Navy Arms - Le Mat - UNMARKED

[johnh]

I have a Navy Arms Le Mat I am going to sell, and on looking at it closely it has no proofmarks, no BP warning, and no Italy marking. Only Col. Le Mat on top, and Navy Arms on the side. The serial number is 254. Were some of these made or assembled in the US having no Italian proofs or or marking?

 

[rafterob]

Some had minimal point of origin proof marks but not a lot of extraneous language. But the fact you find no proof marks tells me it has been defarbed.

 

[johnh]

The gun is unfired and in new condition. On close inspection, no markings have been removed.

 

[hawkeye2]

Interesting, if it had been defarbed why didn't they remove the Navy Arms marking too?

 

[johnh]

That is the point, it has not been defarbed. Perhaps some were assembled in the US, like 2nd generation Colt black powders.

 

[hawkeye2]

If so I have never heard of it being done with Le Mats and I can't imagine Navy Arms bothering to do so.

 

[johnh]

That is why I posed the question. It is in new condition and has no foreign markings of any type.

 

[Phil Coffins]

If it was defarbed by a skillful person that didn’t want to have it misstaken for an original then the Navy Arms and no other mark or signs of marks is very possible. Reblued and re color case hardening is done by many and even I will remove a lot of the extra markings to clean up a replica. Note that the proof marks on the receiver have been removed on this one before I recased it just because it wasn’t very nice looking Any builder will try to do the same.
1848 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[johnh]

I bought it from an elderly man who bought it new and does not shoot his guns.

 

[johnh]

Pictures

 

[johnh]

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