Does it mean the whole rifle succesfully passed a firing test, just the barrel, or something else?

They loaded that sucker up hot and let er rip, and she survived.

My understanding is that they fired each and every gun, and that stamp came after.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/medium/62810.jpg

Many thanks Kiwi !!

Very cool find! Thanks for sharing!

Yet another reason for my liking of hanging out here.

Ok, now that it is established that the SP indicates that the rifle was tested, what da ya say we wrangle over whether or not the SP stands for "steel proof" or "savage proof"?

Not sure if it's the same with Savage, but the superposed Winchester WP is the definitive Winchester Proof mark....

two phrases there, not one.

"HI-PRESSURE STEEL"
"PROOF TESTED"

So "SAVAGE PROOFED" still applies in my mind. If not, explain the SAP the used for a while.

Ok ok, Savage Proof it is.

Great addition to the files - thanks Graham.

Boy, there would be a job that would try my love of shooting- proof testing rifles 8 hours a day, day in and day out. I wonder if Savage did the firing at the factory or trucked them to an off-site facility? I don't suppose they gave them a cursory accuracy test, did they?

I saw a pic of the test firing shack belonging to the Springfield Armory, a few miles outside of town, where they tested each M1903 Rifle for function and accuracy. It was a long enclosed room with many benches and shooting ports. The floor was literally ankle deep in spent cartridges. The story was that the employees who did the testing (none of whom displayed evidence of hearing and eye protection in the pic, and who did this all day every day) had formed an after-hours club where they got together on Saturday's at a local shooting club and, you guessed it, engaged in target shooting. Jaysus, those guys were beasts!!

I have been led to understand that there was a building, at least in Utica where they test fired/proof tested the firearms. On the right side of the picture between the chimneys and the building, you can see where there was a foundation to a long rectangular structure. Just a gray line in the snow. Supposedly that is where it was done.

Pretty sure I've seen a picture of a guy standing in front of the test firing area in one of those magazine articles about how Savage 99's were made.

Someday I'll organize my stuff to make it easy to search. Ha ha ha ha ha..

Here is an article mentioning testing from 1909, it suggest at that time it was done in the same building as final assembly - from the fourth floor .. "they are then taken by elevator to the shooting gallery....".



Here are some later pictures of the plant that still show the building that is now gone and it does appear to have four floors, I do not know which buildings would have been there in 1909.

Great read, Gene. Thank you for sharing.

Indeed.

I would beg for a chance to watch that Adriance Machine Works machining center chew out a receiver from a chunk of steel.

great stuff and info guys ,,keep it up.

norm

That long low building next to Bleecker St. is where the testing took place to my understanding.

Since the U.S. has no proofing houses (as in England, France, Germany and other European countries), most U.S. manufacturers voluntarily proof their firearms with a specifed style of proofmark (i.e. the interlocked ©WPª synonymous with the Winchester trademark can be fired using modern smokeless powder) shell

I do agree, some great info here, thats why I keep checking in each day
Cheers

BANG!
The Springfield 1903 - William Brophy

Great info! The next time I go to Cody I'll take this article along to look at when I visit the Savage factory display. David