Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
Understanding Firearms Understanding Firearms Markings Markings
1880-1945 1880-1945
Ian McCollumIan McCollum www.ForgottenWeapons.com [email protected]@forgottenweapons.com
Proof Marks and Identification
2
Types of Markings
Date(s) Country of origin Manufacturer name Serial number(s) Proof mark(s) Unit number Import marking
Patent marking Model name/number Brand name Military acceptance Refurbish mark Conversion marking Caliber
3
Where was this rifle made?
4
France – the markings translate to:OrdnanceFactory
Chatellerault
Chatellerault was a major French state arsenal
5
Two More
6
What is the point of showing these examples?
Context is essential!
Always consider the whole gun to understand what you are looking at.
7
Proof Marks
What is a proof mark?
8
Why Proof Marks?
(in no particular order) Public safety
Industry reputation Government oversight
9
Proof Loads
Typically 25% - 30% overpressure Either one or two rounds
10
Proof Marks - England
The modern British proof law was passed in 1868, with an official nitro proof added in 1904 and a general update in 1925.
British law did not automatically recognize foreign proofs, so many arms imported into England had to be re-proofed.
Up to WWII, pressure was measured in tons.
11
Proof Marks - England
Birmingham proof mark used prior to 1904:
Indicates black powder proof unless accompanied by the words “Nitro Proofed”
12
Proof Marks - England
Standard proof marks, 1925-1954: Birmingham London Final proof
View proof
Nitro proof
13
Proof Marks - England
Standard nitro proof marks, post-1954:
Birmingham
London (on action)
(on barrel)
14
Proof Marks - England
When on foreign-made guns, the proof marks were enclosed in a circle, and accompanied by the mark “NOT ENGLISH MADE”:
15
Proof Marks - England
In addition to everything else, a special mark was used to date the proofing.
From 1922/23 to 1940/41, this mark was used: A=21/22, B=22/23, C=23/24, etc.
I and Q not used.
From 1950 to 1974, it was this one: A=1951, B=1952, C=1953, etc.
I not used (but Q was).
16
Proof Marks - England
Lee-Enfield No.5 rifle, rebarreled in 1974
17
Proof Marks - Belgium
Royal decree in 1672 required proof testing and marking of barrels
Belgian national proof house established in Liege In 1888, a new law forbade the sale or display of
unproofed firearms In 1891, proof testing standards for smokeless
powder were introduced
18
Proof Marks - Belgium
Crown over R – Black powder proof of a barrel (also appears on smokeless barrels).
“Perron” - Indicates fit and function of slides, locking mechanisms. Used from 1903 to 1924 (not on revolvers).
Rampant Lion “PV” - used 1898 - 1924 for smokeless barrel proof. After 1924, it replaced the Perron mark entirely.
19
Proof Marks - Belgium
EPV (Epreuve de Liege) with crown – final overall proof mark after 1893
Plain EPV – final overall proof from 1853-1893 (used on muzzleloaders after 1893)
Star over letter – Individual inspector's marking, 1877 to present. From 1853 to 1877, a crown replaced the star.
20
Proof Marks - Belgium
Black powder, post-1893
21
Proof Marks - Germany
The modern German proof mark law took effect in 1893, and remained definitive until 1939.
In 1939, the proof marking symbol was changed form an imperial crown to a Nazi eagle.
The well-known Waffenamt Nazi symbol was actually a military acceptance mark, and not a proof mark.
22
Proof Marks - Germany
1891 – 1939 proof marks:
Nitro Black powder Choked bore
Final proof Rifled bore Smooth bore
23
Proof Marks - Germany
Weapons manufactured prior to the proof law taking effect (1893) were required grandfathered, but had to be marked (this did not constitute an actual proofing).
24
Proof Marks - Germany
In 1939, the crown was replaced by an eagle, and the typical 3-proof combination (B, U, and G) was replaced by a single eagle/N mark.
25
Proof Marks - Germany
Typical commercial Mauser rifle
26
Proof Marks - Italy
Italian replica cowboy pistols are probably the most likely place to find black powder proofs today.
Italy has a nice simple set of proof marks, but a rather strange date code system.
27
Proof Marks - Italy
The proof marks:
Black powder proof
Smokeless proof
Final definitive proof
Brescia provisional proof
Gardone provisional proof
28
Proof Marks - Italy
29
Proof Marks - Italy
Proof marks on an Uberti 1858 Remington copy:
Proofs will also be found on barrel and cylinder.
30
Proof Marks - Spain
Eibar proof house established in 1844, proofing made mandatory in 1923.
Typically appear as a set of 3 markings:
31
Proof Marks - Spain
First mark is the actual final proof – gun is good Early (1923-1928) Late (1928+)
Second is the date Until 1927/28, a “P.V.” A – 1927 was used instead of
B – 1928 the dateC – 1929...
