Here are some questions I would like answers to.
Why does the proof house when it comes to nitro reproof make a gun go through all the stages and standards as if it were manufactured yesterday, rather than taking account its age which may be a hundred plus years old. Why not put the gun through exactly the same nitro proof test it was given on the last occasion if it was right to undertake the test then why is it not now and just resize the barrel. I also believe that the proof houses are performing what is becoming age destructive tests which can only have one outcome, older and historic guns tested in the future will eventually fail because they keep increasing the height of the bar, and in doing so is destroying our historic sporting gun heritage, and as far as I can see they have no plans to devise a valid proof to enable us to keep vintage and veteran guns in use.
To make my point we test all automobiles each year after the third year of manufacture for emissions braking efficiency and constructional soundness though only to the standards that where in force at the time of the vehicles manufacture. So on this side of the pond we have automobiles that where built pre 1900 with wire breaking systems no indicators and oil lamps quite legally using our roads so why cant the proof houses do the same thing for vintage and veteran guns. The reason I feel for this is that the motor vehicle lobby here in Brit land is far more powerful and will not take any bureaucratic nonsense unlike the backed into a corner shooting fraternity.
Finally I must ask why the Birmingham Proof house is purchasing Gauges manufactured in Germany.
Firstly the gauge manufacturer TRIEBEL have no traceable standards that I could see on the web site and that should be the first requirement I would have expected their manufacture to have traceability to DIN though I would prefer BSI Standards, with sizes traceable to the NPL well it is the Brit Proof house system when all said and done. And finally I cannot truly believe that the gauges could not be manufactured here in the UK fulfilling all the tractability requirements.
