Original U.S. Pre-WWII Mark IV VERY Signal Flare Pistol by Van Karner Arms of Port Jervis NY

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice U.S. Mark IV flare pistol with a 4 inch barrel, made by Van Karner Arms of Port Jervis, New York. It is the typical "Very" design used during WWI, but produced during the 1930s. Made of cast brass with wooden grip scales, it really is quite an attractive model compared to many issued later during WWII. It is fully functional, breaking open correctly when the breech lock is opened, and still dry fires correctly. The "spur trigger" gives it quite elegant lines, similar to many WWI German designs.

The barrel is marked on left side of the barrel with serial number 2-526, and the top is marked with the manufacturer information:

VAN KARNER ARMS
PORT JERVIS, N.Y.

One of the wooden grips is a bit loose due to a large crack in the side. Comes ready for further research and display.

The use of the term "Very Pistol" comes from Edward Wilson Very, the U.S. Navy Officer who developed and patented the "Very Light" flare cartridge. He then helped popularize the single-shot breech-loading snub-nosed pistol design that is still in use today.