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You've got it pretty well, in one. The U is the Country, such as United Kingdon or B for Belgium on our L9 pistols. E is Enfield, F, Fazakerley, P Parker Hale. A Accuracy International, S Sterling and so on. The year prefix then A-. followed by the sequential serial number of usually 5 numbers. BUT, there is some dispute about the numbers because when BSA took over the Fazakerley contract, because they had already commenced certain serially numbered components, suc h as triggermechanism housings and some bodies, identifed with a flat top across the carrying handle nut area(?) those numbers allocated to Fazakerley L1A1's were prefixed with an additional 1 at BSA. So you COULD get UB58A121585, the first figure 1 indicating that it was a Fazakerley body.
I had this as an L1A1 number and it's been questioned but there are others like this so............ This will get some going as it doesn't seem to be recorded anywhere but this was told to me by Major Chris xxxx, the person who used to allocate serial numbers!
Numbers were allocated to production. So if Parker Hale were contracted to supply 1000 L81A1 rifles, they'd be allocated serial numbers UP 80 A0001 to UP80A 1000. That's a general rule.................
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Peter,
Just to follow this to its logical conclusion, if Parker Hale was subsiquently contracted to produce another thousand L81A1s the following year the serials would pick up at UP81A1001 and run through UP81A2000, correct?
Cheers!
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Yes! But just a thought. You COULD have two bits of kit with the same serial number. For example, you might find an L4 Bren numbered
UE 64A 12345 and an L1A1 rifle with the same. But clearly, it wouldn't cause any confusion.
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True, but only if there were no other contracts awarded in-between the 1st and 2nd contract for Parker Hale otherwise they would pick up where the other contracts left off. eg.
UP81 A1001 - UP81 A2000
UE81 A2001 - UE81 A4000
UP81 A4001 - UP81 A6000
If the contract is for the following year:-
UP82 A6001 - UP82 A9000
etc....
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Just to throw a spanner in the works here, but I've seen BSA and Enfield SLRs with A8xxx serial numbers, I know the BSA was a UB58 prefix but I cant remember the Enfield prefix year.
