Question about Polish flare pistol with lever on frame

[billybibbet]

Picked this one up off GunBroker, as I have seen very few Polish (or Russian) flare pistols with this lever (1965 date). When applied, it appears to lock the action/breech closed. It does not impact the trigger/hammer operation, it can still be fired. Is this correct operation? What was the purpose of having the lever to lock the action closed? I was assuming this was a "safety" lever to prevent firing.

BTW, it came with a holster made from pig skin. Is looks similar to Czech issue....would anyone know if this is correct for this pistol?

[don.caracho]

Picked this one up off GunBroker, as I have seen very few Polish (or Russian) flare pistols with this lever (1965 date). When applied, it appears to lock the action/breech closed. It does not impact the trigger/hammer operation, it can still be fired. Is this correct operation? What was the purpose of having the lever to lock the action closed? I was assuming this was a "safety" lever to prevent firing.

BTW, it came with a holster made from pig skin. Is looks similar to Czech issue....would anyone know if this is correct for this pistol?

Hello, this Holster belongs to a Scorpion MP and has nothing to do with a flare gun.
The flare looks like the ones they produced in the former DDR because they were the only ones with a safety lever.

[billybibbet]

Picked this one up off GunBroker, as I have seen very few Polish (or Russian) flare pistols with this lever (1965 date). When applied, it appears to lock the action/breech closed. It does not impact the trigger/hammer operation, it can still be fired. Is this correct operation? What was the purpose of having the lever to lock the action closed? I was assuming this was a "safety" lever to prevent firing.

BTW, it came with a holster made from pig skin. Is looks similar to Czech issue....would anyone know if this is correct for this pistol?

Hello, this Holster belongs to a Scorpion MP and has nothing to do with a flare gun.
The flare looks like the ones they produced in the former DDR because they were the only ones with a safety lever.

Thank you, that explains the holster, and its origins as being from the Czech Republic, for the VZ61.
I can confirm the flare pistol appears to be Polish based on the grips and arsenal "11" mark inside a circle above the chamber. See attached photo. Were these style pistols also made in the DDR? Or were the ones you have seen from the DDR of Russian manufacture? The only other similar flare pistol I have seen with this lever was from Russia.

It now appears, from further testing, that when the red dot is exposed, the breech is locked, and when the trigger is pressed, the gun will fire. When the red dot is hidden, the breech can be opened, and while the trigger will release the hammer, the firing pin is blocked, so the gun will not fire. Is this how it is supposed to work?

[964AWACS]

That sounds like it is functioning properly. The red dot indicating it is ready to fire - and when the red dot is hidden it safe to load.

According to my notes, my 5 Polish Model 1944s are dated 1951, 1965, 1975, 1976, and 1977 but I did not note whether any have the safety lever. These post-war Polish flare guns are among my favorites as they are so well finished. Nice acquisition!

[billybibbet]

Thank you for confirming the correct operation, I appreciate it. Yes, the Polish ones are nicely finished. I found the Russian ones as well (1970s to 1980s vintage). The Bulgarian are not very nice....rather poor finish work, and over all rough looking.
I found an early Czech with a parkerized finish...they are neat looking and have wood grips.