Newsgroup: it.hobby.armi.moderato
Titolo: punzoni Berthier 1907/15

Cosa significano i punzoni N (sopra la camera di cartuccia) e ST (sul lato
sx sopra alla matricola)?
Grazie


 Here is a listing of the different codes, letters, numbers and such as 
found on Lebels and Berthier Rifle and Carbine and what they mean.
On the left side of the barrel of these weapons is found the serial number 
that is preceded by a letter prefix which is in cursive script. Each of the 
different Manufacture Nationale de Armes were issued different letters for 
the blocks of firearms made by that armory. Once a block of numbers was used 
they moved on to the next letter and so forth. Once the manufacturer got to 
the last letter block assigned to them they started back with the first 
letter but added a second letter to it starting with the letter A.
French firearms were produced in blocks of 100,000 each.
Here is the list of the different letters used by the different Manufactures 
on Lebels and Berthiers ...
1. Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) ... A,B,C,D,E
2. Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Saint Etienne (MAS) ... 
F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,Q
3. Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) ... R,S,T,U,V
(The later manufacturers and or barrel producers ... see below ... were 
usually given letters in Block Letters but they also used cursive script 
letters as well)
Right above the serial number is either a one or two letter code that shows 
who provided the steel for the barrel, this is called the "pourvoyeur de 
acier".
We do know that steel was provided by private firms, but the state 
supervised the manufacture of all the material made for it. ... This service 
is called the "inspection des forges" and is centered in Paris. The country 
was divided in five districts, each of which had a "sous inspection des 
forges",
namely:-
Nord located at Méziéres
L'Ouest located at Rennes
L'Est located at Besançon
Centre located at Nevers
Midi located at Toulouse
Here is a listing of some of the different steel suppliers that i have 
acquired so far, but research is needed in the different codes used by these 
suppliers ...
Le Creusot
Jeumont
Montluçon
St.Chamond, Rive-de-Gier (Marrel Frères)
Ferminy
Unieux (Holtzer et Cie) ... HC
Chambon-Feugerolles (Claudinon et Cie) ... CC
Schneider-Canet ... SC
Thionville
Other letters i have seen are AB, CD, CN, FV, JH, LP, and ST
Next to the steel suppliers are two codes that are in circles, the first is 
the Arsenal Directors code, which showed who was in charge of that Arsenal 
when the barrel was made and the other is the Final Inspectors or Principal 
Arms Controller (Controleur) code for that particular Arsenal.
Here is a list of the French Supervising Officers in charge of Manufacture 
d'Armes de Saint Etienne (MAS) along with dates that they were in charge of 
the armory ...
Commandant Briand ... 1856-1862
Lt.Col. Jouffray ... 1862-1866
Col. Boigeol ... 1866-1873
Col. Maignien ... 1873-1891
Col. Percin ... 1891-1894
Lt.Col. Mourret ... 1894-1897
Lt.Col. Souffray ... 1897-1900
Col. Lefebvre ... 1900-1907
Col. Verneuil ... 1907-1912
Col. Chatain ... 1912-1915
Col. Anus ... 1915
Lt.Col. Charpy ... 1915-1918
Col.Stegens ... 1918-1924
Lt.Col. Berne ... 1924-1926
Gen. Gressier ... 1926-1934
Final Inspectors or Principal Arms Controller's for MAS
Col. Robert ... 1882-1891 What is interesting is Colonel Robert was not an 
Arsenal Director but a final inspector and principal arms controller at the 
arsenal during the years 1882 to 1891, but his stamp appears quite often in 
place of the Arsenal Directors, which makes me believe he was more of 
influence on supervision of the Arsenal than a normal arms controller would 
have been.
Controleur Tournier ... I have dates of 1882, 1884 and 1889
Controleur Jeuffroy ... I have a date of 1875 on him only, but he could well 
been around at MAS after Lebel production.
{I am still trying to research the Supervising Officers and Final Inspectors 
or Principal Arms Controllers for both Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de 
Châtellerault (MAC) and Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT)}
On the right side of the barrel is found a three letter code that shows who 
made the barrel and the date the barrel was made.
Here is a listing of the different manufactures of the barrels ...
1. Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Saint Etienne .... MAS
2. Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault .... MAC
3. Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle .... MAT
4. Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Paris au Saint Denis .... MAP
(This manufacturer was a subsidiary of Fabrique National d'Armes de Guerre 
(FN) au Belgique)
5. Établissement Delaunay-Belleville .... EDB
6. Manufacture Parisienne d'Armes et de Mécanique Générale .... MPA
7. Remington Arms Corporation ... RAC
If you find an N after the barrel date that signifies the barrel was 
re-bored instead of bieng replaced. (This is not the N's that are stamped on 
top of the barrel or receiver ring, those are to signify that the weapon was 
altered to fire the Cartouche Mle.1932 or commonly called Balle N after its 
introduction in 1932)
Ciao Franz

 Ciao Franz
Molto esauriente.Grazie