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P6 Proof Mark

13K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  Willard 
#1 ·
I just got around to closely checking out my recently acquired P6 and found an interesting proof mark. There is one on the slide, frame and barrel. It looks like BMI over B and it is in something that looks like a bat or a crown. I have not seen this on any other SIGs in my stash. (not saying that it is not there)

As usual, input is appreciated.



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#2 ·
Photos please.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I couldn't make the link work, but I clipped this out of an old SigTalk thread. Poster was "OTB" in 2011. You might be able to search.

Here is the post:

"It's proof signs and ownership markings.

P6 is the German designation for the P225. P6 stands for P225, like M9 for Beretta 92 in the USA.

NW is the ownership marking of the state police of Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany.

1/80 is the production date of proof date of the pistol.*

224 the last three digits of the serial number

The square eagle over BMI 8 is the acceptance stamp form a federal inspector

Eagle over BMI is the proof mark form a federal proof house. The pistol passed successuflly an overpressure test of the chamber.

BMI = Federal office of internal affairs.

Germany has two type of proof marks. What's normally found are commercial proof marks with proof dates (date code) from a state owned proof house. Small arms issued to a federal service in Germany are inspected and proof fired in a federal proof house. Identical acceptance markings and proof sings can be found on Walther P1 pistols issued to the Bundeswehr.

Same procedure, same specs, but different markings. Commercial proof marks can be found on service small arms, but federal proof marks never on small arms made for the commercial market.*

Your pistol is a P225 made to LEO specs, in January 1980. It was inspected and proof fired in the federal proof house of Meppen or St.Wendel in Germany and issued as P6 to the state police of Nordrhein Westfalen."
 
#5 · (Edited)
I tried my best to translate the description. German is my first language, English the second.
The first test firing and proofing was done by the workshop center (Werkstattzentrum) of the federal police headquarter (Bundespolizeipräsidium) west.
BMI is the abbreviation for the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Bundesinnenministerium) which is the department that oversees the federal police (Bundergrenzschutz BGS).
 

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#6 ·
Thanks for the info. The proof mark that Steelhat showed is what I have. The gun was made 6/79 and also had the NW on the slide. What confused me is that it has the usual Eagle over a "N" as well as the above mentioned mark.


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#7 ·
Mine is 9/92 and has what looks like 'BKA' on the slide only which has been lined out. There's no eagle or 'B.'
On the intrnet I found BKA stands for 'Bundeskriminalamt,' the German federal police, so assumed they may have had the gun at one time.
As I don't see anything other than the common with German pistols proof marks, not sure what this means.
 
#8 ·
The BKA or Bundeskriminalamt is another branch of the federal police. Their duties are criminal investigations and their members are plain clothes cops.
The BGS or Bundesgrenzschutz is the uniformed branch of the federal police and their duties are securing the borders, railroad stations, airports as well as responding to bigger protests and riots.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
I believe it's a proof mark of the proof house of issuing German federal office of internal affairs that only proofs agency issued guns, not guns for the civilian market.
But it's valid when they did the proof test according to the process described in the law.
That test proofs the reliability, manipulation safety, dimensional accuracy and that the markings are in the specified manner.
During the overpressure test, two bullets are used per barrel, or one per chamber if it's a revolver.
The ammunition used has an about 30% higher pressure than the maximum permissible pressure. In case of a pistol the tested parts are the barrel, frame and slide.
The eagle over the N proofs that the gun was tested for nitropowder which creates higher pressures than blackpowder. Blackpowder only guns for example are getting an eagle over B.

I assume Catman's P6 don't have the "squished bug" proof mark from Kiel. I might be wrong on that one.
 
#13 ·
I assume Catman's P6 don't have the "squished bug" proof mark from Kiel. I might be wrong on that one.
You are correct, no squished bug on my P6.

Is all of this excellent info in a book somewhere?



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#14 ·
I found it with little effort through Google (the German version of Google). Also checked the websites of the BMI and a site that listed lots of infos about the different proof houses in Germany.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Post #5 should be the answer...
 
#19 ·
FYI (for y'alls information):

English is descended from German. Old English was the language of the Angles, the Germanic tribe that infiltrated England around 400 A.D. That's why our adjectives precede the noun vs. the Romance languages where the adjective follows the noun.

Anglish, language of the Angles = English.

Angland, land of the Angles = England

Britannia was the Roman name for England. That's why they have two names.

Although modern English has been influenced by Latin (the Catholic church), Greek. and French (thanks to William the Conqueror) there are still many similarities between the languages including many perfect and near cognates.

Those loooong German words are mostly compound words. If you know the individual words they're usually quite easy. Windshield = Windschutzscheiben = Wind Protection Screen. Easy peasy.
 
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