Identification by number of weapons year of issue. Signs on Izhevsk guns

Wood materials and products 06.12.2021

Wood materials and products

Signs, stamps and inscriptions on guns are of particular interest not only to gunsmiths, forensic experts, historians, but also to the general public of hunters.

Below, the marking features are given mainly in relation to the guns of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, however, their duration and meaning are approximately the same for all hunting weapons in Russia.

All signs and inscriptions on the gun can be divided into several large groups:

1. Mandatory marking containing information about the caliber, manufacturer, etc.

2. Mandatory acceptance marks, which are actually called hallmarks.

3. Technological marking and hallmarks, which carry the information necessary for the organization of production.

4. Additional marking and inscriptions.

Let's look at these groups in more detail.

1. Mandatory labeling

in Russia at the moment includes the manufacturer's trademark, gun number, caliber and length of the chamber, the nominal value of the diameter of the bore, the value of the muzzle narrowing of each barrel, the symbol of the brand of barrel steel, the permissible operating pressure in the chambers.

The Izhevsk Mechanical Plant was founded in 1942 on the basis of a part of the production facilities of the machine-building plant. In that hot time for the country, on the outskirts of the city, the equipment of the evacuated arms factories of Tula and Kovrov was placed in the barracks. Before and after the war, the weapons workshops of the city and the Gorpromkombinat were engaged in the repair and conversion of weapons from all kinds of rifled to smoothbore. And now even occasionally you can find such guns. For example, on one of the French Lebel repeating rifles with an underbarrel magazine of the 1886-93 model, converted into a 32-gauge shotgun, there is an inscription on the top of the barrel: NKMP RSFSR ZAVOD-OKHOTRUZHEY, IZHEVSK, 1940. And on the Mauser repeating rifle, also converted into a 32-gauge shotgun, Izhevsk is stamped on top of the barrel. Gorpromkombinat.32k.1951

1.1. First of all, speaking of marking, we should recall the manufacturer's trademark, which in earlier times was called the brand of the plant.

The production of hunting weapons at a mechanical plant began in 1949 with IZH-49 and ZK rifles. The first shotgun produced is a virtually unchanged one of the Sauer models. Initially, its production immediately after the war was established at the Izhevsk Motorcycle Plant (factory N524, now Aksion JSC), which produced Maxim machine guns during World War II. Of course, the guns of the motorcycle plant had their own brand on the back of the butt and the pillows of the barrels - a hexagon with an arrow. But then, due to a change in the production profile of the motorcycle plant, the production of the gun was transferred to the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant.

In those days, the brand of a mechanical factory was a shield with a five-pointed star depicted on it. On the earliest shields around the star were the letters "ASZ". Then these letters disappeared, and at the end of 1962, an arrow appeared instead of a star. It is this trademark that now stands on the main part of the hunting weapons produced by the plant.

The trademark "Baikal" ("Baikal") appeared in 1963 (certificate 22673 dated 03/06/63) and at first belonged to Raznoexport. They marked all the export hunting weapons of Russia. The sign "Vostok" ("East") was applied to export sports weapons (certificate 22643 dated 20.02.63).

In Izhevsk, the sign "Baikal" was applied together with the brand of the plant until 1983, then the signs were divided: "Baikal" went for export, and a shield with an arrow for the domestic market. But, due to the fact that it was allowed to supply export markings to the domestic market, on the backs of the butts and trunks of many guns of the mechanical plant sold in Russia, there is a sign "Baikal" and the inscription "Made in the USSR" in English. In 1993, the rights to the trademark "Baikal" were transferred to Izhmekhzavod, and now "on the side", for example, on the cartridges of the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant, it is applied only according to the agreement, despite the "huge distances" between Kama and Baikal.

