1939 K98, 1895 M1891 Argentine Mauser, 1924 VZ-24, 1917 SMLE, 1942 SMLE, 1933 1895 Tula Nagant, 1958 Type 56 SKS
Co-Owner/Gunsmith - Diamond B Gunsmithing.
2-1942 Izhevsk M91/30, 1939 K98, 1895 M1891 Argentine Mauser, 1924 VZ-24, 1917 SMLE, 1942 SMLE, 1933 1895 Tula Nagant, 1958 Type 56 SKS