AD prefix serial number

[desperatedan]

I have a Rose Brothers scope bracket with the rifle serial number 'AD0200' stamped on it.

After much searching about No4 serial numbers, I'm thinking that this would have been an early'ish (i.e. pre-1944) BSA manufactured rifle or am I completely wrong?

[Roger Payne]

Hi DD. It would have been on an earlyish 1943 BSA Shirley. I have a Dalgleish bracket that I am tidying up at the moment that bears an AQ prefix, issued on a later 43 rifle. During 1943 BSA seem to have used a double letter prefix, the first letter being A, & then working through the alphabet for the second letter as the year went on.........AA, AB, AC, AD etc. They didn't quite get to AZ by the end of the year, but they certainly got to AX. Lance may be able to fine tune this info a little as he has meticulously kept records.

[Lance]

Roger is correct. AA prefix BSA serial numbers began around the second quarter of 1943 and assembly "line 1" ran through AX in 1943. "Line 2" finished with AV in 1943 and continued their AV serial number block in 1944

[desperatedan]

Roger, Lance - many thanks for your confirmation.

[Surpmil]

Lance, can you comment on the occasional apparent month dates one seems stamped on some rifles? I saw a "5/1943" somewhere recently for example.

[Alan de Enfield]

Lance, can you comment on the occasional apparent month dates one seems stamped on some rifles? I saw a "5/1943" somewhere recently for example.

Fazakerley produced No5's ordinarily have the month & year
BSA only have the year,

Are you asking about BSA or Faz rifles ?

[Surpmil]

Fazakerley produced No5's ordinarily have the month & year
BSA only have the year,

Are you asking about BSA or Faz rifles ?

Don't recall which it was now, but based on your comments gentlemen, I would assume it was a Fazackerly.

That being the case, what do we know about their use of month dates?

[Lance]

I have yet to see a BSA with a month added can you supply examples?

[Roger Payne]

Likewise, although Faz routinely marked month & year, at least, for a while.