The shield marking from single-barreled barrels (applied on top of the barrel) was removed in 1986, from double-barreled barrels (applied on hooks and pillows) - in 1984. After that, the shield image remained only for the domestic market and was placed on the backs of the butts of guns. But, I think, a certain number of guns with a shield instead of "Baikal" still got abroad through unofficial channels, especially in the late 80s and early 90s.

In the first half of the 1990s, a new trademark appeared, on which the shield slightly changed its shape, becoming more rectangular. Such a shield can be seen on service, signal and gas pistols and revolvers, household appliances of the plant. The shield of the old form remained on the guns.

1.2. Another mandatory marking for hunting weapons is the serial number and, applied simultaneously with the number, the symbol of the year of manufacture and testing of the gun.

Initially, the number of the gun was separated from the year of issue, although it was applied simultaneously with it. However, before there was no uniformity in the marking of the year of manufacture, on some models the letter “g” was placed after the numbers, on others not. Separately, the year of issue was no longer applied in 1966, when the marking of the year in conventional letters was introduced. In signs of type AB0000, the first letter indicates the year, the second - the series, the numbers - the number of the gun. Later, the alphabetic part was reduced to one letter, which began to be encrypted immediately for both the year and the series of the gun. These letters changed annually, not only for the model as a whole, but also for each modification, so for IZH-27, IZH-27E or IZH-27E-1C, the same letter denoted completely different years of production. In 1986, a new marking of the year and numbers was introduced - the letters disappeared, only numbers remained, which have their own order. Of these, the first two digits of the number correspond to the last digits of the "year of manufacture and testing".

1.3. Designation of muzzle constrictions.

Another mandatory marking is applied to the guns, indicating the magnitude of the difference in the diameters of the choke. A feature of this marking is that for the muzzle expansion, not numbers are used, but the letters DR. The earliest marking of the choke was applied to the IZH-49 along with the caliber on the barrel pads and was the letter "C" in a rhombus under the line for the choke. Poluchok, therefore, was designated as "C / 2". Above the line, a caliber - 16 was applied. Then, in later times, for each barrel, the nominal value of the diameters of the choke points indicated above the line and the nominal value of the bores - below the line began to be marked.

In 1984, an international (English) marking system in the Latin alphabet was introduced.

Table 1.

In foreign catalogs, along with the above designation, there is also the designation of a strong choke XF (Xtra-Full) - “super full”, a quarter of a choke as Light Modified - “light pay” and decoding the designation of the bell S as Spreader - “diffuser”.

Initially, the English letter S was placed on Izhevsk trunks with a bell, but in 1987. at the insistence of Tula, it was replaced by two Russian DRs.

1.4. The next mandatory marking is the marking of the gun model.

In fact, the index of a specific modification is marked, that is, not just IZH-27, but, for example, IZH-27M-1S. Similarly, at the Tula Arms Plant, not always TOZ-34, but also TOZ-34ER.

1.5. The marking of the designation of the used cartridge is also mandatory - the caliber and length of the sleeve.

Currently, an international system has been adopted, according to which the product of the caliber and the length of the sleeve, rounded to whole millimeters, is written in one line. The marking will be indicated, for example, as 12x76, although the length of the chamber 3 "is equal to 76.2 mm or as 7.62x53R, where the letter R means that the sleeve has a protruding flange.

1.6. Marking of the nominal value of the bore diameter.

The bore diameter was previously measured at 150mm for the domestic market and at 250mm for export. The latter option is now adopted for all smoothbore weapons.

1.7. Marking the highest average value of the maximum gas pressure developed by the cartridges during the operation of the weapon.

1.8. Conventional designation of the barrel steel grade - is intended only for shotguns for export, but in fact is put on all shotguns. It looks like an elongated letter "C", inside which, depending on the elastic limit of the barrel steel, the letters "p" (from 46 to 71 kg / mm2) or "l" (more than 71 kg / mm2) are indicated.

2. Mandatory acceptance stamps.

The stigma is a separate sign, different from the marking. If the marking carries information directly about the gun, then the brand confirms that this gun has passed the test and meets the requirements, primarily safety requirements.

