Note that a gun’s date code is different than its serial number. It’s impossible to decode a SIG serial number to determine when it was proofed, although you can try to locate the range of your SIG’s serial number in this list to approximate when it was made, or call SIG Sauer with the serial number and see if they have any info in their.
Sauer Model by Ed Buffaloe and Stefan Klein
The city of Suhl was first mentioned in documents in the year 1318. It is located in Thuringia, Germany, and is famous for its long tradition of weapon manufacturing. Firearms were first produced there around 1500. It is reported that in the beginning of the 17th century the SAUER family moved from Nuremberg to Suhl and founded their gunsmith business. The family has continued to work in Suhl ever since.
Johann Paul Sauer was born in 1720 and started the gun business in 1751. J.P.Sauer, Jr. was born circa 1755, and his son Franz Sauer was born circa 1790. Franz had 2 sons, Rudolf (born circa 1839) and Franz Jr. (born 1840). Franz Jr. had 2 sons: Hans (born 1875) was a former technical director and died in the Sachsenhausen prison camp in early 1945. Rolf (Rudolf) was born in September 1882 and died in January 1972. He was the former sales director of the firm in Suhl. Rolf had 3 children: Franz Joachim, Gisela, and Dietrich Rudolf.
In 1811 Sauer became the first company ever to produce firearms for the German military. Because of this, a new facility was begun in 1837 and completed a year later. By 1858 two hundred people were employed by Sauer. During the wars of 1864-66 as well as 1870-71 the production of military rifles was increasingly important, and another new facility was completed prior to 1871 when Sauer was called upon to help Mauser produce the Modell 71 military rifle. Later the gun was modified and designated the Model 71/84. In 1880 Sauer & Sohn also began production of high quality hunting rifles, which became well known very quickly and are still highly sought-after today.
By 1900, Sauer & Sohn had also gained considerable experience in revolver manufacture, having received two revolver contracts, in conjunction with C.G. Haenel in the first instance and with V.C.Schilling in the second. These pistols were known as the Reichs revolvers. But with the growing market for self-loading pistols, Sauer had to catch up. First they produced the Bär -Pistol under license from Burkhard Behr. It is a double barrel pistol having a flat rotating block with four chambers. By pulling the trigger the first two rounds can be fired, after which the block must be turned manually before the next two rounds can be fired . The pistol appeared in catalogs in 1910 but was not very popular, partly because it wasn’t very practical, but also due to competition from FN, Mauser, and other companies that were making self- loading pistols.
With a preparation time of two years the first Sauer self-loading pistol in .32 ACP was released in 1913, having been designed by Sauer’s chief engineer, Fritz Zehner. The Model 1913 was of very high quality manufacture and gained an early reputation for reliability. During the production period from 1913 to 1929 the gun was modified twice (see below for details).
In 1920 Sauer introduced a 6.35mm (.25 ACP) version of the Model 1913 which was designated the Model 1919. Three variants of the Model 1919 are known. In 1926 Sauer introduced the Model 1926 Export pistol, which was an improved Model 13. The Model 1926 was finished quite beautifully and the majority were exported to the U.S. Como hackear blitz brigade para pc windows 10. Only a few thousand were made, making it a very desirable pistol. Due to competition from the Walther Model 8 and Model 9, Sauer was also forced to produce vest pocket pistols, which are known as the Model 1920, 1928 and 1933. These models are not covered in this article.
This article will focus on the Model 1913 and its successors, the Models 1919, Model 1926 (which is a variant of the Model 1913), the Model 1930 and the Behördenmodell 1930.
Related Patents and Utility Models
Sauer & Sohn had several patents and utility models on the Model 1913 and its successors.
