Savage 1899 “P”

[MrBojangles]

What does the P designation on a factory letter mean?

[MrBojangles]

Anyone?

Or maybe there’s a table of all the letter codes for the Model 1899?

[CalhounRR]

What does the P designation on a factory letter mean?

It's unknown. Ledger entries with a P on the line start showing up in the early 1910's, and by 1920 are on the large majority of lines.

They disappear in either 1921 or early 1922 from ledger pages.

My personal thought is that it means the rifle was "P"roofed - or proof fired. The SP (SAP on a few) stamp on the barrel for proofing started showing up in late 1920, so near when the P entries stopped. But without any formal confirmation of what it means, Cody will just continue reporting that there's a P on the line.

PS: It shows up on multiple firearm ledgers, not just the Savage 1899.

[MrBojangles]

It's unknown. Ledger entries with a P on the line start showing up in the early 1910's, and by 1920 are on the large majority of lines.

They disappear in either 1921 or early 1922 from ledger pages.

My personal thought is that it means the rifle was "P"roofed - or proof fired. The SP (SAP on a few) stamp on the barrel for proofing started showing up in late 1920, so near when the P entries stopped. But without any formal confirmation of what it means, Cody will just continue reporting that there's a P on the line.

PS: It shows up on multiple firearm ledgers, not just the Savage 1899.

THANK YOU for this detailed response. I couldn’t find anything anywhere.