2.1. The stigma of checking the strength of weapons with reinforced shots.

To date, this stigma exists in two forms. The letter P, inscribed in a circle, is intended for smooth-bore hunting weapons (except for guns chambered for Magnum). The same letter P, but in two concentric circles - for hunting smoothbore chambered for the Magnum cartridge and sporting smoothbore weapons, since a more enhanced test is applied to the second type of weapon. The custom of using this brand seems to have very old roots. The letter P or P in a circle, meaning the test mark “Probovan”, was put on the blades of the Zlatoust Arms Factory in 1837-1905, and in Tula, apparently, long before that. (see Kulinsky A.N. “Russian edged weapons of military, naval and civilian officials of 1800-1917”. Joint venture 1994, “Magik-PRESS”, “OLIMP”).

On Izhevsk guns, this stigma began to be used from the beginning of 1984 with the introduction of an industry standard for marking, on Tula guns it was also seen earlier, at least on TOZ-34 it was put back in the 1970s and then meant enhanced testing of barrels. Along with it, stamps were put in the form of the letters K and U in circles - confirming tests, respectively, for accuracy and accuracy, and for an enhanced test of the gun, as well as the stamp of the plant's quality control department in the form of the combined letters T and K in a circle. Until 1984, other similar stamps were put in Izhevsk, for example, on IZH-49, the stamp of testing a gun with reinforced shots looked like the letter U in a trapezoid (“enhanced test”). Later, the letter U was replaced by the letter H ("nitro test"). First, each fired double-barrel barrel was branded with the word "NITRO", then a separate stamp appeared - the letter H in a rhombus. Combined "Squirrels" and single-barreled guns were branded with the letter H in a circle - apparently the tests of a smooth barrel and a gun were combined. Since 1980, by analogy with the stamps on double-barreled guns, two stamps have also been introduced on single-barrel shotguns to confirm the increased shooting of the barrel and the gun separately - the letters H in a rhombus and a trapezoid.

2.2. The stigma of the State Testing Station, as an organization overseeing weapons testing in the country, was introduced in 1966. It had the letters GIS outlined in a diamond. In fact, only acceptance and annual periodic tests of one gun of each model were carried out at the station, including shooting for guaranteed survivability. After the introduction of mandatory certification, the GIS stigma was replaced by the Sign of Mandatory Certification and the Sign of the Testing Station of the Enterprise (for the mechanical plant in Izhevsk - an arrow in a circle). On the IZH-27M gun, this was done around October 1993.

After the creation of the Udmurt Certification Center, since December 1996, instead of these two signs, the Sign of the Udmurt State Center is applied in the form of an arrow with wings in an oval, which is a recognized hallmark of the Brussels Convention. It is applied only to weapons tested by enhanced shooting.

3. Technological marking and hallmarks, which carry the information necessary for the organization of production.

These are usually the signs of workers and the hallmarks of inspectors, the number of the heat, and the selectivity groups.

4. Other inscriptions and signs.

Since information about technological markings is extremely scarce and not so interesting, it remains to talk about signs that are mandatory only in some cases and about optional signs and inscriptions.

Typically, this group includes the names of trading companies, the Quality Mark, the inscriptions "Made in Russia", the monograms of the owners and dedication inscriptions. Part of the additional marking is mandatory only for domestic market shotguns. The other part of the additional marking is mandatory only for export, but since the industry standard allows it for domestic market guns, this marking is put on all guns - because it is easier to make tools and there is no need to keep extra records. Of course, after entering the foreign market, Izhmekhzavod also tried to introduce international marking on all its weapons. At the same time, they practically stopped producing 16-gauge guns. Tulyaks in this respect have always focused on deep Russia and Siberia, releasing, for example, relatively large quantities of TOZ-34 28 caliber.

