Did anyone suggest that the L mark in the oval probably means Liege, for where the proof house is?
Such marks are usually German or Belgian if on modern guns. Some other Euro countries allow gun ownership, inc. Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic. But one sees their marks less often, except on Italian guns imported here.
Of course, we see more CZ guns now that used to be the case...and we see a lot of the fine Sako rifles. (Finnish)
A dealer will probably tell you that the foreign marks lower the value. But he may try to sell the gun for more, because they're there, so that makes it "rare". It's all about marketing. A dealer will usually cheat you as much as he can, esp. if a pawnbroker.
You are correct to stash the gun where it may be needed. A home invader will fall to it as quickly as if it didn't have added proof marks. And, yes, you can shoot Plus P ammo in it. But it'll loosen the gun sooner if you do that a whole lot. Use standard ammo for most practice and don't worry about it.
I've seen German and French gun magazines and both featured S&W products. They do get around.
