The same can be said for military returns to the CMP, explaining Springfield Armory-produced M1903s and M1 Garands floating around with Danish, Greek, Turkish, or German markings.Īs we touched on above, pre-1968 firearms just needed a country of origin marks to be brought into the States by an importer.

companies exported more than 300,000 firearms last year alone- and then later brought back 'home' as a reimport. The reason for this is that the gun was likely sent overseas on a military/police contract or a commercial sale- U.S.

of A, yet they still have an import mark. Oftentimes you will come across a nice old S&W or Colt handgun, or Winchester or Remington rifle made in the good old U.S. However, gun collectors flat out love history and embrace it, leaving beauty in the eye of the beholder. This late 1970s vintage Italian-made Beretta 92S served a career with the Polizia Penitenziaria then caught a ship to America and picked up a PW import mark that sticks out like a sore thumb.ĭoes an import mark affect how the gun will shoot? Not at all.ĭoes it make the gun as valuable as the same model of the same vintage in a similar condition without such a mark? Likely not. Johnson, a Democrat, licensed firearm importers for years often placed such marks in subtle locations, such as on the underside of the barrel, or even on parts such as grip panels which could be replaced. Required initially by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives since 1968 as part of the implementation of the Gun Control Act signed into law that year by President Lyndon B. That starburst is one of the more elegant import marks out there.

What makes this gun uniquely American is the large Interarms starburst on the slide, the logo of the Arlington, Virginia importer that brought the gun into the country. All of the marks you would see on virtually any PPK of that period. On the right, you see the serial number in multiple places- most pistols produced overseas will have it on the frame, barrel and slide- an 'eagle over N” nitro proof mark on the slide and barrel along with the antler/stag stamp of the Ulm proof house that tested it along with a '74' for the year of proof.

Beretta 92fs markings