Type 90 signal pistol

Type 90 signal pistol, 2nd variation, triple barrel

Type 90 signal pistol, 3rd variation, double barrel

The Type 90 is a signal pistol of Japanese origin that was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during WW2. The designation is from the last two digits of its year of adoption, which was 2590 (or 1930 AD) on the Japanese Kōki calendar. It first came with three barrels with just less than 6,000 were manufactured, but eventually manufactured with two barrels for ease of production late in World War 2. Several variations of the Type 90 were produced. The easiest way to identify the variant of the Type 90 is by the shape of the break-open lever under the barrels. The first variation has a curved vertical lever, the second variation has a straight vertical lever, and the third variation has a curved horizontal lever. Coming in either double or triple barrels, the Type 90 is often seen in many movies wrongly portrayed often as a shotgun pistol due to its unusual appearance. The flares came in white, red, yellow, green, blue, and black. They had cardboard hulls with a brass or steel base.

The Imperial Japanese Army instead used the Type 10.

Communist China manufactured a copy of the double-barreled Type 90 from 1949 to 1957. It was replaced by the single-barreled 26.5 x 80mmR Type 57, a copy of the Russian SPSh-44 Flare Pistol.

Specifications

(1930 - 1945)

• Type: Flare launcher
• Caliber: 28 x 90mm, 28 x 94mm
• Capacity: 2, 3
• Fire Modes: Single shot, breech-loaded

The Type 90 Signal Pistol appears in the following movies, TV shows, and video games:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Demolition Man	Denis Leary	Mr. Friendly	Double-barreled	1993
Waterworld		Smokers		1995