Quote:
Originally Posted by targa911S
It's not mandated like it is in Europe. If they don't have to, they won't.
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As far as i can tell, proofmarks on a gun doesn't necesarily mean it has been tested for breaking points.
To me , in Belgium t just means the gun has been checked for conformity in terms of legislation. for instance the 1911 i bought has proof marks on the slide, the barrel and on the frame..
Anything with a proofmark means you can't buy it without a permit.
And it doesn't mean that i have a permit for a 1911, that i can buy another barrel, no , if i want to buy another barrel i need a new permit OR i have to have the old one destroyed. If i buy a barrel without a proofmark, for instance from the US.. i'de get in trouble if they catch me with it... That would constitute an illegal , unregistred gun, even though teh slide and frame do have the mark.
The Belgian proofing authority do test ammo batches for conformity (i guess like SAAMI does?), but the weapons themself aren't proofed for upper limits.. I don't think they can do that without actually testing a sample to destruction.
So what do they test (translated from the website in Belgium)
they check the type, caliber, serial
Visual check of the weapon
dimensional check
Check or function
Check of the safeties
They fire a couple of test rounds
a magnaflux check after test firing
visual check
new dimensional check
applying the proofmarks
I would hesitate to see such a proof mark as a guarantee it will work with a certain kind of ammo..
Sure the magnaflux after test firing might not show any problems
It may be "an" indication.. but it won't tell you if the gun takes P+ or +P+ ammo or not.. it just means the gun didn't explode at the proofing instance.
Is a proofing round used in the test, based on .45 ACP from 1911, or .45 ACP in 2011??
To me it's just a basic check to make sure the gun works
and more importantly, that the govermenent knows it's a semi auto and not a full auto which would be illegal.
I'm not industry expert , just my guess about what a proofmark means , at least here in Belgium