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Final Steps

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Upon completion of the assembly process, the firearm is tested before being shipped. Proof testing, test firing, or both, are performed on the assembled firearm.

Proof Testing

Most major gunmakers use proof testing to stress test their products. Special proof ammunition is loaded to pressures 30-40 percent higher than the most powerful commercial ammunition. One or more of these cartridges is fired in each firearm. The maker stamps the firearm to indicate proof testing was conducted.

Click here to watch a video on completed rifles being proof tested

Video courtesy of Savage Arms

SAAMI Logo

In the United States, members of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ CIP LogoInstitute Inc. (SAAMI) perform proof testing to comply with voluntary guidelines. In most other countries, firearms proof is the role of a government agency called a proof house. Each country has its own rules of proof; most follow the standards of the European Commission Internationale Permanente (CIP).

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