FBM Proof..?
 

Hey Guys......Hans Fischer here on a wednesday nite....approximately a week ago.....I picked up a real nice Interarms Mauser Luger....9mm with a 6" barrel....found in little country gun store....very happy with purchase.......and have noticed what appears to be a small proof mark.....I believe it is ...FBM....does anyone know what this stands for and the meaning of the stamp..??...I appreciate any and all opinions and help......thanks.....Hans Fischer

FBM...Mauser's proof for models to be exported.

Since the US does not require guns to be proofed by law, and Mauser had to pay the proof house in Ulm, Germany for every gun they proofed, it made more sense to proof the guns destined for the US market themselves, saving the costs that would otherwise have gone into having them proofed in Ulm.

So FBM (Firmenbeschuss Mauser or Freiwilliger Beschuss Mauser) was used as an inhouse proof marking for those US export pistols.