Out of proof?

[Gareth0689]

I've been reading through the site quite a bit lately and have seen it mentioned several times. This got me thinking as I have a few pretty old guns in the cabinet. How do you tell if a gun is out of proof?

[HDAV]

pitting, marks (hollows or mounds) or dents in barrel i think there is a barrel wall measurement stamped on the gun it has to be measured to make sure it's still the same and in proof, basically any good gun smith will be able to advise if the gun is in proof or not, even tho its illegal to sell an out of proof gun, it does happen from time to time.

Edited August 15, 2010 by HDAV

[slated]

as a private seller you can not sell a gun knowing it is out of proof.

if you don't have it checked you don't know.

 

but a dealer is different.

like many things it buyer beware.

 

as said before your local gunsmith should be able to check it for you.

[Graham M]

The nominal internal dimensions for a 12bore gun is between .720 and .729.

If you gun was made within these tolerances and is still inside these same tolerances then, as long as they aren’t damaged or off-the-face, then they should still be in proof.

There are other things that come into play as well, such as you may have had the barrels re-finished, which could have involved removing some of the thickness of the metal. If this has taken the wall thickness down below safe levels, such as 16thou’ at the muzzle, then that could also render the gun out of proof, but not always.

If in doubt take the guns to a “Gunsmith” and ask him to check out the barrel thickness and the internal bore diameter for the first 9 inches of the barrels, as this is where the measurement for proof is made.

G.M.

[Gareth0689]

It all makes sense now. Thanks for that guys.

Gareth

[Scully]

While it is illegal to sell a gun out of proof(whether you're a dealer or a private seller)it is quite legal to 'give away'an out of proof gun.It is not illegal to use an out of proof gun either,but your mate stood next to you may not be too chuffed!

I have been using a very old Winchester Model 12 for years which has never been 'proved'.I cannot sell it without having it proofed,but I could give it away,but I have no intention of doing either;it's very fast on pigeons. :blink:

[fortune82]

If the internal barrel dimensions are more than 10 thousands of an inch larger than they were at proof it is out of proof.

 

The gun trade is also wary of barrels with wall thickness of less than 20 thousands of an inch.

[Cumbrian]

If the internal barrel dimensions are more than 10 thousands of an inch larger than they were at proof it is out of proof.

 

The gun trade is also wary of barrels with wall thickness of less than 20 thousands of an inch.

 

1. The gun can still be put back into proof if it passes the proof test. Even with dimensions of more than 10 thou. beyond the original, a gun that is otherwise in good order is quite likely to be o.k. There's a fair amount of metal around the point where the measurement is taken, so far as I know.

 

2. You can take it that the trade simply won't buy a gun with a wall thickness of less than 20 thou., unless it's an exceptionally fine and valuable piece. Fortunately, this sort of thickness is usually found only in old side by sides. And it won't of itself prevent the gun from passing proof. So the owner of such a gun could still enjoy it or sell it privately.