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Flares, Fireworks and Other Pyrotechnics

blacksmith

.270 WIN
In honor of a our nations independence we'll go over various pyrotechnic devices. The main uses for these are signaling, illumination and fire starting.

Flashlight. While not a pyro device the flashlight is the best illumination/signaling device available. A light with High/Low/Strobe function will extend battery life and offer excellent signaling.

Road Flare. Excellent day/night signal and good fire starter. Burn time ~12 minutes.

Aerial Flare. Limited altitude and burn time. About 5 seconds for standard flare, 30 seconds for parachute flare.

12GA Flare. Two types here. All-plastic shells used with dedicated launcher. Standard high-brass shells for use with shotgun. Limited time and height.

37mm Grenade Launcher. Replica of M203 40mm launcher without any paperwork. Doesn't go thump or very far since it lacks the High-Low System like the real thing.

Fireworks. Tremendous variety with everything from bottle rockets to mortar shells to smoke grenades. Economical.

Matches. Decent fire starter but deteriorate quickly.

Zippo. Great collectors item, good fire starter that can run on any fuel. Lighter fuel will dry up quickly if stored.

Bic Lighter. Excellent fire starter. Extremely reliable and very long shelf life.

Magnesium Flint. Requires practice and skill to work.

Magnifying Glass. Not a pyro device but the original solar-powered firestarter that never runs out of fuel. Large fresnel lens work best.

Bonfire. Excellent signal source both night and day (smoke). Provides illumination and heat. This may be your best friend in wilderness survival. Do not catch forest on fire or you'll really have problems.

But How Do We Put The Fire Out?

ABC Fire Extinguisher. Excellent fire suppression but have limited capacity.

Shovel. Smother the fire.

Water. Do not use for fuel/gasoline type fires.

So What Is Recommended?

A flashlight, bic lighter and magnifying glass. Road flare optional.

Shovel and water. Shovel is multipurpose and you can drink the water.

Aerial flares and grenade lauchers are really cool but have limited utility. So go light some fireworks and make America great again.
 
I had some old boat flares I had to get rid of. I'm not one to just throw cool chit away so a few New Year's Eves ago my son and I went down to the lake and lit them off. There are not many other times when lighting a flare will attract little or no attention. Although 20 years old, all but one of the flares went off. :)
 
Always new ideas here. I never thought about fireworks as signaling device. The flares would be good too .
 
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