The Rod & Gun Club at a nearby installation cautioned me to not bring my guns from America unless they have German proof marks. The staff said Germany mandates testing with "a 30% overload" before releasing the gun to the owner, and they had a S&W .44 magnum destroyed in the process.

Questions arose after the call ended.
Does my Sako TRG-S, made in Finland, have proof marks accepted by Germany?

A 30% overload sounds absurd, but this isn't my home and I haven't a clue regarding authentification of the assertion.

Duffy

Pretty sure your Sako proof marks are acceptable.

Cannot confirm the figures for Germany - however in the UK, the proof house will invariably attempt to detonate a firearm with an overload. 30% does spring to mind.

If they fail to ruin the rifle/gun - then you are graciously allowed to offer it for sale!

So, the overload is pretty much a standard - and a reassurance - that your firearm is safe for use under abnormal conditions.

.......unless the testing has now weakened it!!!

Rgds Mod

If You are her just temporaly, I am sure, You don´t need to have the marks, but for normal You must have them - and yes, it destroys about 10% of all weapons !!! It´s just for the owners safety...

quote:

Originally posted by scubapro:
- and yes, it destroys about 10% of all weapons !!!

A 30% overload cetainly does not destroy any gun available on the market. Most survive 100% overpressure.

I take the 10% you mention as a joke.

That is my feeling as well - if your firearm detonates at normal +30% - I really don't think much of the quality!

Rgds Ian

U.S. made rifles should be proofed to SAAMI specs, which call for a minimum overload of 30%.

I doubt that "blowing up" the gun is the standard for pass/fail. If any part takes on a measurable, permanent deformation, the gun may fail proof. Any gun that takes 30-40% overload with no measurable deformation should have a nice, long service life with normal ammo.

quote:

Originally posted by DUK:

quote:

Originally posted by scubapro:
- and yes, it destroys about 10% of all weapons !!!

A 30% overload cetainly does not destroy any gun available on the market. Most survive 100% overpressure.

I take the 10% you mention as a joke.

I have seen a movie in TV where they showed the testing with much details and they told, that are 10% of the guns are blown up. BUT What they showed looked to me as it was in most cases cheap weapons from the east mainly, but they also showed 1 S&W with blown cylinder...
I think the biggest risk are the cheap producers, not the real quality guns, BUT there is a certain amount which fails too due to failure in material ("Lunker" maybe)...

I seem to remember that the reason to get US made weapons proofed to enable them to be sold in Europe was because the US did not proof every weapon, only a sample number or something like that? Please correct me if i'm wrong, but i seem to recall reading it somewhere.

There are several countries where proof shooting is mandatory. France, Belgium, Finnland, Spain and Chile if I remember well belong to them. They mutually recognize their proof marks. Guns manufactured in other countries without proof mark need to pass the test after importation.

Here is a complete list:

"Belgien, Chile, ehm. DDR, Frankreich, Italien, Jugoslawien, Österreich, Spanien, Tschechoslowakei, Ungarn und Großbritannien."

Of course, the DDR did not survive a public proof shooting held in 1989...

Italian Shooting Test Autority
You can look, at the above address, the Italian rules for the test and many other info. The test load are alway the 30% over the maximum pressure declared in CIP rules.

The test is applied to all the guns that are imported to be put on the market, it is not applied to the guns owned by a hunting or sport shooting tourist.

I asked my smith. This proof test is only for all rifles which are traded in Germany. For hunting tourist ist no problem to bring their "unproofed" rifles to Germany.

30% overload proofs are the standart in most Euorpean countries. But you can have a special service in the proof house here, its a test with 50% overproof (verstärkter Beschuss)to be very much on the save side, many reloaders do it.
I did it with my 9,3x62 without any problems.
Muser is just Mauser.



Burkhard