Tips for completing the self-audit

There is a number of pieces of information that you will be asked for in the self-audit. This guide will help you to provide the correct information.

Make, manufacture and modelThere are many makes and models of firearms and while the reference database is comprehensive used in the self-audit, there are a small number of firearms that will not be able to be identified by make, manufacture and model due to the firearm not having any of these markings. If the firearm you are auditing fits this criteria then contact SAPOL Firearms Branch for assistance. Firearms Branch can be contacted on either telephone 7322 3346 or Sapol.FirearmsSelfAudit@police.sa.gov.au

Safety First Before inspecting a firearm please ensure the firearm is unloaded and safe to handle.

Searching the self-audit dataThe data contained within the self-audit has been compiled from industry catalogues, firearm publications, the manufacturer’s website and the physical inspection of many firearms commonly held within our community.

In many cases the make and manufacture names have been combined to help identify where a firearm was manufactured. For example the Winchester Model 94 lever action rifle was manufactured in the USA and post 2006 is now manufactured by Miroku in Japan. All USA manufactured Winchester firearms will be recorded under the make name of ‘Winchester USA’, and those made in Japan will be using the make name of ‘Winchester Miroku’. Additionally there are 18 international manufacturers of ‘Winchester’ products. It is important to read the importer markings on the firearm before selecting the appropriate make and model.

Tips for performing a search in the self-audit formIf a search is conducted for a Winchester Model 94 rifle for example which has been identified as made in the USA, then search by ‘Winchester USA 94’ for the information to be retrieved. A short cut in the search field can be utilised by typing ‘USA 94’ as shown in the screen shot below.

Similarly, ‘oku 1894’ can be used as a short cut for Winchester Miroku firearm to retrieve Japanese manufactured model 1894 rifles.

If the manufacturer’s name is the name of a person, then use the surname first followed by the person’s first name. For example Joseph Wilson, manufacturer of Birmingham England should be entered as Wilson Joseph. This way the numerous firearm manufacturers with the same surname can be easily compared to assist in identification.

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Tips for completing the self-audit

Country of manufactureKnowing the country of manufacture is a good indicator that will assist in identifying which company manufactured the firearm. There are examples where the manufacturer’s brand name has not changed, however the name of the country in which the firearm was made has changed. This will mean individual makes will be marked with country names that may vary. For example, CZ-UB firearms are marked with Czechoslovakia and those firearms manufactured after 1993 are then marked with Czech Republic. Baikal (Izhevsky Mechanichesky Zavod) are marked as either made in the USSR or the Russian Federation.

ChamberingSelect from the drop down box the cartridge designation for which the firearm is chambered. If the firearm is of a modular nature please detail in the notes area of the form of any extra barrels that are associated with the firearm. Industry reference material has been used in the compilation of the cartridge drop down list, including the Blue Books ‘Ammo Encyclopaedia’, and the USA based Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI). Custom (wildcat) cartridges in most cases have not been included in the cartridge listing. If a cartridge cannot be identified from the drop down list please include a description of the cartridge as free text in the Chambering field including rim-fire, centre-fire etc.

Make and manufacturerWith the globilsation of the firearm industry it is now common practice to have firearms manufactured in all parts of the world, and still marketed as produced and identified by the original manufacturer’s name.

The common make name applied to many firearms manufactured in recent times no longer will automatically identify the manufacturer of the firearm. Please take the time to assess where the firearm was made and by whom. Below are some examples of these variations.

Winchester USA is a prime example of manufacturing diversity with products branded as Winchester manufactured in Japan, Turkey, USSR, Belgium, Portugal, China, Italy and Canada.

Weatherby rifle identification will rely heavily on observing markings on the firearm, especially the serial number prefix. Weatherby rifles have been manufactured by multiple international facilities, with the most recent being the Howa Machinery Co of Japan. The publication Weatherby – The Man. The Gun. The Legend. by Grits and Tom Gresham is the reference to identify the early production of Weatherby firearms.

The table below indicates the serial number format for more recent centrefire variations.

Centre-fire Model Manufacturer Country Serial Number Prefix

Mark V Sauer J P Germany S

Mark V Sauer J P Germany P

Mark V Howa Japan S

Mark V Howa Japan H

Mark V Howa Japan M

Mark V Howa Japan OL

Mark V Howa Japan AS

Mark V Howa Japan C

Mark V Howa Japan AB

Vanguard Howa Japan V

Vanguard VGX Howa Japan VX

Vanguard VGL Howa Japan VL

Vanguard Fibreguard Howa Japan VL

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Tips for completing the self-audit