4.1. The Quality Mark according to GOST 1.9-67 was assigned to different models of guns in different years, for example, on IZH-26E, it began to be applied from 1970 only to guns intended for the domestic market of the country. On export-made shotguns sold in the Union, this sign is absent. Canceled at the end of 1990.

4.2. The inscription "Made in the USSR" was applied only to boxes of export-made guns, usually in Russian or, at the request of the customer, in English. In March 1992, the inscription was logically transformed into "Made in Russia". May not be available on shotguns for the domestic market.

4.3. It is probably worth mentioning that the manufacturers of double-barreled shotguns of the PMK countries mark their mass on the barrels, but this marking is not mentioned at all in the list of mandatory ones. The meaning of its application is completely unclear; it is not found on Russian-made guns.

4.4. Owner marks. According to special instructions, inscriptions with the names of importing companies were applied to the barrels of individual batches of guns. For example, on one of the batches of IZH-81 guns, on the right side of the barrel, at the request of the customer, it was written with a laser:

IMPORTED BY CAI ST.ALB.VT

please read owners manual before firing

The last line translates to "before use, please read the instruction manual". Such an inscription is now common not only for American hunting rifles.

Section: "About guns and not only"

Without claiming to have a special depth of knowledge in the field of pneumatics and without delving into theory, I want to lay out some results of experiments on shooting pneumatic weapons.

There is, perhaps, not a single hunter in our country who would not have heard of the hunting rifles of the I. P. Sauer and son. And this is not surprising. Since the end of the last century, the Sauer company has constantly strived for a wide penetration into the Russian, and after the First World War (before the Nazis seized power in Germany) into the Soviet market. A lot has been written about Sauer guns in the hunting literature, including by such prominent specialists as S. A. Buturlin, A. A. Zernov, A. P. Ivashentsov. During the period from 1959 to 1984 in the journal "Hunting and hunting economy" six publications were published in which the shotguns of the Sauer company were reported (1959, No. 4; 1960, No. 12; 1968, No. 12; 1972, No. 10 ; 1979, No. 3; 1984, No. 4). Nevertheless, the editors of the magazine continue to receive letters from readers asking them to explain the reason for the popularity of these guns, to help figure out where, when these guns were made and are being made, as well as letters in which some special qualities are attributed to Sauer guns. All this forced us to return to this topic again.

Now let's deal with the inscriptions, brand names and trademarks on the trunks, receiver block, butt plate. Over the entire period of production of the Sauer guns, the inscriptions on the outer parts of the guns have changed many times both in the form of the mark and at their location. It is simply impossible to list all of them. Usually on the trunks in different places there is an inscription “I. P. Sauer and Son" or simply "Sauer". The same inscriptions are repeated in various places on the receiver. On the inside of the stock and barrels, as well as on the butt plate, a sign of two intertwined Latin letters S and a small Latin u is usually stamped, which also means "Sauer and son". On the aiming bar at the breech section, the sign of the Sauer brand was stamped - “a man with a baton”. But the company did not put this mark on its expensive guns, so as not to identify them with mass-produced guns. On the trunks, from below, you can see such a designation as "12/70 mm". This means that the caliber of the gun is 12, and the length of the chambers is 70 mm. As for the three interlaced rings, they only indicate the brand of certain grades of Krupp steels. Before the Second World War, the Sauer company used Krupp steels for the manufacture of barrels of the following names: barrel steel«, « special barrel steel«, « nirosta" (stainless steel). Barrels made of "special barrel steel" and "nirosta" steel were usually accompanied by a sign of three interlaced rings. But, as many authors have already written, the Krupp steels did not represent anything special, and the “three rings” sign had no effect on the fight of the gun. Sauer guns with barrels made of steel that did not have the “three rings” mark have the same action as guns with barrels made of “special barrel steel” and “nirosta” steel, but the latter are more resistant to corrosion. After the Second World War, and the first years of the existence of the GDR, “four rings” steel was placed on Sauer guns. As already mentioned in our magazine (“Hunting and Hunting”, 1972, No. 10, p. 33), this is 50A steel supplied from the USSR to the GDR.

