It's been eluded to around here, so I'm wondering if anyone knows specifically - what's it actually mean when you see "patent" engraved on part of a gun?
If there's "patent" on the forend iron, for instance, - does that mean it's been patented by the maker of that gun or just by someone at some time (maybe the gun maker is using the patent and paying royalty or maybe it was patented way back when and has since expired, but was still patented none the less)?
I've seen it on almost every piece you can find - from the forend to the toe plate.
With the desire to research the patents on my own guns, I'm just wondering how far the branches of this tree could extend.
