On the topic of pattern welded tubes, in the 1880s the door had all but shut on GB inland production. As I have said many times, the Liége mechanics were always trying to insert an >>out<< in the proof law for >>Trade Guns<<(Trade Components) because the Liége mechanics were shipping tubes to many gunmaking centres. Even though under French or Dutch rule, the only reason Belgium adopted a bona fide set of proof rules was because France & Great Britain had proof laws and reciprocity was the name of the game. How many Great Britain Guns have you seen in Belgium¿ Pretty much a one way sourcing conduit. All of this plus the fact that German was importing Belgian barrels in bulk is the reason for Germany's proof law. And the only reason that Belgium updated their proof rules along to meet the Germans was to meet the German bar so the mechanics in Liége could continue to flood the German Market w/ tubes. It was/is all about the Benjamins.

In the 1860s, Great Britain had a Trade Treaty w/ France and the St. Étienne mechanics were complaining that the French proof effort was too stout and they were seeing a 5% loss every year due to barrel bursts. There was not a Paris Proof Facility & Paris was the sourcing point for some 2k tubes a year made for the most part by Devisme(who was doing his on proving & was strongly against a Proof Facility in Paris), who made the Best of the Best & charged appropriately. At the same time, the mechanics in St. Étienne were solely using tubes rolled by Leopold Bernard.

So, it is possible that the Brits were sourcing the French too, but inland production just died up due to stiff competition and parallel proof laws. Therefore, you are not going to find hardly any proofmarks or touchmarks as they were worked off to mask the origin.....

Hochachtungsvoll,

Raimey
rse