Hallmarks, signs on the guns of the company "Sauer"

Mandatory and optional markings under the law on testing hunting rifles in Germany 1891:

Gun dating
1153 — Date of testing / shooting. (month and year, here: November 1953). Used since 1945.
453 - Date of testing / shooting (month and year, here: April 1953).
6/53 - Date of testing / shooting (month / year, here: June 1953). Used until 1933 and after 1950.

12/70 - Caliber / Chamber length. Used from 1933 to 1950.

Hallmarks:
a - Stamp indicating the re-testing of weapons after repairs or changes.

b - The first and only test of the gun smoky - black gunpowder.

c - the place of the gunpowder test - the city of Suhl (as well as No. 13-17).

1 - preliminary powder test of hunting rifle barrels before their assembly. The sign is required;

2 - the final gunpowder test of gun barrels after their assembly. The sign is required;

3 - caliber of smoothbore guns;

4 - a sign meaning that the trunks are smooth (shot);

5 - smooth barrel with a choke;

6 - a smooth barrel has a paradox drill,

7 - rifled barrel. Designed for firing a bullet This sign was placed on the rifled barrels of double-barreled combined guns, tees and fittings;

8 - barrels were tested with nitro powder.

Changes in the style of mandatory markings in Germany after the First World War:

9 - preliminary powder test of the barrels before their assembly,

10 - the final powder test of the assembled barrels.

Mandatory and optional marks according to German law 1939:

11 - preliminary testing of barrels before assembly with black powder;

12 - the final test of the assembled barrels, including smokeless powder;

12a - the mark of secondary and final tests of the barrel or gun with black (smokeless) powder.

13 - the place of the gunpowder test - the city of Suhl. Markings of factories in Suhl in the period 1151-1950:

14 - preliminary test of barrels with black powder. The sign is required;

15 - the final test of the barrels after their assembly with black powder. The sign is required;

16 - the final test of the assembled barrels with smokeless powder;

17 - the sign meant that the test was carried out in the city of Zul. Markings of the GDR, adopted in 1950:

18 - preliminary powder test of the barrels of smoothbore guns before their assembly. The sign is required;

19 - the final powder test of the barrels after their assembly,

20 - barrel control after the final gunpowder test. It is placed next to the sign of the final test;

21 - the barrel was tested with nitro powder. The sign may be accompanied by the inscription "nitro" or without it;

22 - the sign means that the barrel has a choke drill;

23 - the barrel passed the powder test after the repair of the gun,

24 - gunpowder tests and control were carried out in the city of Zul,

25 is the time of testing. In this case, June 1960,

26 - a sign of excellent quality guns;

27 - a sign of good quality guns;

28 - a sign of acceptable quality guns. Markings adopted in Germany in 1951:

29 - preliminary testing of barrels before their assembly with black powder,

30 - the final test of the assembled barrels with smokeless powder,

31 - test barrels for firing cartridges "Magnum". The sign was introduced in 1973 and can replace signs 29 and 30;

32 - barrel testing and control were carried out in Eckernford.

34 - guns made in Suhl - to the category of first-class products - 1 Qualitat.

37 - Quality mark, meaning "special quality".

38 - The stamp of the secondary and final tests of the barrel or gun with black powder.

Signature Zaurovskie and other common hallmarks:

39 - a brand in the form of a heron - Sauer put a stork on cheap trigger guns.

40 - Sauer branded a hawk on cheap hammerless guns.

41-42 J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Suhl put on the rails of his guns.

44 - similarly, more often placed on pistols.

45 - Tests of weapons for firing, which are intended for firing with conventional cartridges since 1974 or the stigma of enhanced (special) testing of a gun with smokeless (nitro) powder 1945-50.

