{"id":113719,"date":"2025-08-17T10:54:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T15:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=113719"},"modified":"2025-08-17T12:35:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T17:35:03","slug":"how-to-fire-a-flare-gun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/skills\/outdoor-survival\/how-to-fire-a-flare-gun\/","title":{"rendered":"Skill of the Week: Fire a Flare Gun"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world \u2014 having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire<\/a>, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we\u2019ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your manly know-how week by week.<\/em><\/p>\n

Picture yourself lost at sea, adrift in a boat with a broken engine and torn sails. You\u2019ve sent out a distress signal via radio, but by the time the helicopter search and rescue team arrives it\u2019s already well after midnight. In a pitch black world, finding you is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, you\u2019ve got a flare gun. <\/p>\n

Distress signal flares are required safety equipment on all marine vessels. Just like radios, flares offer mariners critical means of communicating their need for rescue. There are several different types of maritime flares: some only emit red or orange smoke which floats into the sky and can be seen from several miles away (in the daytime); others are similar to road flares which you hold in your hand as they burn and emit smoke; and then there are those designed like firearms \u2014 pull the trigger and an illuminating cartridge discharges 500 feet into the dark sky.<\/p>\n

Firing the latter type of flare gun isn\u2019t complicated, but there are certain things to consider to avoid injury and give your signal the best possible chance of being seen. Though the instructions here are for flare guns specifically, the basic principles also apply to hand-held flares and smoke signaling devices. Before you use any flare gun, make sure you\u2019ve thoroughly read the instructions so you\u2019re clear on how to load, cock, and fire the gun. <\/p>\n

Like this illustrated guide? Then you\u2019re going to love our book The Illustrated Art of Man<\/em><\/a>liness<\/em><\/a>! Pick up a copy on Amazon<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world \u2014 having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we\u2019ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":113723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":""},"categories":[277,42259,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outdoor-survival","category-skills","category-visual-guides"],"featured_image_urls":{"aom":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2020\/07\/flare-372x230.png","reactor-320":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2020\/07\/flare-320x193.png"},"yoast_head":"\nHow to Fire a Flare Gun in an Emergency | Art of 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