Centre-fire Model Manufacturer Country Serial Number Prefix

Vanguard Weatherguard Howa Japan VL

Vanguard Classic II Howa Japan VX

Vanguard Classic II Howa Japan VB

Vanguard Classic I Howa Japan VL

VGL Howa Japan VL

Vanguard Howa Japan W

Vanguard Howa Japan VS

Vanguard Howa Japan V

Vanguard Howa Japan Y

Mark V Howa Japan PM

Mark V USA WB

Mark V USA PB

Mark V USA SS

Mark V USA SB

Mark V USA BP

Mark V USA BW

Mark V USA SW

Sporting Arms Co (Sportco) of Adelaide firearms are marked Sportco. After the take-over by Omark Industries firearms were marked Sportco, but also marked with Made by Omark. Some Sportco models were produced under the two manufacturers (such as the Model 62S) which may result in different markings on the barrel of the same model. The drop down make list will have ‘Sportco’ and ‘Sportco Omark’ - please choose the correct make name.

Pre-war Walther firearms were often marked with the town names of ‘Zella-Mehlis’, and those post World War II are geographically marked with Walther Ulm/Do (City of Ulm on the Danube River).

German manufacturer codes on military firearmsPost 1936 German firearm manufacturers of military firearms and equipment were obliged to place upon the firearm a code supplied by government and not put their commercial name on the firearm or equipment. If the firearm has an ‘ac’, ‘byf’ or similar code, search for the ‘code’ in the drop down list. The code represents the actual manufacturer of the firearm, and the manufacturer’s name will not be located on the firearm.

The self-audit will recognise that code and provide the appropriate name into the manufacturer field. For example a German Model P-38 9x19MM military contract pistol made by Walther Zella Mehlis will be marked with an ‘ac’ code on the frame and slide. An Austrian manufactured K98k rifle made by Steyr (Austria) under Nazi rule will have a code such as ‘bnz’ stamped upon the receiver. Search for these codes in the drop down list.

ModelIn recent years manufacturers marked only the base model on the firearm, however advertised and sold cosmetic variations of that base model. Many of these firearms do not have the model variation name marked on the firearm, only a reference to the base model. Many of these base model names can only be seen stamped upon the barrel, which if removed and replaced with any after-market product, the firearm serial number stamped upon the receiver becomes the only reference point to the firearm’s original genre.

If the firearm is unable to be identified by a model name from the drop down box then please include information in the notes field.

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Tips for completing the self-audit

Break action shotgunsMany break action shotguns are manufactured without a model name applied to the frame or barrels. If the shotgun model can’t be identified then the following is accepted terminology which has been included in the drop down box to standardise recording:

• Field Hammer Gun• Field Hammerless• Superposed• Single Field Hammer• Single Field Hammerless.

Serial numberThe factory applied serial number is the primary identifier by which a firearm is registered. Firearms of all make and models have been found to have the same serial number. The inclusion of other accurate descriptors relevant to the firearm will identify the firearm from all others. The serial number should be predominantly applied by the factory to the firearm frame or receiver, however some factory serial numbers are applied to the barrel (such as those made by the Sporting Arms Co of Adelaide).

Record the details of the factory serial number (in full) which appears on the frame or receiver. Some ex-military firearms such as the Lithgow SMLE No1 MK III rifles may have different numbers stamped upon the receiver. Please record the number by which the firearm is registered, being careful to observe any prefixes in front of the digits.

In the case of some semi-automatic pistols the serial number may be also marked upon the barrel and slide assembly. Regardless of what the number is on those two components, the audit requires the factory frame serial number.

The serial number should be recorded with any prefix or suffix as seen on the firearm. Spanish firearms post manufacture circa 1992 have a long factory serial number which encompasses a date/manufacture/action type code within the serial number. Late model Norinco (Puma) rifles also have followed this process. Any other symbol which is visible and obviously part of the serial number, record this in the ‘other information’ field on the self-audit form.

AbbreviationsThe common use of abbreviations results in the deterioration of firearm data quality. These have been included in the self-audit process only to enable you to quickly identify a particular model variation:

• DBM - Detachable Box Magazine (including drum magazines)• IBM - Integral Box Magazine• TMF - Tube Magazine Front• TMR - Tube Magazine Rear• BLT - Belt Fed• CLP - Clip (Carcano style and M1 Garand)• LH - Left Hand Action• PN - Percussion• FL - Flintlock.

Detachable box magazinesIf the firearm has a detachable box magazine (DBM) (either factory or after-market) please select that model variation. For instance a Remington 700 rifle fitted with a DBM will appear as 700 DBM. It is acknowledged that there are after-market kits which can convert a firearm with an integral box magazine to a detachable box magazine. If the firearm has been registered with information of the magazine capacity reflecting the DBM feature, then please choose the appropriate model with DBM included.

Left hand actionsIf the firearm has a factory left hand action then please select the appropriate model with the LH included i.e. Remington 700 LH. The lever action, pump action and superposed firearms in all but exceptional cases are not recognised as having a left hand action.

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