parker brothers world war 1 flare gun

[Howard Loewensteiner]

Just curious if anyone has run across a parker brothers flare gun made for a WW1 contract as the war ended and they on produced a few prottypes

[Dean Romig]

I tried the search function Howard but it wouldn't come up. There was something about their flare gun a few years back here on the forum as I recall.





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[Howard Loewensteiner]

Hi Dean: there is a pic of one in the Parker story and a paragraph about it. It was a gov. contract awarded Parker to produce them but the war ended before they went into production. evidently they only made a few prototypes. ran across one the other day. cool item. They are marked Parker Brothers meriden. 35mm. Made of alum .What a bird gun that would make if you could get shells for it

[Drew Hause]

Courtesy of Dave Noreen

America's Munitions 1917-1918, report of Benedict Crowell, the Assistant Secretary of War, Director of Munitions, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1919. On page 220 where he discussed the Very Flare Pistol
"In August 1918, we let contracts for 135,000 of the 25-mm pistols and for approximately 30,000 of the 35-mm pistols. The A.H. Fox Gun Co. completed 4,193 of the smaller pistols and Scott & Fetzer Machine Co. turned out 7,750 of them. Other concerns which had taken contracts but had not come into production when the armistice was signed were the National Tool & Manufacturing Co., Doehler Die Castings Co., The Hammond Typewriter Co., and Parker Bros."

A 35mm Parker Bros. flare pistol is in the Remington Museum in Ilion.

[Dean Romig]

Maybe the one I remembered being discussed was posted by someone who had visited the museum.

Howard, that has a nice short barrel for a quick swing on woodcock in the coverts that grow as thick as dog hair.





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[Howard Loewensteiner]

anyone have any idea of the value of one of these. any info would be appreciated. Thanks Howard.