There were five Gebrauchsmuster (DRGM) utility models filed for the Model 13, as follows:
Chief designer Fritz Zehner may have been influenced by the design of the Savage Pistol, which can be recognized in the overall shape of the Model 1913 and in its concentric recoil spring and separate breech block assembly. However the Sauer is a totally different gun, with a fixed barrel and unique lockwork. The Model 1913 guns, all the way through to the 1930 Behördenmodel, have a tubular slide, the forward portion of which encloses a fixed barrel with a concentric recoil spring. A separate breech block fits into the rear of the tube and is held in place by screw cap.
The vast majority of the Model 1913 display the following slide inscriptions in italic capital letters.
Right or left side: CAL. 7,65
Opposite side: PATENT Top: J.P. SAUER & SOHN, SUHL. followed by the trademark of the S&S company: an oval with a wild man holding a mace or club.
However, there were variations. Through at least serial number 4282 guns intended for export to English-speaking countries were marked on top of the slide: J.P. SAUER & SON, SUHL, PRUSSIA.
The serial number of the Model 1913 is stamped on the left side of the frame above the grip plate. The earliest grips are of checkered horn, with a diamond in the center where the grip screw is located. This style soon gave way to hard rubber grips with the S&S monogram in an oval at the top. Later grips were made of bakelite and show a stylized S&S monogram in an oval in the center of the plates. The grip plates are held on by crossbars at the back, so that one need only turn the grip screw 90° to remove the plate (similar to the Model 1900 FN Browning). Magazine capacity is seven rounds. The magazine has two cut-outs on each side and has the inscription “S&S. 7,65” on the bottom of the left side. Later magazines have the same cut-outs but have an inscription at the bottom of the magazine which reads “S&S. Cal. 7,65.”
7.65mm Sauer Pistols
There are three known variants of the Model 1913 which have minor differences.
Model 1913, Variant 1 – serial number 1 – 5000, with some transitional pistols noted in the 5000 to 8700 range.
Disconnection is accomplished through the design of the trigger and connector interface. The trigger is essentially disconnected from the connector as soon as the gun is fired. The connector rides up over the top of a projection on the rear of the trigger when there is no forward tension from the striker spring, leaving the trigger slack.
The slide latch is located in the upper part of the trigger guard, and is an extension of the trigger, such that if the slide is locked open one need only pull the trigger to release the slide. The fixed barrel has a two-pronged cartridge guide protruding from the top of the chamber.
Most first variant guns do not have a separate rear sight as do later variants. Instead the breech block screw cap has a V- shaped notch which serves as the rear sight. The screw cap is secured in position by a spring-loaded pin built into rear of the breech block, which fits into a hole in the back of the cap when it is screwed all the way in. The cap has serrations on its sides; the serrations do not extend onto the slide of the pistol. Somewhere near serial number 4991 a separate rear sight was added in the form of a flat spring with the sight on the end, which also serves to hold the rear cap in position. Some earlier guns were converted to the new rear sight arrangement, and may still have the original screw cap with the groove and hole in the rear.
The first variant is primarily distinguished by a magazine safety with a release button on the left side just behind the trigger. Removing the magazine causes the safety button to pop up, locking the action. Even when a new magazine is inserted the trigger remains locked. To deactivate the safety, the magazine safety button must be depressed. Obviously, this was overkill, and the magazine safety was quickly eliminated. The manual safety locks the trigger only, preventing it from engaging the connector bar/sear.
The early guns have no markings for the safety lever positions. Down is the safe position. The thumb grip portion of the safety lever is checkered. The grip plates are plain checkered hard rubber, squared at the bottom and rounded at the top, with only a tiny half-moon cutout for the safety lever on the left side. Like the 1900 Browning, the magazine is released by squeezing the magazine release on the bottom of the grip toward the front of the gun, rather than to the rear.
Transitional pistols have the old frame with the magazine safety button, but have the new slide with the flat spring rear sight (described below) and the new style grips.
