Does anyone have the London proof marks year codes for the 1950s LL Garands?
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Does anyone have the London proof marks year codes for the 1950s LL Garands?
In case that link dies of old age...
Barrel Proofmarks
The distinguishing characteristic of Lend-Lease rifles is, of course, the British barrel proofing stamps. In fact, these M1s were called “British Garands,” and were disdained by most collectors because of that “defacement.” The offending marks were viewed in the same way import stamps are today—as having reduced the guns’ value. In fact, many collectors chose an unmarked M1 of average condition over an excellent one with British Proofs.
Few M1 collectors understand that these proofmarks are not military but commercial in origin, and were not applied when the rifles reached England during World War II. The Gun Barrel Proof Act that governed them stipulated that small arms could not be offered for sale, exchanged or exported until they were properly proofed according to British Rules of Proof. Proof testing and marking of the Lend-Lease Garands did not occur until the mid-1950s when the British government sold them to the arms dealer Sam Cummings for export back to the United States. Years later, when Cummings’ Interarmco—later Interarms of Alexandria, Va.—became large and famous, the company’s major European depot was located in England.
Garands purchased all over Europe and the Middle East went through this facility on the way to America, and had to be proofed according to British law. These later imports were marked on the front of the barrel between the rings of the gas cylinder.
The British M1s had early features, such as solid, single-slot gas cylinder lock screws and forged, milled trigger guards.
The actual proofing was performed in two locations, the Birmingham Proof House, also known as Guardians Company, and the London Proof House, also known as Gunmakers Company. The actual testing and the information applied to the rifle was the same at both houses, but each had its own marking style. The stamps were applied to the 1941-42 rifles on the chamber area of the barrel, visible when the operating rod is to the rear.
First in line is the nitro proofmark distinctive to the house doing the tests. The London mark is a raised arm holding a scimitar over the letters NP, the Birmingham mark is a crown over the letters BNP for British Nitro Proof. Second in the sequence is the caliber. London used a brief “30,” Birmingham went all the way with “.30/06.” Third in line is the length of the cartridge case in inches. London again used the simpler mark 2 1?2" while Birmingham recorded the decimal length as 2.494". Fourth is the pressure of the nitro proof charge in tons per square inch. It was calculated in long tons, or about 2,240 lbs., and yielded 40,320 lbs. per square inch by the British axial method, or about 50,000 p.s.i. by the American radial system. The London house used the short notation “18 TONS,” Birmingham used the notation “18 TONSPER.” Birmingham added a fifth mark, crossed swords with the number of various inspectors and a date code letter. London did not.
Birmingham Date Code
The “Private View Mark” and the date code used by Birmingham confirms the time period of the marking of the Lend-Lease guns. This Birmingham code was held in tight secrecy, even from British police investigating gun crimes, until a German collector finally broke the code and published it.
The letter in the left angle of the crossed swords is the year code, beginning with A in 1950 and progressing (letter I omitted) to Z in 1974. The letters begin again with A in 1975, but the crossed swords framework was changed to a segmented circle. The letter on the right is always B for Birmingham, and the digit at the bottom is the seniority of the inspector, from 1 to 8. In the drawing, the code of the “FB 1” view mark signifies that the rifle was viewed during the year 1955 by the Chief Inspector. This version of view marking began in 1950; a slightly different system was used until 1941, and no export proofing was done from 1942 until well after the war had ended.
Other Marked Areas
In addition to the barrel proofmarks, the Rules of Proof stated that both the receiver and bolt be marked. Birmingham used its BNP proof to mark the top of the receiver ring directly above the chamber; London used a crown over an intertwined GP to mark the right side of the receiver ring under the hump of the operating rod. Both houses stamped the right lug of the bolt.
The proofing dies, however, were no match for the hardened steel of the M1 Garand’s receiver and bolt, and wore out in short order. Only a small fraction of Lend-Lease rifles show these proofs or parts of them; most carry only a dent or smudge. Many show no evidence at all, suggesting that both houses eventually gave up the attempt.
Here are some photos to add to Jim's posting above:
The first shows the BNP proofs on the receiver and right bolt lug area plus the rear barrel marks, The letter A was included starting in 1950 to the original Lend Lease imports.
Last photo shows th London proofs on a S-A 8-40 dated barrel but is not among the original Lend Lease importsAttachment 136053