flare pistol help

[Britch]

I just stopped at a local gunshop and the owner just picked this up from a vet. It is marked waffenfabrik walther Zella-Mehlis (Thur.) Serial number 181xx also marked N 4002 and is proofed S over eagle 2 On the other side it is proofed crown over U x2, criwn over Bx2 and crown over s and marked 4 in a circle. Now am I right that S over eagle 2 is weimar/transitional Nazi proof and N 4002 is nordsee KM marking? Finish is about 80%, rest speckled needs a good cleaning any info is appreciated and also any idea of value? One of those impulse buys

[Britch]

Markings

[Britch]

markings2

[Bill Grist]

Flare Pistol

markings2

You have found yourself a very nice long bbl. Walter KM flare pistol. One of my manuals H.DV.409 dated 28.2.35 only shows this model with the long bbl, I have another manual 1940 which shows the standard shorter bbl. model.. The long bbl. model predates the standard bbl. model which was the common flare pistol of the 3rd. Reich until the sheetmetal LP42 was produced and issued.. wfg

[Britch]

Thanks Bill, can you give any info on the proofmarks? I know what crown U is, but I have not seen the other ones before. Did a google search on walther flare guns and this was the only one of it's type I could find on the internet, seems to be a lot rarer than the standard ww2 ones

[Bill Grist]

Flare

The Walther long bbl. flare pistols are much harder to find than the standard bbl. ones.. I would need a close up of the mrkings, but on most of the German flare pistols, the odd proof marks are mrkings for low pressure cartridges.. BILL