Signal ammunition

Signal ammunition lets a hunter reach the rest of the team where a phone no longer helps: deep forest, a waterfowl marsh or a high seat after dark. This category holds Record flare cartridges for smoothbore shotguns in 12/70 and 16/70, each with a 1.3 g pyrotechnic charge. They fire from the gun you already carry, so no separate signalling device rides in your pack.

What flare cartridges are and who needs them

A flare cartridge is a shotgun shell that carries a pyrotechnic signal instead of shot. Fired straight up, it climbs and burns bright, so hunters several hundred metres away can see your position. These rounds suit anyone who hunts far from roads, mobile coverage and other people. Loading works like any other shell: chamber the cartridge, point the barrel at the sky and fire. The 1.3 g charge produces light recoil, so the shot is easy on light and older guns alike.

When signal rounds earn their place on a hunt

Signal rounds are used to mark your position, call for help and drive game away. These situations come up more often than hunters would like, and a whistle or a phone handles them poorly. Below are four field situations where one cartridge on your belt pays for itself.

Driven hunts

On a driven hunt the line and the beaters need to know where everyone stands. An agreed shot into the sky opens the drive, closes it or stops all shooting when someone ends up out of position. Everyone sees the signal at the same moment, unlike a message on a screen.

Lost or out of coverage

In thick young forest or on a bog it is easy to lose direction, and coverage there is often gone. A fired signal shows searchers where you are. Two cartridges weigh less than a chocolate bar, and after dark they can shorten a search by hours.

Scaring boar and birds

Sound and bright light work together, so a flare drives wild boar off crops and birds off ponds harder than a blank shot alone. Fire well clear of the animals and check what local rules allow before using pyrotechnics for deterrence.

Over water and open ground

When you hunt ducks or geese, a boat, fading light and wind make talking difficult. A signal over open water carries a long way, so it is a handy way to call the boat in at an agreed time or to announce the end of the hunt.

How to choose a flare cartridge

Choice starts with gauge: the cartridge must match your barrel. We stock 12/70 and 16/70 versions, both with the same 1.3 g charge, so signal strength does not differ. The only real difference is which gun fires it, and choosing is simple once you know the marking on your shotgun. Check a few points before ordering:

1. Gauge: pick Record 12/70 for a 12 gauge shotgun and Record 16/70 for a 16 gauge.
2. Chamber length: a 70 mm cartridge also fits 76 mm chambers, but never load it into a 65 mm chamber.
3. Quantity: carry several cartridges so you can repeat the signal if the first one goes unseen.
4. Storage: keep flare cartridges dry and separate from your hunting loads so you never mix them up in the dark.

Safe use in the field

A flare cartridge is pyrotechnics, so the same rules apply as to any shot: watch your surroundings and control the muzzle. Fire straight up in open ground, never under a tree canopy and never toward people, buildings or dry vegetation. In a dry summer avoid firing over stubble and reed beds, because the falling charge may still smoulder. Agree signal meanings with your team in advance: one shot means one thing, two in a row another. After the hunt take unused cartridges home and store them out of children's reach.

Record cartridges in this category

The category carries Record flare cartridges in two gauges, 12/70 and 16/70, both with a 1.3 g charge. They are compact rounds that take almost no room on a cartridge belt and belong in every trip far from home. Both load and fire like a standard shell, so nothing beyond normal gun handling is needed.

For the same gun we also stock 12/70 shells, 12/76 shells and 16/70 shells. If you are unsure which signal cartridge fits your shotgun, write to us and we will help you choose.