Model 1913, Variant 2 – serial number approximately 5000 (with transitional pistols noted in the 5000 to 8700 range) – 90000 approximately
The magazine safety was eliminated and the rear sight was improved. Instead of the V-shaped notch the gun has a flat spring on top, the rear portion of which forms the rear sight and also secures the breech cap. (This flat spring latch and sight is reminiscent of the sight for the Bär pistol, which also served as the release for the rotating block. The hole in the rear of the screw cap is eliminated. The gun continues to have serrations only on the sides of the screw cap, and not on the slide. There is an “S” beneath the safety lever to indicate the gun is safe when the lever is down. The thumb grip portion of the safety lever has circular grooves through at least serial number 32121. The circular grooves are replaced by checkering by at least serial number 36790. The hard rubber grip plates are only slightly rounded at the top, with a distinct cutout at the upper left corner to accommodate the motion of the manual safety lever, and the S&S monogram in an elongated oval at the top.
Model 1913, Variant 3 – serial number 90000 – 160900 approximately
The efficacy of safety levers on automatic pistols was becoming a topic of discussion in this time-period. Since the safety lever on the earlier 1913 Sauer pistols only blocked the trigger, if the gun were dropped inertial motion could still cause the gun to fire. Sauer decided to address this problem by placing an additional spring-loaded lever beneath the existing manual safety lever. When the safety lever is moved down, it presses the additional lever into a slot cut in the left side of the connector/sear, effectively locking it. Now, if the gun is dropped, it cannot fire. This was called the Zusatzsicherung, which means “additional safety.” Some of the guns between serial numbers 128500 and 130800 are marked in English for export. The hard rubber grip plates are again only slightly rounded at the top. The S&S monogram is now in a vertical oval filling the upper half of the grip plate.
Model 1926(Export Modell) – serial number 161000 – 171400 approximately
This gun was originally called the Export Model, and only later named the Model 1926. In 1926 the safety lever was provided with a nose which is used to lock the slide in its rear position. The slide catch in the trigger guard is eliminated (as the slide is now held open by the nose of the safety lever). The Zusatzsicherung is retained, and the internal lockwork is identical to the Model 1913, Variant 3. The frame retains the square-cut grip of the Model 1913, however the trigger guard is now oval shaped, rather than round, and its bottom runs parallel with the slide. The serrations extend from the screw cap onto the slide. The old-style magazine is retained, so the Model 1926 has magazine interchangeability with the Model 1913. The earliest Model 1926 guns had grips like the Model 1913 variant 3, but later the hard rubber grips show the word “Sauer” in a rectangle at the top and “Cal. 7,65” in a rectangle at the bottom. Only about 10,000 of these guns were made, making this model relatively rare. There is some crossover of serial numbers between the Model 1926 and the Model 1930.The Models 1926, 1929, and 1930 may all be considered transition models between the original 1913 design and the ultimate Behördenmodel. The Dutch were instrumental in driving some of the changes that were
Sig P229 Serial Number LookupWilddieberei und Forstermorde, as translated by Krause: ‘The well known firearms company Sauer & Sohn in Suhl has developed on my suggestion a new automatic pistol Cal. 7,65mm with a trigger-lock safety, a magazine safety and a triggerbar safety which will be placed on the market in the near future. It will be known as the “Behördenmodell” and will fulfill the requirements of the present period.’ Busdorf was concerned with providing a safe and reliable handgun for the Prussian forest rangers or game wardens. With the post-war German economy in desperate straights, poaching of game was a serious problem and a number of land-owners and game wardens were murdered while trying to interdict poachers.
Model 1929 Dutch
Model 1930 – serial number approximately 163000 (interspersed with the '26 Export, ‘29 Dutch, etc.) – 200700
Behördenmodell – serial number 200700 - approximately 232000
Early versions of the Behördenmodell have a breech block almost identical with that of the Model 1913, but with a single-prong fixed cartridge guide on top (instead of double prong) to help guide the cartridge into the chamber. The patent drawing for the Behördenmodell shows a cocking indicator--we suspect the early guns had the cocking indicator, but that it was eliminated when the cartridge guide was redesigned. Please write to us if you can verify this.* Later versions have a moveable cartridge guide in the breech block. Two different shapes of moveable cartridge guide were used, as Sauer engineers worked to perfect the cartridge feed. The moveable cartridge guide was connected to a pin at the rear, such that when there was a cartridge in the chamber it moved the pin backward so that it protruded from the rear of the breech cap, serving as a true loaded chamber indicator.
