Joe, you must not have read the famous story about John Olin having something like a couple thousand proof loads fed to a Win 21 without harm. American manufacturers went through essentially the same proof procedures as the Europeans. The only difference was, the standards were overseen by SAAMI which was an industry organization, rather than a govt entity running the proofhouses like in Europe. You'll find a VP on 21's, standing for "violent proof"; an HP on Elsies, standing for "Hunter Proof", etc.
Joe, I answered you quite some time back. Above not clear? Proof in this country was essentially the same as proof in a European country, except done by the individual manufacturers to SAAMI standards. If the gun passed--and the procedure was basically the same, firing high pressure proof loads (look back farther and you'll find the exact proof pressures required by SAAMI, for 2 5/8" and 2 3/4" 12ga guns) and then looking for measurable changes as a result--they were marked, at least in some cases, with the company's own proofmark. You'll also note that the American proof standards for American short-chambered 12's are approximately the same as the current CIP "standard" proof of 850 bars. Proof pressures for 2 3/4" guns were higher, although not as high as the current CIP "magnum" proof (1200 bars). Thus, a short-chambered American gun from that era is certainly no weaker than your Scott from the same era, especially if your Scott is also short-chambered. Of course if your Scott had remained in British hands and the old American classic in American hands, chances are good that the former never would have seen modern American factory ammo, while the latter might well have been fed a steady diet of the heavier loads for decades.
Last edited by L. Brown; 09/21/10 06:53 PM.
