Worshipful Company of Gunmakers

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The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Gunmakers' Company received a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1637. The Company was, and still is, responsible for proof testing various gun barrels/actions for safety. Thus, unlike most Livery Companies, the Gunmakers have retained a link to their trade. The barrel testing technique involves test firing a gun barrel/action whilst loaded with an extra-powerful charge of ammunition (the test cartridge develops 2.5 times the service pressure of the cartridge intended for the gun in question), held in a special carrige. The barrel & action are then inspected and, if they have maintained structural integrity, they will be stamped with proof marks indicating the test pressure, bore diameter in mm's at 9" from the breech face, chamber length, suitability for use with steel shot in the case of a smoothbore shotgun, a date stamp or code & the mark of the house, ie, London or Birmingham.

The Gunmakers' Company ranks seventy-third in the order of precedence for Livery Companies.