46- The brand is affixed to weapons that are designed to fire ammunition with increased gas pressure. (magnum), since 1974

47 - Tests after repair of important parts and assemblies, since 1974

48- Stamp of the handicraft gunsmiths association "Bühag" in Suhl.

49- People's enterprise "Thelmann-Werk" in Suhl.

51) Engraved inscription: DRGM is an abbreviation used between 1891 and 1945.
Stands for D.R.G.M. - Deutsche Reichs Gebrauchs Muster as - German state trade design.

For example - DRGM patent No. 130243 = Deutsche Reich Gebrauchmuster 1900-1906 - The axis of the rib acts as a cocking indicator.

Additionally:

According to the laws of 1891 and 1939, the tolerances for the dimensions of the bores of the barrels of the same caliber were determined. The deviation from the average size of the bore is marked on each barrel of German guns, but this is already beyond the scope of our topic.
The time of manufacture of the gun can be indicated by the numbers 9.12, 10/29, 660. In all cases, the first digit (or the first two digits) means the month, the last two - the year of the powder test of the gun.

Now let's deal with the inscriptions, brand names and trademarks on the trunks, receiver block, butt plate. Over the entire period of production of the Sauer guns, the inscriptions on the outer parts of the guns have changed many times both in the form of the mark and at their location. It is simply impossible to list all of them. Usually on the trunks in different places there is an inscription “I. P. Sauer and Son" or simply "Sauer". The same inscriptions are repeated in various places on the receiver. On the inside of the stock and barrels, as well as on the butt plate, a sign of two intertwined Latin letters S and a small Latin u is usually stamped, which also means "Sauer and son". On the aiming bar at the breech section, the sign of the Sauer brand was stamped - “a man with a baton”. But the company did not put this mark on its expensive guns, so as not to identify them with mass-produced guns. On the trunks, from below, you can see such a designation as "12/70 mm". This means that the caliber of the gun is 12, and the length of the chambers is 70 mm. As for the three interlaced rings, they only indicate the brand of certain grades of Krupp steels. Before the Second World War, the Sauer company used Krupp steels for the manufacture of barrels of the following names: “barrel steel”, “special barrel steel”, “nirosta” (stainless steel). Barrels made of "special barrel steel" and "nirosta" steel were usually accompanied by a sign of three interlaced rings. But, as many authors have already written, the Krupp steels did not represent anything special, and the “three rings” sign had no effect on the fight of the gun. Sauer guns with barrels made of steel that did not have the “three rings” mark have the same action as guns with barrels made of “special barrel steel” and “nirosta” steel, but the latter are more resistant to corrosion. After the Second World War, and the first years of the existence of the GDR, “four rings” steel was placed on Sauer guns. As already mentioned in our magazine (“Hunting and Hunting”, 1972, No. 10, p. 33), this is 50A steel supplied from the USSR to the GDR.

Both the "three rings" and the "man with a club" disappeared from the Sauer guns. In the GDR, the factory brand of guns made in Suhl was “man at the anvil”, in the FRG - a circle with three woven Latin letters S.

Some hunters believe that the "three rings" can be seen when looking through the well-worn barrels of Sauer guns. Well, if you wish, you can see three, four, and five rings in a clean barrel, but these rings have nothing to do with the Krupp steel grade, and they can be seen in clean barrels of any gun.

Let us dwell briefly on the quality of Sauer rifles. In pre-war catalogs, the Sauer company wrote: "In their high quality and excellent design, our guns can at least be placed next to the best guns in the world." No expert agreed with this assessment. In the long list of first-class guns, which includes some of our guns with the MC index and the German Merkel, the Sauer guns do not fall.

Does this mean that Sauer shotguns, or other shotguns that don't make the best list, are bad? In no case. Sauer guns are mass-produced guns designed for the mass buyer. These guns (both the cheapest and the most expensive) are made at a high level. The work of a highly skilled and conscientious worker is invested in them. In a word, Sauer guns are well-made, good working guns.