Sauer Shotgun Serial Numbers
Early Behördenmodell pistols have the same polished slide with the inscription on top as the Model 1913, but later the top of the frame is lightly grooved to reduce glare, and hence the top inscrition is moved to the left side of the slide.
There are a few aluminium frame and slide models known; we have noted several stamped on the right or left side ORIGINAL DURALUMIN. The two variations of this model are anodized (black) and non-annodized (brightly polished) Duralumin. These few pistols represent one of the rarest variations of all Sauer production pistols.
The Behördenmodell 1930 can be found up to serial number 230000 (highest number known 227700). Between 225744 and 230796 there was a production gap. After 220000 some Behördenmodell 1930 can be found without the trigger safety. These late guns are somewhat similar to the Model 1930 but have the separate sear as well as the loaded chamber indicator.
Model 1919, Variant 1 – serial number 1-30200
This model looks like and has the same features as the Model 1913 Variant 2, but is downsized and is chambered for the 6.35mm Browning cartridge (.25 caliber ACP). Unlike the Model 1913, the serrations continue from the grip cap onto the rear of the slide. The bakelite grips feature the S&S monogram in an oval at the top. The grip plates are held on by crossbars at the back, so that one need only turn the grip screw 90° to remove the plate. The magazine has two cut-outs on each side and has the inscription “S&S. 6,35” at the bottom of the left side. Some of these guns are known to have had their inscriptions in English:
J.P. SAUER & SON, SUHL, PRUSSIA.
Model 1919, Variant 2 – serial number 30200 – 43000
Like the Model 1913, Variant 3, this model was improved with an additional safety (Zusatzsicherung) which blocks the trigger bar.
Model 1919, Variant 3 – serial number 43000 – 65000
In 1926 the safety lever was equipped with a nose which is used to lock the slide in its rear position, identical to the Model 1926. The slide catch in the top of the trigger guard is eliminated and the shape of the trigger guard is changed. The bakelite grips feature a larger S&S monogram in a vertical oval.
Gerhard Bock, in the 1923 edition of his book Moderne Faustfeuerwaffen und ihr Gebrauch, states that the Sauer & Sohn pistol which was introduced 1913 has a remarkable design, dimensions, quality, reliability and safety and that it is highly competitive with all other available .32 caliber pistols. The Model 1913 and its successors are known to be very reliable, even after 100 years.
At the range we found the Sauer & Sohn pistols to be quite accurate. The sights are exellent, although very small. Due to its unique features the gun does not have problems with “stovepipe” jams.
Field Stripping:
If you’ve heard someone mention proof marks or date codes when discussing a SIG Sauer pistol, but weren’t quite sure what those were, then the goal of this article is to bring you up to speed. And even if you’re already familiar with proof marks, maybe this article can broaden your knowledge and teach you something new.
What are Proof Marks?
Proof marks are stamps embedded in certain parts of a firearm following (and sometimes during, depending on the firearm type) its manufacturing to indicate that the firearm has been “proven” to be able to handle the specific type of ammunition for which it was designed. In modern years, they truly do serve that purpose. But like many government regulations, their origins have more to do with self-interest than safety.
The first proof marks started appearing in 15th century France, and by the 17th century, European firearms guildsmen were heavily promoting their use — and lobbying their governments for laws requiring them — primarily to dissuade competition from non-guildsmen and scare potential purchasers away from un-proofed guns.
