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m-1 Garand ser. # ?

MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member, Moderator Posts: 9,971 ******
in Ask the Experts

did each of the mgf's have their own ser. # block?... as in no 2 ser. #'s the same just different makers

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Comments

  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,879 ✭✭✭✭

    Yes. That would be block(s), as there were many of them.

    Neal

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  • mark christianmark christian Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 24,456 ******

    Yes, each manufacturer was assigned a specific block of serial numbers. During WWI there were cases of Winchester rifles bearing serial numbers identical to Springfield rifles. These are very popular with collectors. Post war production: which involved Springfield, International Harvester, and Harrington and Richardson, all had specific serial number blocks.

    I'm a serious H&R M1 collector, so I own at least one rifle from every HRA assigned serial block: 4.66 million, 4.7 million, 5.4 million (there are very few H&Rs in that serial range), 5.5 million, 5.6 million, and 5.7 million. There are also a handful of H&Rs in the 6 million serial number range. I won't live long enough to find one!

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  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member, Moderator Posts: 9,971 ******

    " During WWI there were cases of Winchester rifles bearing serial numbers identical to Springfield rifles. "..........thanks. a little back story. A friend of mine is accused of 'stealing' 2 m-1's from the local V.F.W. (he didn't, I have proof) and this MAY come up. I just want all my 'ducks' in a row as it were.

    btw, only 1- Win. in the bunch

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  • mark christianmark christian Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 24,456 ******
    edited April 2022

    The Winchester and Springfield have an overlapping serial number range that runs from serial #1,357,474 through serial # 1,387,000+ giving approximately 30,000 duplicate numbers.  WRA and SA were aware of this these duplicate numbers. As an expedient, Winchester often stamped an "A" below the serial number of their duplicate rifle. Even so, many rifles were never marked.

    Winchester M1 collectors will know far more about this than I do.

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  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member, Moderator Posts: 9,971 ******

    thanks Mark, the Win. is 1,332,xxx so well out of that range. when I converted them with blank firing adapters (received from the army as manually operated repeaters) in 2003 I made up a 'log book' of all of them.

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  • mark christianmark christian Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 24,456 ******

    Glad to assist. I hope the entire issue of the supposed "theft" is quickly resolved in favor of your friend.

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