Gun Trade Insider
(GTI): How would you describe the role of modern technology within the Proof House today and how it complements traditional proofing methods?
David Miles (DM): If you look at proof of firearms from the 1600s to the present day, the basic principles in the Royal Charter and the early Gun Barrel Proof Acts have stayed the same. Such as the requirement for all firearms to have been proved and be in proof before sale or even advertising for sale, and the requirement that guns have the relevant proof marks stamped onto them. Also, if you look at how we prove a firearm, for nearly 400 years the principles of how we do it are the same, eg:
• View, to look for faults, dents, cracks, weaknesses etc. This includes measuring to check the chamber and bore measurements are within the published tolerances for each cartridge or bore
• Proof firing. This is stress testing the pressure-bearing parts of the firearm with an overcharged load.
• Post-firing inspection. This is to see if there has been any material change to the pressure-bearing parts. Any visible change (such as a bulge in the barrel or the barrels coming off the face) and the gun fails proof. If there is no visible change, the gun passes proof and may then have proof marks applied.
• Application of proof marks. If the gun has passed proof, the requirement is for the gun or barrel attachment (such as a sound moderator) to have proof marks permanently and visibly applied.
• The law then allows the gun to be advertised and sold. If it is sold out of proof or without proof, an absolute offence is committed – for which there is no defence in law.
These basic principles have remained the same. However, in recent times, the view and the post-firing inspection can be aided by other means, for example NDT testing. We can even have items X-rayed or sent off for materials analysis. For military proof, all the large-calibre items are NDT tested before the proof mark and proof certificate are issued, and this is also a requirement of the MoD. We can also visually check internal bores with endoscopes. The measurement gauges we use for checking tolerances are themselves made using sophisticated measuring equipment (more than we can write about here), and we can verify these at the Proof House with shadowgraphs.
The proof ammunition manufacture – technology has changed this so much we could write a whole book about it. The principle of nitro proof requiring a +25% increase in pressure started at the London Proof House at the beginning of the 20th Century, and is now adopted by more than 16 countries. The technology required for making that +25% pressure proof ammunition is now so sophisticated that many laboratories around the world can make incredibly consistent proof ammunition – ensuring that we are meeting but not exceeding proof pressures. We also have specialist firing jigs for holding firearms in proof bays safely and securely, but with torque settings so as not to crush or damage guns.
For the application of proof marks, yes we still use the old hammer and stamp from time to time, but we also now extensively employ lasers. With a laser, we can mimic precisely the look and depth of a hand-stamped proof mark, which is ideal for re-proof of old guns and for proof marking ‘best quality’ handmade guns. Or we can use a modern font for modern-looking guns, etc. This does not only improve quality but also improves consistency.
In conclusion, technology is allowing us to do a better-quality, more professional and consistent job now. We have considerably improved matters just within the last 5 years, and the plans we have for the future would have seemed fanciful only 5 years ago.
GTI: What recent technological developments have had the biggest impact on the safety and consistency of the proofing process?
DM: In the past 5 years that would be our new firing jigs to hold the firearms in the proof bays, and the laser markers for applying proof marks. In the past 20 years, the consistency of the proof ammunition available from the proof laboratories we use in the UK is remarkable. The British Proof Laboratory (managed by both the London and Birmingham Proof Houses) was a great leap forward. We also use other specialist ammunition makers who produce ammunition to a quality and consistency unimaginable 40 years ago.
GTI: Have advances in firearm materials and manufacturing required changes to proofing methods or equipment in recent years?
DM: The requirement for laser engravers over the past 5 years has really been driven by the changes in metal used for shotguns intended for steel proof instead of the lead proof of the past. Our specialist jigs allow us to hold and fire any type of firearm without damaging it – critically important for our customers.
GTI: Looking ahead, are there any emerging technologies or innovations that could further enhance proofing standards or firearm performance?
DM: We have some groundbreaking research for the future that we are keeping under our hats for now, but believe it or not we are already looking into AI, specialist 3D printing technology and new areas of pressure-increasing technology for making proof ammunition. We have no plans to adopt these yet, as that is many years away before implementation, but in theory in years to come we may be able to make components for any round of ammunition at the press of a button, and have proof ammunition tested and made for any cartridge available the same day. These are only ideas for now, but the technology is advancing.
We may also see greater automation of processes using robotics, and the incorporation of AI at the Proof House is already underway.
The next 20 years will be very interesting indeed, but let’s not forget that whilst the technology is changing, the requirements and principles behind what we do have been in place unchanged for 400 years. That is very special, and nobody should underestimate how important proof testing has been for the gunmaking trade by ensuring that firearms are actually safe to use. When King Charles I signed off our first Charter, British firearms manufacture immediately leapt forward from a wildly dangerous product to creating consistently safe products – fit for a King. I am acutely aware that the Crowned GP proof mark we apply to every firearm that passes our tests bears the Monarch’s Crown, and that is no light responsibility and of incredible value, sometimes overlooked by the gun owner.
We will always merely be applying up-to-date technology to the old principles, which are the firm roots from which the whole trade can flourish, root and branch.
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