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azredhawk44 · September 2, 2008, 12:05 PM

So, 12ga flare guns exist. Cheap little things that pop a flare into the sky hundreds of yards for emergencies.

We carry guns in the woods and other places for use as defensive weapons, but I was thinking while hiking yesterday, "what stops someone from making flares in the same caliber as a handgun?"

We have snakeshot, after all, in pistol caliber form. Heck, there's even snakeshot for 9mm or 45acp autos. Won't cycle the slide, but whatever.

I saw two forest service helicopters fly over me during my hike, and I thought: How would I signal them if I needed emergency help? They wouldn't hear the reports from my revolver or see muzzleflash unless it was night.

Then I thought: Six .44 magnum-powered flares would really be something to see at night! Or even during the day! Heck of a lot better than a single flare gun.

On that note: Does anyone know of a company that makes .357 or .44 flare cartridge?

Or, does anyone know of flare-oriented reloading projectiles? Would handgun pressures tear one apart too quickly? Would you have to use relatively reduced charges of fast powders (Titegroup, Unique, etc) to propel and ignite the flare projectile? How would one make a flare-projectile if none are available on the market? Is this even a safe idea?

I'd love to have a handful of .44 flares for my gun when I'm hiking.

September 2, 2008, 12:05 PM	#1
azredhawk44 Junior member Join Date: September 28, 2005 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 6,465	Pistol Cartridge Flares? So, 12ga flare guns exist. Cheap little things that pop a flare into the sky hundreds of yards for emergencies. We carry guns in the woods and other places for use as defensive weapons, but I was thinking while hiking yesterday, "what stops someone from making flares in the same caliber as a handgun?" We have snakeshot, after all, in pistol caliber form. Heck, there's even snakeshot for 9mm or 45acp autos. Won't cycle the slide, but whatever. I saw two forest service helicopters fly over me during my hike, and I thought: How would I signal them if I needed emergency help? They wouldn't hear the reports from my revolver or see muzzleflash unless it was night. Then I thought: Six .44 magnum-powered flares would really be something to see at night! Or even during the day! Heck of a lot better than a single flare gun. On that note: Does anyone know of a company that makes .357 or .44 flare cartridge? Or, does anyone know of flare-oriented reloading projectiles? Would handgun pressures tear one apart too quickly? Would you have to use relatively reduced charges of fast powders (Titegroup, Unique, etc) to propel and ignite the flare projectile? How would one make a flare-projectile if none are available on the market? Is this even a safe idea? I'd love to have a handful of .44 flares for my gun when I'm hiking.