• Small arms testing
• Small arms neutralization
• Approval and testing of munitions
• Ballistic Materials Resistance Laboratory

History

The Saint-Etienne small arms testing dates back to at least the 17th century.
For a long time, testing was not regulated and was carried out by the manufacturers themselves. It was towards 1700 that small arms testing became compulsory. The King's test-officers were entrusted with testing all arms.

Testing was abolished during the Revolution but in the year V, it was the arms dealers themselves who requested and obtained its reinstatement.

Compulsory testing was once again abolished on 14 August 1855 when a vote granted "total freedom to manufacture and sell non-regulatory arms".

In 1884 and 1889, compulsory testing was once again requested by Saint-Etienne's arms manufacturers, but without success.

In 1910, an international commission comprising representatives from the French, German, Austrian, Belgian and Italian governments held their first session in Brussels to a) define the characteristics of bullet pressure measuring devices and b) harmonise the test pressures in the various countries.

The International Permanent Commission of 15 July 1914 was created as a result of this work in order to achieve mutual recognition of the small arms testing stamps. This Commission, ratified by France on 14 May 1926, exempts firearms that carry our testing stamps from once again being subjected to similar tests in the countries that they are exported to and that belong to the IPC (International Permanent Commission for portable firearms).

The optional nature of the tests, following the voting of the 1885 Law, was cancelled by the decree of 12 January 1960 which made it compulsory to submit portable firearms to testing. All smooth or scratched arms must be tested, which guarantees effective testing on the whole production.

History of the Saint-Etienne's National test Facility
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