No 4 Mk 1 - A question on numbering (with due trepidation...)

G'Day Fellow Enfieilditis patients,

I'm going to lead with the chin. If this is a dumb question or has been answered before, I'll accept the chiding. I couldn't find a suitable answer in my search.

I have a 1943 BSA Shirley No 4 Mk 1. It was FTR at Faz in 1948.

What confuses me is the serial number. Engraved in the upper left action side and on the left wrist and the back of the bolt handle, is the serial number AX55##

I wasn't able to find a reference to show a Shirley serial of AX#### in 1943.

Is it reasonable to conclude that the AX#### serial no was issued at Fazakerley in 1948 as part of the FTR process?

Any guidance would be gratefully received. Apologies if I was just too technologically challenged to find a previous thread on this same subject, if that is the case.

BSA Shirley is often quoted as using a five digit number starting with a '3' & preceded by a letter (apart from the first run which had no letter prefix). This is true, but only applies to 1944 production & after. During 1943 serials are indeed typically a two letter prefix (the first being 'A' & the second working through the alphabet sequentially; AA, AB, AC........AP, AQ, AR etc) followed by a four digit number. Thus your rifle is spot on for BSA 1943 production.

.......& don't worry about being 'technologically challenged'; if we were learning IT at school I'd be on the special needs table.;)

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Originally Posted by Roger Payne

During 1943 serials are indeed typically a two letter prefix (the first being 'A' & the second working through the alphabet sequentially; AA, AB, AC........AP, AQ, AR etc) followed by a four digit number. Thus your rifle is spot on for BSA 1943 production.

.......& don't worry about being 'technologically challenged'; if we were learning IT at school I'd be on the special needs table.;)

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Roger, excellent. I'll not mention a certain reference I may have peeked at, but with around 24,000 rifles to get to this serial, that's probably not a stretch for the factory in that year, especially as production would have been at full steam. Thank you.

Don't push me off the end of the Special's table... I'll need some space for my crayons.

Yep, & AX would have been pretty much towards the end of the year.

I am also IT challenged Peter, when we had the DOS system many years ago I was deleting files on our comp on this occasion instead of doing this *. then enter to delete just that file I instead typed in *.* then hit enter this effectively was a global deletion of all files on the computer right to the BIOS level 4 hours my wife waited at the shop to get our computer back whilst they repaired my swaray.
Then a few days later I did the same thing again soooo back to the shop went my all suffering wife! after which I was totally banned from deleting any files unless supervised by my wife, now days it is a whole lot easier............................

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

totally banned from deleting any files unless supervised by my wife, now days it is a whole lot easier............................

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I presume, then Cinders,your wife now simply deletes all your stuff from the Cloud, on her phone...? :rofl: