Mystery icons?

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Oquirrh

New member
I have a Navy Arms revolver from 1979. the only stamps I can find that seem to be manufacturers' marks, don't match anything I can find in the Dennis Adler article on proofmarks.
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Any help appreciated.
 
Pietta mfg - the FAP in a diamond, which is in Adler's paper, by the way. The other cartouche is Navy Arms, the importer/distributor.
 
Are you certain it is a Navy Arms gun? AFAIK, Navy Arms (at least at that time) always had their guns made by Uberti, and my three all have the Uberti trademark as well as the Italian black powder "PN" proof marks*. The second picture shows a trademark used by Replica Arms, not Navy Arms.

Note that absence of Italian proofs indicates the gun was not assembled in Italy. If the parts were made in Italy and assembled elsewhere, the gun was not proved in Italy so there are no proof marks.

*In most proof marks, an "N" means Nitro (smokeless) powder, but in Italian, the "PN" means "polvere nera", or black powder.

Jim
 
I can see it now...

You're right about the FAP being in Adler, but his example and the one's I've seen before aren't so florid. It's FAP in block letters.

I never saw the Navy icon before... It looks like a pistol or rifle sight under breaking waves?
 
Are you certain it is a Navy Arms gun? AFAIK, Navy Arms (at least at that time) always had their guns made by Uberti, and my three all have the Uberti trademark as well as the Italian black powder "PN" proof marks*. The second picture shows a trademark used by Replica Arms, not Navy Arms.

Note that absence of Italian proofs indicates the gun was not assembled in Italy. If the parts were made in Italy and assembled elsewhere, the gun was not proved in Italy so there are no proof marks.
Click to expand...

Pietta did make guns for Navy Arms. I offer as evidence my own 1851 Navy:
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Apologies for the quality of the pictures; I did not have time to set up a good photo session. However, I think it's clear that my gun. manufactured in 1977, is a Pietta marketed by Navy Arms. Also, note the cartouche on the right side of the box; that's the reason I said the cartouche stood for Navy Arms. However, you are correct, it is a Replica Arms mark; Navy Arms bought Replica Arms, I believe, and for a while they sold guns under either mark. While it's obvious that was the case in 1977, I do not know the status of that arrangement in 1979.

As for the Italian proof marks on the OP's gun, I don't think we can say they are absent; we don't have pictures of all the places the marks are often found. It's clearly a Pietta, and Piettas are made in Italy, so I suspect the marks are there somewhere. AFIK, Replica Arms was an importer and distributor and did not assemble guns from parts made in Italy; I'm not sure about that however.
 
the usual italian proof marks are there...

i just didn't include fotos of them because I knew them for what they are. The pistol has 'Navy Arms Co. Ridgefield N.J.' on top of the barrel.

BTW, i was delighted with the fotos I took, considering I shot through an eye loupe. Digital cameras are amazing.
 
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