32
Proof Marks - Spain
Third mark is an admission to the proof house:
Early (until mid 1931) Late (mid 1931 – now)
(The King fled in 1931, and the crown went with him)
33
Proof Marks - Spain
With this in mind, we can interpret this typical Spanish set of markings:
Gun was accepted and proofed in 1945
34
Other Markings
Date (of manufacture or refurbish) Model name/number Manufacturer name
Import marks Serial number(s)
Caliber Military acceptance
35
Date(s)
Dates marked on a firearm can mean several different things:
Date of manufacture Date the gun was refurbished
Date the model was adopted for military use Date the design was patented
36
Date of Manufacture
Dates can take several forms -
37
Manufacture Date
38
Refurbish Date
Sometimes a firearm is marked with the date of a major repair or conversion:
39
Refurbish Date
40
Refurbish Date
41
Adoption Date
Model dates are usually more obvious...
42
Adoption Date
...but not always.
43
Model Name/Number
Probably the most unambiguous type of marking...
44
Model Name/Number
But what if you can't read it?
(Iranian Mauser)
45
Model Name/Number
This very clearly says that it is a Type 99
46
Model Name/Number
Store brand guns – this was actually made by FN
47
Manufacturer Name
On civilian guns, typically company name On military guns, typically arsenal name
Sometimes just a location
48
Manufacturer Name
Often a company's location will also be marked – this was how you could find the company.
49
Country of Origin
This is rarely directly marked on military arms, with the exception of guns imported for commercial sale
It usually must be inferred from other markings
50
Import Markings
In 1968, the GCA required this information to be marked on all guns imported into the US:
Serial number Manufacturer Country of origin Model designation Caliber Importer name Importer location (city & state)
51
Import Markings
Typically abbreviated heavily:
Century International Arms, Saint Albans, Vermont
52
Import Markings
Location varies – 2002 regulation change required them to be “conspicuous”
Serial number may not contain non-latin numbers – if it does, a new one must be marked.
53
Import Markings
Possible locations Under front of barrel Under grip panels (old) Side of receiver Sometimes tiny!
54
Import Markings
Prior to 1968, commercial imports had to be marked with the country of origin
55
Import Markings
Of course, they sometimes goofed...
56
Import Markings
Remember, not all info has to be in the same place.
If the caliber, model, or other data is already on the gun, it does not need to be marked again.
Import markings are not required to be on the receiver, but are illegal to alter or deface. However, it is legal to remove parts they are on (ie, barrels) for repair.
57
Serial Number
In the US, serial numbers became legally required on guns in 1968.
Virtually all military arms have serial numbers.
Most pre-1968 commercial arms of reasonable quality and cost also had them.
58
Serial Number
Often multiple large parts are serial numbered. On commercial arms, it is rare for parts to be mis-matched.
On military arms, it is fairly common – usually bolts
59
Serial Number
Some folks (like Germans) would serial number everything right down to the screws:
60
Serial Number
The only legally required serial number is the one on the receiver – but this may not be where a manufacturer marks it:
61
Serial Number
Sometimes military arms will have unit markings, which look like additional serial numbers:
62
Serial Number
Foreign-made guns may have numbers printed in non-Latin numerals:
Looks like “AK”, but it's actually “DK” in Cyrillic
63
Serial Number
Arabic script...
64
Serial Number
or Thai script...
65
Serial Number
Letters within a serial number... Production block code (very common) Date code (fairly common) Prefix meaning “number” (“N” on some rifles) Suffix meaning “year” (cyrillic “r”) Model or feature designation (often built into the
serial number rather than separate)
66
Caliber
Generally caliber markings on military arms specify the bore diameter only – the specific cartridge must be determined from context.
67
Caliber
Which 9mm, exactly? Spanish JoLoAr:
9x17mm (.380ACP) 9x23mm (9mm Largo)
68
Caliber
Military forces often updated guns to different cartridges, and did not always mark them clearly.
69
Caliber
It was also fairly common to change the chamber profile to accept different bullet profiles.
70
Caliber
Overall length can be a good clue to caliber changes
71
Caliber
Common opportunities for pistol caliber mixups: 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP) vs 7.65mm Luger
(7.65mm Parabellum) 9mm Kurz (.380ACP/9x17) vs 9mm Parabellum vs
9mm Largo (9x23mm) vs 9mm Browning (9x20SR)
The really confusing one is 9mm Largo vs 9mm Bergmann-Bayard vs 9mm Steyr, as they are all 9x23mm cases.
72
Caliber
Occasionally, militaries actually try to be helpful:
73
Military Acceptance
Many models of firearm were made for both military and commercial sale. Military acceptance marks can help determine the provenance of a particular gun.
74
Military Acceptance
A few examples...
AustriaSwitzerland Israel United Kingdom
France US Nazi Germany
75
Military Acceptance
One special case worth mentioning is the British “DP” mark, for Drill Purpose
Generally meant the part was out of spec, and not to be used for live fire.
76
How about some strange and goofy markings?
77
Chinese Pistols
78
Chinese Pistols
79
Chinese Pistols
80
Afghan Forgery
81
Test!
