CFA Firearm Identification & Historical Significance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What distinguishes a 'Type I' Springfield M1 Garand from later production variants?
- Type I Garands have a gas trap system rather than a gas port barrel (Correct answer)
- Type I Garands use a detachable box magazine instead of an en-bloc clip
- Type I Garands are chambered for .30 Carbine rather than .30-06
- Type I Garands have a synthetic stock and parkerized finish
Correct answer: Type I Garands have a gas trap system rather than a gas port barrel
Early M1 Garands used a gas trap system at the muzzle end; this was replaced by a simpler and more reliable gas port drilled in the barrel on later production guns.
Question 2: Which proof house is associated with the 'crowned N' proof mark commonly found on Italian firearms?
- Gardone Val Trompia (Brescia) Proof House (Correct answer)
- London Proof House
- Vienna Proof House
- Liège Proof House
Correct answer: Gardone Val Trompia (Brescia) Proof House
The crowned N is the principal Italian proof mark originating from the Gardone Val Trompia proof house in Brescia, Italy's primary firearms manufacturing region.
Question 3: The term 'Damascus barrel' in antique shotguns refers to:
- A barrel made in Damascus, Syria, known for superior steel
- A barrel formed by twisting and welding iron and steel rods together, creating a visible pattern (Correct answer)
- A barrel with a Damascus-style engraved exterior finish
- A chromium-lined barrel resistant to corrosion
Correct answer: A barrel formed by twisting and welding iron and steel rods together, creating a visible pattern
Damascus (twist) barrels were made by forge-welding twisted rods of iron and steel together, leaving a distinctive pattern; they are unsafe for modern smokeless powder loads.
Question 4: A Colt Python revolver is chambered in which caliber?
- .357 Magnum (Correct answer)
- .44 Magnum
- .38 Special only
- .45 ACP
Correct answer: .357 Magnum
The Colt Python, introduced in 1955, is chambered in .357 Magnum and is also capable of firing .38 Special cartridges.
Question 5: On antique percussion revolvers, what is the function of the 'nipple'?
- It holds the ramrod in place under the barrel
- It is a threaded cone on which the percussion cap is seated to transmit fire to the powder charge (Correct answer)
- It is the front sight blade on the barrel
- It is a valve regulating gas pressure during firing
Correct answer: It is a threaded cone on which the percussion cap is seated to transmit fire to the powder charge
The nipple is a threaded steel cone screwed into each chamber; a percussion cap placed on it is struck by the hammer, igniting the main powder charge.
Question 6: Which identifying feature most strongly suggests a Browning Auto-5 shotgun rather than a Remington Model 11?
- The presence of a humpback receiver profile with the Browning name (Correct answer)
- A tubular magazine beneath the barrel with a side-loading port
- A bottom-ejecting action with dual extractors
- A pump-action slide handle rather than a semi-automatic bolt
Correct answer: The presence of a humpback receiver profile with the Browning name
While mechanically similar (Browning licensed the design to Remington), the Browning Auto-5 is identified by its distinctive humpback receiver and maker's markings.
Question 7: The historic Lee-Enfield SMLE (Short Magazine Lee-Enfield) was the primary service rifle of which armed force?
- United States Marine Corps in WWI
- British and Commonwealth forces in both World Wars (Correct answer)
- German Wehrmacht in WWII
- Imperial Japanese Army in WWII
Correct answer: British and Commonwealth forces in both World Wars
The SMLE served as the standard British and Commonwealth infantry rifle from 1904 through both World Wars and beyond.
CFA Firearm Identification & Historical Significance 3
What distinguishes a 'Type I' Springfield M1 Garand from later production variants?