P Stamped on bottom of an 03A3 barrel

[JAYFMT]

What does the "P" stamped on the bottom of an 03A3 barrel near the muzzle mean? I have a barrel I bought new in the wrapper some years ago and had it installed on a bad sporterized rifle and just noticed that it has 3 of them?

TIA
Jay

[John Beard]

The "P" means that the barrel was pre-proof tested in a fixture during manufacture and prior to installation on a rifle. If a faulty barrel was assembled to a rifle, it would wreck the entire rifle when the rifle was proof tested. Therefore, it was prudent to pre-proof test the barrel separately beforehand to keep from wrecking expensive assembled rifles.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[JAYFMT]

John,

I assumed it meant proofed, just thought it was strange that it was stamped 3 times and had never been installed on a rifle until I bought it.

Thanks
Jay

[chuckindenver]

many types of Proofing, not just fire proof.