Yes and No, lot testing by the proof house anybody can submit sample ammunition or cartridges to be lot tested to see if they are CIP compliant. But CIP approval is far more complicated.
CIP approval I s voluntary in the U.K.
Eley Hawk is the first UK manufacturer of shotgun cartridges to successfully homologate all their ammunition with CIP | Eley Hawk
PRESS RELEASE Eley Hawk is the first UK manufacturer of shotgun cartridges to successfully homologate all their ammunition with CIP via the...
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Obtaining CIP Manufacturing Approval
Obtaining CIP approval as a manufacturer is not as simple of a process as many often think. CIP Cartridge Control is a form of accreditation, (additional to ISO accreditation, which the manufacturer must have in place), developed by the CIP so that Member States can accept the import and sale of ammunition on the basis of approval being given to a manufacturer, either indigenous or from outside the CIP community. The ammunition approval mark which has to appear on the smallest packaging of approved ammunition is much like the proof mark on firearms, in that it is reciprocally accepted by all CIP Member States.
Therefore, the UK Proof Authority stipulates that any manufacturer seeking CIP approval must have, as a minimum, ISO 9001 accreditation, prior to any consideration of their application.
The stages of approval are as follows:-
1) Sample testing & factory visit where systems of manufacture, pressure testing in accordance with CIP, record keeping, calibration documentation etc. are examined as well as the ISO 9001 Quality manual. (Travel expenses of BPL staff are to be reimbursed by the manufacturer.)
2) After this an offer will be made to proceed on the basis of an annual fee, which will be based on the volume of annual production and the number of calibres which are to be homologated (type- approved).
3) If accepted, a contract will be produced for signature by both the BPL and the manufacturer, following which significant (see CIP regulations) ammunition samples will be sent by the manufacturer of each calibre/ gauge of ammunition they produce (normally the highest pressure in the range of ammunition produced in that calibre) to the BPL. This will be subject to dimensional, pressure, velocity and functional testing (in a range of arms appropriate to the ammunition).
The fee referred to in point (2) above covers all costs of the homologation process, which if successful will result in the issue by the BPL of a homologation report for each calibre/ gauge covering all variation of loads, etc.
for that calibre /gauge. It will also cover the cost of the subsequent periodic testing of samples of ammunition of the homologated calibres/ gauges, the sourcing of which would be discussed on the factory visit.
4) Additionally, the smallest packaging units for the ammunition will be subject for approval by the BPL for homologated calibres/ gauges. After which the manufacturer will be allowed to include the BPL ammunition approval mark (the CIP ammunition approval mark followed by the BPL mark.)
5) All successfully homologated ammunition will be posted on the CIP website (no technical information disclosed) so all interested parties can verify the calibres that a manufacturer is approved for.
As with any manufacturer, submission for ammunition pressure/ velocity testing can happen at any time (details of the cost of ammunition testing can be supplied on request), before the approval process starts for the purposes of comparing your pressure/ velocity measurements with the BPL’s. Later, the annual fee assumes that the manufacturer may wish to submit samples from time to time in addition to those we require for the CIP process. The contract will state how many such tests are included in the annual fee.
Lot Testing
The Birmingham Proof House can of course test a single “Lot” (a single batch of ammunition, manufactured using a single “Lot" of propellant with exactly the same batches of components e.g. projectiles, cases and primers) and give approval solely for this Lot of ammunition (the specific Lot number only). However, this must not be confused with full CIP Cartridge Control approval and has to be repeated continually for subsequent Lots requiring CIP approval and to be offered for sale. Please note a contract agreement and fees are also applicable to this process.
Samuel S Perry
Deputy Proof Master
Birmingham Proof House
Banbury Street
Birmingham
B5 5RH.
