Two Serial#'s/Serial# Change?

[Jack873]

I asked this question awhile ago on the gunboards forum but never got an actual answer as to why there are two different serial#'s that are associated with my rifle.
I have a No.4 MK1 manufactured by Fazakerly in July of 1944. There is an "England" export mark, but there aren't any U.S. import marks, which tells me this is an early import rifle.
Attachment 51838Attachment 51837

Looking at all the parts that have the # stamped on them, it looks as if the original serial is NA 20388, but then it was changed to NA 20389.
Fore-end: NA 20388 is stamped, then NA 20389 is stamped underneath it.
Attachment 51833

Buttstock Socket: NA 20388 is electro-penciled in and NA 20389 is stamped twice over it.
Attachment 51835

Bolt: NA 20389 is stamped on it, but looking at the 9, it looks as if it was stamped over an 8.
Attachment 51834

Magazine: NA 20389 is stamped on it. The 9 looks to have a larger indent then the rest of the numbers which tells me it must have been stamped over an 8.
Attachment 51836

Barrel: Just found this one last night. I was looking at the barrel and I noticed something hiding behind a spot of worn off Suncorite . I used some solvent and scrubbed the rest of it off. The serial NA 20388 is electro-penciled to the barrel shank.
Attachment 51832

Any ideas? Also, somebody said they don't recognize the "NA" prefix either.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[ActionYobbo]

the ENGLAND is not an export mark its a USA import mark.
they even stamp ENGLAND on to guns that were made in Canada, India and Australia
because according to Americans all enfields were made in England and they are all SMLE's

[Jack873]

Opps....
Thank you for clarifying that Mr E.

I have a book I was following called "Lee-Enfield No. 4 and No. 5 Rifles", by Charles Stratton. He says that the "England" stamp means that the rifle was approved for export. Maybe I just misunderstood.

[Alan de Enfield]

Opps....
Thank you for clarifying that Mr E.

I have a book I was following called "Lee-Enfield No. 4 and No. 5 Rifles", by Charles Stratton. He says that the "England" stamp means that the rifle was approved for export. Maybe I just misunderstood.

He is / was wrong.
The England stamp was the pre-1968 US requirement for marking the country of origin for Importation. England does not 'export mark' anything.

As Mr E said even Savage (USA manufactured) rifles were marked up as "England".
Some importers had the rifles 'marked' up in England and employed some local labour to stamp them, other importers had them 'marked up' when they arrived in the bonded stores in the USA.

[Peter Laidler]

Two serial numbers.......... Right........, come across it zilliions of times........

Rifle goes into workshops as one seruial number on the paperwork and while there, after bead blasting it LOOKS like the number on the paperwork is wrong and the number on the rifle will ALWAYS be correct. So it is changed to read the TRUE number regardless of what someone has overstamped it with in the past. That is a very quick answer. Sometimes it can get very difficult as it means changing the official WOCS records and the quartermasters don't like being told that things is wrong! In these difficult cases, a NEW serial number is issued in the ZZxxxx series I seem to remember and later in the SAXXA- series.

ALL Fazakerley stuff was badly marked and BSA Sten guns were also badly numbered and were always causing problems

[browningautorifle]

the ENGLAND is not an export mark its a USA import mark.
they even stamp ENGLAND on to guns that were made in Canada, India and Australia
because according to Americans all enfields were made in England and they are all SMLE's

Thank you, thank you, thank you...finally we have it. If you all recall a thread about this that went for miles. Finally we get the answer.

[limpetmine]

I have a /3 Long Branch that went in as a 5L xxxx and came out as a 51L xxxx.

[Alan de Enfield]

Its a long time since we heard from him - but I believe he is still active on CGN (Cnadian Gun Nutz)