Proofmarks
The C.I.P. (Commission internationale permanente pour l'épreuve des armes à feu portatives) lays down common rules and regulations for the proof of weapons and their ammunition in order to ensure the mutual recognition of Proof Marks by its member states. As of 2015, its members are the national governments of 14 countries, of which 11 are European Union member states. Each country has it own "Proof House" where all testing is carried out. Each of those proof houses have their own distinct "proof stamp" which is applied to each firearm after passing proof tests. Below are the proof stamps of the Italian proof house in Gardone.
Kits, which are sold as unassembled sets of parts for the buyer to finish and assemble, are treated differently under Italian regulations. While some kits may have certain components, such as the barrel or cylinder proofed, it is common for kits to lack the full set of proof marks found on factory-assembled firearms. Although somekit parts can carry the Gardone BP proof, and the Gardone firearm inspection stamp on the barrel. This means that some critical parts might be proofed, but the completed firearm, as assembled by the end user, is not officially proofed unless the owner arranges for it independently. Instructions included with some kits may advise the builder to have the finished firearm proof tested before use, but this is not always done, especially outside of Italy where proofing facilities are not readily available
ITALIAN PROOF MARKS
The Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives ("Permanent International Commission for the Proof of Small Arms" – commonly abbreviated as C.I.P.) is an international organization which sets standards for safety testing of firearms. As of 2015, its members are the national governments of 14 countries, of which 11 are European Union member states. The C.I.P. safeguards that all firearms and ammunition sold to civilian purchasers in member states are safe for the users. To achieve this, all such firearms are first proof tested at C.I.P. accredited Proof Houses.
After passing testing they are then stamped with the three standard stamps on every Italian-made black powder firearm. Previous to the new resolution of the Board of Directors of the Banco Nazionale di Prova di Gardone Valtrompia of 09 March, starting from 01 June 2020, these are the three standard stamps from left to right: year of manufacture, Gardone V.T. black powder proof house stamping, and Gardone proof house stamping. The PN is the acronym for "polvere nera", black powder in Italian.
PROOF DATE CODE CHART
Italian black powder replica date codes “beginning” in 1954 is a convention tied to how modern reproductions are discussed, not because there were no earlier date indications.
From 1945–1953 the Gardone/Brescia proof houses already marked the year of proof using full Arabic numerals (1945, 1946, etc.), so the year was present but not in a compressed code form.
In 1954 the proof houses adopted a standardized symbolic date code system (starting with X for 1954), which is what modern charts for replica revolvers list as the “beginning” of date codes.
Modern black powder references (ACWSA, Cap & Ball Revolvers, etc.) explicitly state that, “as far as reproduction black powder arms are concerned, the dating begins in 1954,” because their tables start with the Roman‑numeral code series used on post‑war commercial exports.
The photo above is a chart displaying the year of proof symbols used from 1945 to 2024. Following a new resolution of the Board of Directors of the Banco Nazionale di Prova di Gardone Valtrompia of 09 March, starting from 01 June 2020 the trademark attesting the year of test of the weapon will consist of the last two digits of the current year inscribed in a rectangle. These are traditionally found within a box next to the individual proof house symbols.
JUNE 2020 DATE CHANGE
The Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives ("Permanent International Commission for the Proof of Small Arms" – commonly abbreviated as C.I.P.) is an international organization which sets standards for safety testing of firearms. As of 2015, its members are the national governments of 14 countries, of which 11 are European Union member states. The C.I.P. safeguards that all firearms and ammunition sold to civilian purchasers in member states are safe for the users. To achieve this, all such firearms are first proof tested at C.I.P. accredited Proof Houses.
After passing testing they are then stamped with the three standard stamps on every Italian-made black powder firearm. Previous to the new resolution of the Board of Directors of the Banco Nazionale di Prova di Gardone Valtrompia of 09 March, starting from 01 June 2020, these are the three standard stamps from left to right: year of manufacture, Gardone V.T. black powder proof house stamping, and Gardone proof house stamping. The PN is the acronym for "polvere nera", black powder in Italian.