quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
[N]ever tested any AR 15 barrels....

A good point that’s probably true of most people. I have replaced only one AR barrel and I did check the headspace (mainly because I could), but it never occurred to me that any sort of proof test might be necessary.

So now my question is what’s the practice in Europe where they have so many laws regulating the issue?

tacfoley, are you still listening? Do European shooters ever do things like replace barrels themselves, and if so, what are the proofing rules in such situations? In line with what was mentioned above, the two European-manufactured rifles I just checked have proof marks on the receivers, not the barrels, but would that certification be considered valid if a barrel was changed?

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:tacfoley, are you still listening? Do European shooters ever do things like replace barrels themselves, and if so, what are the proofing rules in such situations? In line with what was mentioned above, the two European-manufactured rifles I just checked have proof marks on the receivers, not the barrels, but would that certification be considered valid if a barrel was changed?

Any replacement of a pressure-bearing component in any of the 14 CIP signaturee nations requires the attention of a qualified gunsmith who is required by LAW to submit the barrelled action for reproofing.

I guess that over here, where nobody buys kits for guns like you guys do with your ARs and so on, it's the normal thing to do, and has been here in England, since the Proof Acts of 1868 were enacted.

The reason why your 'European' gun has stamps on the action and not on the barrel is because it is the whole barrelled action that is proofed - not sure how you could proof a gun without actually firing a cartridge in it.

Here in the CIP nations, we cannot buy a chambered barrel without having authorisation to do so. That also is LAW everywhere.

If you live in the USA and change your barrel for another one, nobody over here would give two hoots, it's your gun, and you do what you like because you CAN do it without recourse to a gunsmith of getting any kind of permission. Heck, you can build your own entire rifle without asking anybody's permission.

Here, we can't.

...and that's the way it is, as Larry Middleton would say.

Very interesting; several things I never knew or even thought of.

As you say, here anyone with a little knowledge and a few simple tools can—and may—barrel or rebarrel an AR type rifle. The fact that some of our more advanced shooters can and do rebarrel their precision bolt action rifles is what prompted my thinking about all this, along with your previous comments about the laws abroad.

And your mention of gunsmiths in CIP countries reminded of another question I’ve had for a long time. Here, in most jurisdictions at least, a “gunsmith” is someone who works on guns. That makes me and countless other nonprofessionals gunsmiths. I have heard (IIRC) that some places require anyone who makes money by working on guns to be licensed in some way (other than having an FFL, which is not what I’m referring to). Whether that requires demonstrating some level of knowledge and skill, I don’t know; perhaps it’s nothing more than a specialized business license.

But what about in CIP countries? Can you tell us what professional and legal requirements must be met before someone can call herself a “gunsmith” and do things like sending barreled actions off to be reproofed?