In 1637, after heavy lobbying from the London Gunmakers Company, a London-area firearms guild, King Charles I issued a Royal Charter setting firearms safety standards. The London Gunmakers Company set up a “proof house” in London, and not surprisingly… firearms makers who were not part of a guild tended to fail testing more often than the guild members. Guns that passed testing were stamped with a mark representing the proof house. Over the next few decades, other countries established their own safety standards and proof houses, along with their own unique marks. Much like reciprocity of modern concealed carry permits between states, some European countries began to recognize each others’ proof marks as a high enough testing standard for foreign countries’ firearms to be legally imported.
Fast forward to 1914, when a number of European countries formed the CIP (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l’Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) as a formal standards group to ensure consistent testing among member countries. As of 2015, the CIP includes 14 member states. In order for a civilian firearm produced in a CIP member state to be legally imported to another CIP country, it must bear the proof mark of a CIP member state (military testing standards are, predictably, different than civilian ones). The United States does not participate in CIP, but instead formed its own standards group named SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute). While the CIP and SAAMI do share information and cooperate, neither has a requirement regarding selling in each other’s countries. Because the US is not a CIP member state, foreign guns do not need a CIP proof mark to be sold in the US, nor do US guns need a US proof mark to be sold in CIP member countries. This is an important fact that will become relevant again later in this article.
Examples of German Proof Marks
Here’s an assortment of mid 20th century proof marks used through Germany’s (and West Germany’s) history:
The top row (a) indicates the German (or East/West German, depending on the year) city in which the proof house is located. The column marked (b) shows varios German/West German proof marks after 1945, while the column marked (c) shows German proof marks used from 1939-1945.
Here’s another image showing the marks of German/West German proof houses, along with the approximate year they were first in use:
Proof Marks on SIG Sauer Pistols
Depending on it’s vintage and model, you might see proof marks on a German / West German SIG’s frame:
Proof mark on a West German P220 frame
Or on its barrel:On the slide chin (the underside of the slide near the muzzle end), which is the most common location for West German and German SIG Sauers:
Proof marks on the slide chin of a West German SIG Sauer pistol
To make sense of these proof marks, let’s look at those on the above slide chin.
Kiel Proof House Mark
The top proof mark indicates the Kiel Proof House. Since Kiel is only 17 miles from SIG Sauer’s manufacturing facility in Eckernförde, that’s the proof mark you should expect to see on a proofed SIG Sauer. Many refer to the Kiel mark as a “squashed bug,” while others have claimed it’s an oak leaf. Actually, the proof mark is based on the city of Kiel’s coat of arms:
…which in turn is based on the district of Schaumburg’s coat of arms:
Coat of arms of Schaumburg
All true German and West German SIGs were test fired at the Kiel proof house, so the Nesselblatt proof mark is an indicator of a true German or West German SIG. I’ve also heard one report of the Ulm proof house’s stag antler mark appearing on a the frame and slide of a 1993 SIG P226 (in addition to the Kiel mark on the slide), which would imply that the firearm required repair and re-proofing… and presumably the repair took place at a location that was closer to Ulm than Kiel. Normally, you’d expect to see the Ulm proof mark on a Walther or H&K firearm.
The German Definitive Mark and Nitro Testing
Underneath the Kiel Nesselblatt (though the order of the marks is not important), we find the image of an eagle with the letter “N” underneath. Some incorrectly believe that the eagle mark is a remnant of Nazi-era Germany, particularly since Germany’s firearms proof mark was a previously crown, and was changed to an eagle in 1939.
In actuality, the German Reichsadler (literally “Eagle of the Realm”) dates back to the eagle on the standard of the Roman Empire, and was used as a symbol of the Second German Empire as early as 1871… long before the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. The same eagle design has continued its use in West Germany since 1945, but under a new name of Bundesadler, or “Union Eagle.”
The Eagle-N mark signifies that the firearm was proofed in Germany (or West Germany, depending on when the firearm was proofed), while the “N” indicates that the firearm was proofed using a Nitro Beschuss load. “Beschuss” translates as “bombardment,” “shelling,” or “firing” depending on context, and “nitro” is short for “nitrocellulose,” a highly flammable compound used to creates pressures inside the firearm higher than standard gun powder.
