Update: This was originally posted in Posted: Mon Sep 29, am. Thanks to Worc for help in posting the image!
Beretta used no date code in It is not clear to me when firearms by Italian manufacturers other than Beretta began to be marked with date codes - it may have been as late aswith Roman numeral X. Thus, guns bearing those Roman numerals may need additional evidence to establish the year of manufacture. In some cases the actual date in Arabic numerals may be used, or a combination of Roman and Arabic numerals.Īlso, during the yearssome Berettas may be marked with Arabic numbers rather than Roman numerals I-IX. On recent pistols the mark is usually located on the frame near the trigger guard, and for older pistols the mark is on the slide or on the frame behind the grip area. Italian gun manufacturing date codes - chart. I have also seen the date code on the bottom of the frame receiver of a semi-automatic, but I have never seen it on the receiver of a break-action gun. It may be necessary to remove the forearm, and sometimes to remove the barrels from the receiver, in order to expose the mark. On shotguns, the mark is usually found on the bottom of the barrel. In recent years the two-letter code has usually been enclosed in a rectangle. Read the paragraph below to learn where to find the date code.
Note: The date code is not a part of the serial number. All firearms made in Italy are required by law to be tested by the Government Proof House, which marks the firearm with several symbols, one of which is a code identifying the year in which the firearm was proofed.Ī key to the code is shown below. Browning in serial number.Posted: Wed Mar 29, am. Please bookmark this site and return often. PO Box Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 - 6. Please click on any of the links below to see what we actually do have available for purchase. We do not necessarily offer the items described above for sale. EDKtherefore, refers to the year Illustrated Firearms Dictionary is for informational purposes only. Afterwards without slash, as: for November Also, an individual gunmaker's code appears in the following format: a 2-digit number followed by a dot and then typically a 4-digit number where the two digit number is the code for the gunmaking firm and the four digit number is his serial number-see Chart.ĭuring the s a three letter code was adopted, in Ariel typeface, where the first letter is the month code, the second and third letters are the year code. Afterthe last two digits of the 4-part serial number. Sans-serif Roman numerals from untilthen a two-letter code surrounded by a small rectangle as per the chart below. Chart: Syntax of British proofmarks over time. Chart: Syntax of Birmingham proof date codes. Inspector's number underneath.ī at upper right. Number of dots beneath to indicate inspector. For corroboration, cross-reference with the proof house controllers' mark. Liege, Belgium: A single letter, either Roman or Greek, upper or lower case, underlined or not. Italy's Sleeper Submachine Gun: The Beretta 38A Sample photos of their layouts are at the bottom of the page. Amongst proof marks are codes enabling one to determine the date of manufacture of many guns.