Oh boy, here we go again.
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Brian, do you have dates for serial numbers? If so, would you like to share them with the site and maybe put up a sticky with them? TIA
When a receiver was stamped and when the rest of the carbine was completed can leave a gray area as per date of completion/acceptance.
Making actual production dates hard to nail down.
Proving ground tests have been very helpfull in this area.
I'm happy to just know what year !
I agree with Charlie, found out a while back when I thought I was providing good information to to a question asked on production dates. I was using "The M1 Carbine Owner's Guide by Larry L. Ruth with Scott A. Duff" as a reference. I was corrected soon as I posted my reply. Learned a lesson, have not done it since.
We get lucky being able to date some after seeing the Aberdeen tests. Thankfully some of those results have been posted by BrianQ on occasion.
Other than that when you figure in re-worked, tranfer, sub contract receivers, serial number over runs, serial numbers being used out of sequence ETC... To me trying to date a carbine is opening up a can of hurt.
Look at all the work that went in to trying to figure out Underwood during the 2 mil block !!
Good Day to y'all,
Charlie
I would love to spend 3 months just digging through the national archives. While it would not provide weapon manufactur dates, it would be neat to run across any records of individual units showing receipt and issue of weapons. Just an added thought...
I know for sure my carbines were made sometime between 1942 to 1945. That is more than I know about a lot of other guns I own.