Parker Hale M85 Serial Number Checks & Provenance on Manufacture (Records)

[Gil Boyd]

Nigel,

I can confirm that three rifles went to Warminster one for DEMO purposes as issued to Capt Harvison and the three below for replacement of the L42A1 trials, whether all three were used in these trials is anybody's guess and only ITDU Warminster could confirm that as nothing logged in the registers namely 00101F/00102F/00103F:

2/12/88 M85 S/N 00366F in .308 NORMA 168 GRN entry 275 in PH Register issued to Captain HARVISON Rifle in Jungle CAMO Schmidt & Bender scope fitted shot 16.4mm group at 100 yards 10 rounds

7/8/90 to 8/4/91 M85 S/N 00101F in 7.62 NATO entry 344 in PH Register
and
7/8/90 to 8/4/91 M85 S/N 00102F in 7.62 NATO entry 342 in PH Register
and
7/8/90 to 8/4/91 M85 S/N 00103F in 7.62 NATO entry 343 in PH Register

a further M85 is recorded

As being sold on 22nd November 2000 M85 S/N 00105F in 7.62 NATO entry 345 in PH Register sold to Norman Clarks whilst PH was in administration.

As entered thats all there is relating to trials or the numbers you provide.

In relation to sequence......there wasn't any for example 00150F went out of the door on the 4th February 1988
where 00151F went out the door on the 12th May 1988.
00241F went out of the door on the 9th December 1987 and 00135F went out of the door 26th November 1986!!!
00169F went out of the door on the 23rd February 1988, so from what Bill and Eddie state they came to the work stations and the job got done one at a time.

00135F was one of the first to leave the factory if the register is to be believed and supplied in Arctic Camo with a Swarovski ZFM scope 6x42 P Mount Arctic knobs fitted as well on the 26th November 1986 to the Royal Canadian Police.

Hope that helps, Roger Hale was a law unto himself, so to speak and there was no Rhyme nor reason in the process, which you would have thought there would have been. I certainly wouldn't want to write an accurate book on this rifle.........you would need a bloody big crystal ball IMHO!!!

So in short, unless someone on here can corroberate the timing it would appear Capt Harvison was the first interested party for the MOD on the M85's progress back in December 1988 as above.

Information

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[Lee Enfield]

Nigel,

I can confirm that three rifles went to Warminster one for DEMO purposes as issued to Capt Harvison and the three below for replacement of the L42A1 trials, whether all three were used in these trials is anybody's guess and only ITDU Warminster could confirm that as nothing logged in the registers namely 00101F/00102F/00103F:

2/12/88 M85 S/N 00366F in .308 NORMA 168 GRN entry 275 in PH Register issued to Captain HARVISON Rifle in Jungle CAMO Schmidt & Bender scope fitted shot 16.4mm group at 100 yards 10 rounds

7/8/90 to 8/4/91 M85 S/N 00101F in 7.62 NATO entry 344 in PH Register
and
7/8/90 to 8/4/91 M85 S/N 00102F in 7.62 NATO entry 342 in PH Register
and
7/8/90 to 8/4/91 M85 S/N 00103F in 7.62 NATO entry 343 in PH Register

a further M85 is recorded

As being sold on 22nd November 2000 M85 S/N 00105F in 7.62 NATO entry 345 in PH Register sold to Norman Clarks whilst PH was in administration.

As entered thats all there is relating to trials or the numbers you provide.

In relation to sequence......there wasn't any for example 00150F went out of the door on the 4th February 1988
where 00151F went out the door on the 12th May 1988.
00241F went out of the door on the 9th December 1987 and 00135F went out of the door 26th November 1986!!!
00169F went out of the door on the 23rd February 1988, so from what Bill and Eddie state they came to the work stations and the job got done one at a time.

00135F was one of the first to leave the factory if the register is to be believed and supplied in Arctic Camo with a Swarovski ZFM scope 6x42 P Mount Arctic knobs fitted as well on the 26th November 1986 to the Royal Canadian Police.

Hope that helps, Roger Hale was a law unto himself, so to speak and there was no Rhyme nor reason in the process, which you would have thought there would have been. I certainly wouldn't want to write an accurate book on this rifle.........you would need a bloody big crystal ball IMHO!!!

So in short, unless someone on here can corroberate the timing it would appear Capt Harvison was the first interested party for the MOD on the M85's progress back in December 1988 as above.

Interested in the sequence of things -

Gil, if the earliest M85 was 26th November 1986, when is the earliest:

M84
M85 11.26.86
M86
M87