Pistols are delivered to the proof houses in their fully assembled form for proofing. For pistols, CIP standards require cartridges that generate pressure 30% higher than the standard ammunition for which the pistol is designed, so the two high pressure nitro rounds are fired through the pistol. Technicians then disassemble the pistol and examine it in a dark room using a fluoroscopic lamp, looking for magnetic flux leakage. Provided everything looks good, the pistol is re-assembled and receives the country’s CIP proof mark indicating what type of test it passed (the Eagle-N or “definitive” mark in the case of a German gun), the mark of the proof house, and marks indicating the date of the tests. The firearms is then returned to the manufacturer who can legally sell the firearm domestically or export it to another CIP country.
The “nitro” proof mark is also referred to as the “definitive” (or final) mark of the proof house, as opposed to a “provisional” mark which would generally only apply to shotgun barrels in an early stage of manufacture, which are tested at proof houses to prevent the manufacturer from continuing work on defective tubes.
Date Codes
Looking back at our photo, the “JK” under the definitive proof mark is the date code. Date codes are two-letter indicators of the year that a firearm was proofed. Major German firearms companies such as Heckler and Koch, Walther, and SIG Sauer all used a similar date code format:
German gun manufacturers used these letters in place of numbers for date codes
Just to keep things interesting, SIG Sauer chose not to use the letter “I” because it looked too much like the numeral “1,” so J = 8 in SIG speak. The proof house in Koln (Cologne), Germany also follows this format. Walther and Heckler & Koch chose to use “I” for 8 but skip “J,” except that you will see a “J” on an H&K magazine’s date code. Gotta love German logic. 🙂
Using the above table, we can determine that the “JK” date code in the photo stands for “89” — meaning this firearm was proofed in 1989… which coincidentally happened to be the year the Berlin Wall came down. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the pistol was manufactured in 1989. It’s quite possible the barrel was made in 1986, the frame in 1987, and the slide in 1988… but that all the parts weren’t assembled together into a firearm and delivered to a proof house until 1989. Or it’s possible that all the parts were actually made in 1989, and then assembled and proofed that same year. There’s no way to know. A true German / West German firearm isn’t technically “born” until it’s been proofed.
Note that a gun’s date code is different than its serial number. It’s impossible to decode a SIG serial number to determine when it was proofed, although you can try to locate the range of your SIG’s serial number in this list to approximate when it was made, or call SIG Sauer with the serial number and see if they have any info in their system. Serial numbers aren’t always truly representative of the chronological order of a firearm, but they can sometimes get you close. Only a date code can tell you the year of proofing.
Proofed vs. Non-Proofed “Made in Germany” Guns
If you’ve read my article on West German vs. German vs. Other SIGs, you’ll know that proof marks are one of the primary indicators or whether a SIG Sauer (or any other firearm) is truly “made” in Germany (or West Germany) as opposed to assembled in the US using German-made parts… even though the parts might be stamped “Made in Germany.” Because the US is not a CIP country, guns marked “Made in Germany” do not need to be proofed in order to be sold here, as long as they are assembled in the US.
In my opinion, a gun without German proof marks (with very few exceptions) is not truly a German gun. Whether that actually affects the desirability or quality of the gun is for you to decide. But you should at least be aware that for most SIG purists, the existence of proof marks is what determines whether a gun is correctly referred to as “Made in Germany.”
Putting it All Together
Now that you know how to decode proof marks and date codes, see if you can figure out where and when the following firearms were proofed. Most are SIGs, but I threw some other German guns in there just for fun. 🙂
Normally, the proof house mark is above the definitive mark on a SIG, but this is a very early SIG P220
J.p. Sauer & Sohn Serial Numbers
Walther P99
Sauer 38h Pistol Serial Numbers
I welcome your corrections, questions, comments, & feedback below.
Further Reading:J P Sauer Serial Numbers And Date Of Manufacture
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