These light guns were widely used by British soldiers during their rule in the sub-continent which started in 1857 and ended in 1947. The British soldiers used these light guns to show their presence. Upon firing these light guns, a flame used to come out as a result of which other soldiers could easily find out the presence of person who fired the gun. These guns specifically came in handy when there was no light and British soldiers had to co-operate to complete a task.