It is often asked whether modern Sauer guns are better or worse than pre-war ones. Without a shadow of a doubt, we can say: modern guns have become much better. Improvements in technology have made it possible to use stronger steels and machine parts with a greater degree of precision. The experience of gunsmiths has increased, a new generation of excellent craftsmen has grown. All this taken together makes it possible to produce guns that are more wear-resistant, more reliable, safer and more beautiful.

According to D. Polyakov, weapons expert"Hunting and hunting economy No. 05 - 1986"

Determine the year of manufacture of the gun Semin

Dear editors, not so long ago I bought a not quite old gun in a thrift store. They say that by its number you can determine the year of issue. I understand that regardless of whether the year of manufacture is known to me or not, I will not shoot better. But still I would really like to know when my gun was made. The most qualified specialists and connoisseurs of modern weapons work in your editorial office. I myself could not find any information on this topic: in the vast majority of the articles I looked through, the history of Italian weapons ends in the 1950s-1960s, as if hunting weapons were not produced in Italy after that time. Only your newspaper and magazine write about modern Italian, and not only Italian, weapons. Hope you can help me.

I would also like to ask the editors to publish more practical materials in the “Hunting Life” section, and publish the stories of “cool” hunters about how they killed a herd of wild boars with one shot on other pages of their favorite newspaper. Reading such stories, I want to ask their authors: “Did you have a license to shoot a herd of wild boars?”

Sincerely, V. Vasiliev, Nizhny Novgorod Region

Dear Mr. Vasiliev, a unified system for testing handguns in Italy until the beginning of the 20th century. did not have. Shooting, that is, actually testing weapons for strength, was carried out by the masters on their own initiative, since there were simply no legislative acts regulating this process at that time. The first brands of gunsmiths appeared in the XV-XVI centuries. The hallmarks they set were individual and served more as an analogue of modern trademark logos than evidence that the weapon was tested, for example, with an increased charge of gunpowder or was not intended to fire a bullet. It was only in 1910 that a national testing center was established in the city of Brescia.

Italy, Belgium, Germany and France initiated the conclusion of an international agreement that would establish uniform rules for the mutual recognition of signs and test marks handgun weapons. The signing of the convention was preceded by the work of an international technical commission that determined the test conditions, measuring equipment and test pressures.

The convention provided for the creation of a Permanent International Commission for the Testing of Handguns from representatives of the founding countries, but the First World War interrupted the activities of both the PMK and the convention for a long time.

Shotgun stigma! Videoohota

stigma guns! What do the stamps of the SOVIET guns? Learn about it in this video on…

STAMPS AND MARKINGS OF GUN IZHEVSK MECHANICAL PLANT

In this video, I would like to tell you what some of the stamps and inscriptions applied to the hunting ...

In Italy, the activities of the testing center resumed only in 1920, and mandatory testing handgun weapons became in 1923. Testing centers are located in the cities of Brescia and Gardone, and each of them has its own stamp. The year of release of the weapon and the place where the weapons were tested can be determined by the brand. Since 1924, the stamp included the image of the crown, and since 1951, instead of the crown, the image of a five-pointed star appeared.

All Italian hunting weapons, as well as weapons made in countries that are not members of the PMK for the testing of handguns, are tested at the testing center located in the city of Gardone val Trompia (province of Brescia) before they go on sale. There, a series of tests are being carried out to confirm the safety and functionality of the weapon. After carrying out such tests, a brand is applied to the box or barrels of the gun, by which you can find out in which year the gun was produced. Shotguns made between 1922 and 1953 were stamped with all four digits of the year of manufacture. Starting from 1954, the year of issue began to be indicated by Roman numerals: instead of 1954, the number X was put, instead of 1955 - XI, etc. Over time, it turned out that the continued use of Roman numerals would lead to the stamp becoming too long. Therefore, in 1971, both Roman and Arabic numerals began to be used when branding guns. So to designate the 1971 release, instead of the numbers XXVII, the combination XX7 was used. 1972 was designated as XX8, 1973 - XX9, 1974 - XXX. Since 1975, numbers have been abandoned altogether. Since that time, the year of branding is indicated by two letters. In 1975, the code was AA, in 1976, AB, and so on. However, some letters of the alphabet were omitted (see, for example, 1985 and 1986), and therefore, in order for you to be able to determine the year of manufacture of the weapon with confidence, we offer you a complete list of hallmarks (see table).

