Found these proofmarks on my BHP...

[Steve C]

right side of the trigger guard. It's serial number dates it to 1976 (76C*****).

Any info from these?...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/scat999999/misc/P1000464.jpg

[carolinaman]

Hi there,

I have a '76C production BHP, but I honestly don't know what the proof marks mean.

Here's a picture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/carolinaman/S2010191.jpg

I would post the same question on the handgunsandammoproboard.com to see if any of the experts over there know.

Chris

[stormdragon]

I have an FM made under contract for FN and it has the same T with a star above it but the proof is on the read or the slide on the right side.

[carolinaman]

Hi there,

I have the same proof mark on my '76C HP and in the same location on my FM Argentine HP as stormdragon mentioned on the RH side of the slide.

Chris

[RED]

Hi to all,

It is the Liège (Belgium) proof mark. My BHP has the same, which is normal. In the European countries, firearms are tested and the proof mark is struck as an evidence of the test.

Red

[carolinaman]

Hi Red,

What is the significance of the "T" with the star over it?

Did FN have different proof marks for different year and model series of HP's?

Chris

[stormdragon]

Hi to all,

It is the Liège (Belgium) proof mark. My BHP has the same, which is normal. In the European countries, firearms are tested and the proof mark is struck as an evidence of the test.

Red

I have that mark on an FM made in Argentina and it is on the slide not the trigger guard. Why would the Argentine FM have a Belgium proof mark? Is it that these guns were made under contract and had some of the same proof marks as the Belgium guns?

[carolinaman]

Hi stormdragon,

"Imitation is the finest form of flattery"

Chris

[RED]

I don't know the meaning of the T & star mark. The T maybe stands for " Testé " (tested). Mine has the same stamp as most FN made H.Ps. The other marking is that of the Liège proof mark, the stamp of the Belgium national proofing office, and not a peculiar F.N marking. It is a proof that the gun has been tested for smokeless powder ctgs, using overloaded ammunitions producing very high pressures.
In France, the equivalent is the Saint Etienne proof mark. There is an international mutual equivalence of proof marks in Europe and many other countries.
Why a belgian stamp on an Argentinian F.M ? Don't know. Either an imitation, or maybe, if it is an early made pistol, a belgian made & tested frame imported to start production ? This is something to be answered by an Argentinian member...

Red

[carolinaman]

Hi Red,

Thank you for the clarification and insight into European proof marks. I believe that Fabrique Milar does proof test their slides and frames as well and conforms to International standards for quality control for export reasons.

Chris

[RED]

Hi Chris,

I can understand F.M have their guns tested and proofed by an Argentine proofing office, but how could the presence of a belgian proof mark be explained on a F.M frame, except if that frame was tested in Belgium ? BTW, the mutual international equivalence of proof marks applies not only in the E.U countries : for example, russian proof marks are accepted here.

Red

[carolinaman]

Hi Red,

Actually it is a P with star over it on the RH side of the slide. It is not the Belgium proof mark and I am sorry for the confusion.

I hope to be in Europe visiting Switzerland this summer. I am anxious to see some of the selections in shops there.

Chris

[stormdragon]

Hi Red,

Actually it is a P with star over it on the RH side of the slide. It is not the Belgium proof mark and I am sorry for the confusion.

I hope to be in Europe visiting Switzerland this summer. I am anxious to see some of the selections in shops there.

Chris

I'm sure the proof mark on the side of my FM frame is a T with a * over it. I'll check to make absolutely sure I didn't mistake a P for a T, but I'm about 99% sure it's a T.

Here is the proof.

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/Proofslide.jpg

Here is the proof on the trigger guard. There is a similar mark on the barrel at the ejection port.

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/Prooftrigger.jpg

[carolinaman]

Ah stormdragon,

The mystery deepens a little more?

I am beginning to wonder if some of the Argentine HP's had the frames forged and manufactured in Argentina and were built with imported Belgium Slides? The proof on the trigger guard is definately not a Belgium Proof mark.

Later today, I will try to pull out my FM and take pictures for comparison.

By the way, I know your HP shoots as good as it looks!

Chris

[stormdragon]

I posted these in another thread, but here they are again. I took them yesterday and, yes, it shoot as good as it looks :D. I changed the grips to come Belgium made factory classic HP dark walnut grips which I think look great.

I took it out to the range for a function check yesterday. I had changed the spring to an 18.5# Wolff recoil spring and I had problems with stovepipes and failure to strip from the mag. It seemed to me and was confirmed by others in another post that the slide was not moving back all the way or not fast enough.

I was blaming the change of spring and the thick lube I was using. The real culprit was the MagTech ammo. I installed a Buffer Technologies shock buffer and ran some Black Hills ammo through it and it was flawless. I also ran a mag of Hornady personal defense JHP though it and it feed like a champ, not problems, entirely flawless. I lightened the lube a little. I was using Slide Glide cold weather formula, but cleaned that off and used mil-comm TW-25 instead.

So, with the lower powered ammo the 17# spring is fine. But with the 18.5# spring I need to make sure I'm shooting decent ammo.

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/FMHPright.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/FMHPleft.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/FMHPgrips1.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/FMHPgrips2.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/FMHPbarrel.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/FMHPSN.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/Proofslide.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/Proofbarrel.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/Prooftrigger.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~stormdragon/images/FM/Rollmark.jpg

[Nashmack]

I just scoured my FM (S/N is 383***) for proofmarks. I just scanned em and uploaded em to photobucket, the scan is nice and large and I noted where I found each proof. These are DIFFERENT than Stormdragon's. Maybe all these proofs on the FM guns denote testing by different testers?

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e251/Nostophobia/Proofs.jpg I just linked it as the image is rather large...