1. Proof Marks and Identification
Understanding Firearms
Markings
Ian McCollum

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. Chatellerault was a major French state arsenal
France – the markings translate to:
Ordnance
Factory
Chatellerault
Chatellerault was a major French state arsenal

5. Two More

6. Context is essential! What is the point of showing these examples?
Always consider the whole gun to understand what you are looking at.

7. What is a proof mark?
Proof Marks

8. (in no particular order)
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 to 1924 (not on revolvers).
Rampant Lion “PV” - used 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 (used on muzzleloaders after 1893)
Star over letter – Individual inspector's marking, 1877 to present. From 1853 to , 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 ( ) Late (1928+)
Second is the date Until 1927/28, a “P.V.” A – was used instead of
B – the date
C –

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. Gun was accepted and proofed in 1945
Proof Marks - Spain
With this in mind, we can interpret this typical Spanish set of markings:
Gun was accepted and proofed in 1945

34. Date (of manufacture or refurbish)
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) x23mm (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... Austria
Switzerland 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!