Almost all imported black powder replica revolvers are stamped with a variety of markings which may include Italian, Belgian, German, Spanish or other Proof House symbols, manufacturer's symbols, and an encoded date of proof, also considered the date of manufacture. It is usually a combination of heraldry and letters or logos, which need to be decoded in order to determine the actual manufacturer of the reproduction. It is also these maker marks and proofmarks, especially manufacturer symbols/logos that give us a history of the firearm. And with these symbols and date codes, we can usually track down who actually made the firearm. Importer marks or distributor marks are also present on some reproductions and can make it even more difficult to determine the actual manufacturer.

Until 1968, US law did not require manufacturers to have their mark on guns. This is why a certain number of revolvers produced prior to 1968 bear only the mark of the importer. The importation of weapons prior to 1968 was not very well regulated at all, but after 1968, many small shops saw its rules harden with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which had a profound effect on firearms imported into the United States. This quickly led to the collapse of many small companies like EIG Cutlery and many others. In some cases the importation was was taken over by new names under the same owner like FIE, which put on the market even cheaper weapons, but of lower quality, which allowed it to last until the dawn of the 1990s and into the 21st century.

During the heyday of the replica revolver industry, there was a great deal more sharing of parts among the Italian manufacturers than there is today. During the 1960’s, 1970’s, and into the early 1980’s there was a bonanza market for these replica revolvers. The major manufacturers could not meet the demand and American distributors wanted more of and different models of what were being produced.

There were a good many very small “family shops” in the Gardone, Brescia area of Italy like MOFRA and others. It is becoming apparent that the major manufacturers used these shops as sub-contractors as a source of parts as well as complete revolvers for those distributors seeking cheaper and cheaper guns. The well known manufacturers did not want their name and reputation on a cheaper firearm, so these were sub-contracted out. These small manufacturers started with supplying only parts and then evolved into completed guns.

It is possible that some of these shops did not have an Italian firearms manufacturer’s license and could not sell their products direct, so they were sold through other manufacturers who had a license to manufacturer. As a result, we have a group of markings appearing on replica revolvers that have taken a long time to be identified because of the special conditions in the market at that time. There is a complete lack of many records, but with the assistance of many replica collectors from around the world, and especially in France, Germany and Italy, IO have been able to identify many of these makers and distributors. Some of these markings are COM, the Double Diamond Logo, PR, MOFRA and others as found on the Makers and Importers page of this web site.