Pay attention also to the fact that even if you bought a gun in a thrift store without a passport, then by the available stamps you can determine both the size of the muzzle narrowing and the suitability of your gun for firing steel shot. So, the choke is marked with five-pointed stars without edging, arranged in a row. A full choke corresponds to one star, three-quarters of a choke - two stars, a half-choke - three stars, a quarter of a choke - four stars, a cylinder - the Latin letters "CL". In addition, recently, in accordance with the rules of the PMK, a voluntary test with a steel shot projectile for barrels with a muzzle narrowing of no more than a pay has been introduced. The stamp confirming the passage of these tests is a stylized image of a shamrock.

We hope that our answers will help you determine the year of manufacture of your gun.

List of hallmarks of Italian hunting weapons from 1954 to 2005

X - 1954XIX - 1963XX8 - 1972AH - 1981AZ - 1990BM - 1999

XI - 1955XX - 1964XX9 - 1973AI - 1982BA - 1991BN - 2000

XII - 1956XXI - 1965XXX - 1974AL - 1983BB - 1992BP - 2001

XIII - 1957XXII - 1966AA - 1975AM - 1984BC - 1993BS - 2002

XIV - 1958XXIII - 1967AB - 1976AN - 1985BD - 1994BT - 2003

XV - 1959XXIV - 1968AC - 1977AP - 1986BF - 1995BU - 2004

XVI - 1960XXV - 1969AD - 1978AS - 1987BH - 1996BZ - 2005

XVII - 1961XXVI - 1970AE - 1979AT - 1988BI - 1997

XVIII - 1962XX7 - 1971AF - 1980AU - 1989BL - 1998

Sincerely, V. Vasiliev, Nizhny Novgorod Region

Italy, Belgium, Germany and France initiated the conclusion of an international agreement that would establish uniform rules for the mutual recognition of marks and hallmarks of testing handguns. The signing of the convention was preceded by the work of an international technical commission that determined the test conditions, measuring equipment and test pressures.

In Italy, the activity of the testing center resumed only in 1920, and the testing of handguns became mandatory in 1923. The testing centers are located in the cities of Brescia and Gardone, and each of them has its own stamp. The year of release of the weapon and the place where the weapons were tested can be determined by the brand. Since 1924, the stamp included the image of the crown, and since 1951, instead of the crown, the image of a five-pointed star appeared.

We hope that our answers will help you determine the year of manufacture of your gun.

List of hallmarks of Italian hunting weapons from 1954 to 2005

X - 1954XIX - 1963XX8 - 1972AH - 1981AZ - 1990BM - 1999

XI - 1955XX - 1964XX9 - 1973AI - 1982BA - 1991BN - 2000

XII - 1956XXI - 1965XXX - 1974AL - 1983BB - 1992BP - 2001

XIII - 1957XXII - 1966AA - 1975AM - 1984BC - 1993BS - 2002

XIV - 1958XXIII - 1967AB - 1976AN - 1985BD - 1994BT - 2003

XV - 1959XXIV - 1968AC - 1977AP - 1986BF - 1995BU - 2004

XVI - 1960XXV - 1969AD - 1978AS - 1987BH - 1996BZ - 2005

XVII - 1961XXVI - 1970AE - 1979AT - 1988BI - 1997

XVIII - 1962XX7 - 1971AF - 1980AU - 1989BL - 1998