[Lone_Gunman]

I have seen a carbine adverties with Birmingham proof marks, and I am not sure what that means. Does anyone know?

Does this lower its value?
Where is the Birmingham proof mark located?

[Jim K]

Any firearm to be offered for sale in Britain must be proved (proofed) by firing an overload prior to sale. That was done for commercial firearms sold to British subjects as well as to surplus arms taken out of government storage for sale or export if they had not already been proofed by the military.

There are two proof houses, London and Birmingham; they use different proof marks. So a "Birmingham proof" means that the proof was done at Birmingham and the gun bears that mark. Proof mark locations vary; they are often on the receiver but I have seen them on the barrel.

That carbine could have been sent to Britain under Lend-Lease or it could have been sold in the UK in the commercial trade. While L-L is a good bet, commercial import into the UK is not impossible; there is no way to know for sure.

Jim

[Lone_Gunman]

do british proof marks lower the value?

[sterling180]

It's probably a lend-lease gun,that found it's way onto the civillian market-after WW2-but might have been sold to a gun dealer in the US-after 1989,when the SLR ban was enacted.

Iv'e heard that alot of dealers in America,bought up slrs,from the UK-between 1987 and 1989.

If it is a modern M1 Carbine,that was made after WW2 and korea,then it was definately,an ex-UK legal Section 1 firearm.