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15911 - Ferman Mp-40 Submachine Gun Numbers
11/27/2018

Maker: ?, Model: ?, Caliber: ?, Barrel Length: ?, Finish: ?, SN: ?

Question:
Hello, I am hoping that you might know the answer because you were referred to in another website as a knowledgeable person in this era. I have an MP40 all matching numbers. The serial number is 3753. But on the barrel nut there are these numbers that I am not sure what to make of. They are 75 8. They are spread out just like that. Now I know in some smaller parts they would put only 2 or 3 numbers usually the last few numbers, and this has two numbers that are actually in the serial number but in the middle. And then there is that number eight spaced out to the right. I am at a loss. Thank you.

Answer:
Sir- I am not an expert on MP40s, but they are nice guns, and as with most German guns they were very meticulous about numbering things.

My first instinct is that the barrel nut is actually 753 but a poorly struck 3 can look like 8. Second guess would be a simple manufacturing assembly error where nut 753 and 758 got switched after Heinrich had a few too many beers the night before. Third guess would be nut 753 got damaged and replace or just switched in the field.

For all practical purposes it really is not that big a deal. Maybe a difference of a few hundred dollars for being "non-matching" but on a gun that would probably sell in the $20-25K range, not that big a deal.

That assumes that this is properly registered with BATF and you have papers to prove it. Otherwise it is illegal to possess or sell. If the latter, then it is worth whatever you can get for the legal parts (everything but the receiver) and you should turn the receiver (or the whole gun) over to BATF for destruction. Hope that helps. John Spangler

15929 - Remington 700 Date
11/27/2018
Mark, Davison, MI

Maker: Remington, Model: Model 700, Caliber: 30 06, Barrel Length: 21 Inch, Finish: Blue, SN: A6406989

Question:
finding various references on how to decipher serial numbers but none on them seem to make any sense when I compare them numbers on my rifle. Can you help me determine date of manufacture ? Thank You

Answer:
Mark, Remington made use of a two or three letter Firearms Identification Code that can be located on the left side of the barrel, just ahead of the frame. The first letter of the code identifies the month, the other letter(s) identify the year.
The only way that I know of to date a Remington 700 rifle is to make use of the date code. We have posted a page with the Remington date codes at the following link:

http://oldguns.net/sn_php/remdates.htm

If our date code information is not sufficient to enable you to determine the date of manufacture for your rifle, you may need to contact Remington, they have a web site at https://www.remington.com/. Hope this helps, Marc

15908 - Marlin 1898?
11/24/2018
Barry Winter Spgs. Fl.

Maker: Marlin, Model: 1898, Caliber: 22, Barrel Length: 27 3/8, Finish: Blue, SN: 131570

Markings:
22 S-L- LR. oct. barrel, tang sight,14'' feed tube. Metal Butt plate. Marlin Safety, Checkered Walnut stock & fore arm.

Question:
I have been looking everywhere to ID this rifle, No Luck. trying to find out for insurance purposes. Any help would be Most helpful. Thanks . Barry

Answer:
Barry- "What we've got here is failure to communicate" as the Warden told Cool Hand Luke. According to everything I can find the Marlin Model 1898 was a pump action shotgun, not a .22 rifle. Based on the rest of your description I think you might be talking about one of the .22 lever action rifles, but I don’t know which exact model. You need to check the markings carefully and see if you can figure out the correct model. Or at least ALL the patents listed as sometimes that will help ID the model.

For insurance purposes, the value is probably in the $300-500 range when you get the model figured out. Hope that helps. John Spangler

15931 - Early 1894 Winchester Value
11/24/2018
Alan, Epsom

Maker: Winchester, Model: 94, Caliber: 94-30 Wcf, Barrel Length: 19``, Finish: Blue, SN: 255721

Markings:
Manufactured Date 1905

Question:
Value, 85%to90% good

Answer:
Alan, the Model 1894 Winchester has the distinction of being the world's most popular rifle, to date over 6 million 1894's have been manufactured and they are still going strong. My references indicate that the date of manufacture for serial number 255721 is 1905 so you have an early model. This means that your rifle is what collectors call a "pre-64" model. In 1964 Winchester made significant design changes in most of the firearm lines that they were producing. The changes were intended to lower production costs but most collectors agree that quality suffered. Because of the 1964 changes, value for most models of pre-64 Winchester firearms is significantly higher than it is for post-64 production Winchester firearms.

Early 1894 Winchester rifles like yours, have good demand on the collector market, values in the blue book for 1894 rifles manufactured from 1899 to 1929 in 85 to 90 precent condition range from around $2000 to over $3000. Marc

15907 - Krag Front Sight Problem
11/20/2018
Doug, Concord NC

Maker: Springfield, Model: 1896, Caliber: .30-40 Krag, Barrel Length: 24'', Finish: Blue, SN: 62613

Question:
My rifle shoots approximately 16 - 8 inches high at 100 yards. The front sight post appears to be distinctly shorter than the front sight post on my model 1898 Krag rifle. Do you know of a gunsmith near Concord, North Carolina who you would trust & recommend to replace the front sight post on my model 1896 so that the point of impact will match point of aim? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
Doug- Normally I would object to people messing with front sights on Krags. However, your rifle was almost certainly originally the full length infantry model with a 30 inch barrel, and NOT a carbine, so the barrel has been cut from 30 inches to its present 24 inches. We know it is not a carbine because they had barrels 22 inches long, and surviving records list all the nearby numbers for which information has been found as rifles. So, we are not talking about messing with history here, but just trying to make a good shooter.

Sometimes when Krags were cut down, they salvaged the old front sight base and installed it in the new location, usually by silver solder or brazing. Sometimes (quite often!) they turned down the muzzle slightly and used the front sight assembly from a M1903 Springfield, which fits all the way around the barrel, and has a zig-zag cut in the center for attaching a detachable upper section. The upper section is slotted with a tiny pin holding a front sight blade. If you have this type front sight, it would be easy to replace just the blade with a new one, either a manufactured one, or one made from thin metal (measure the old one for thickness). Make the new blade about ¼” higher. Then take it to the range and shoot a group and file a bit off to bring the point of impact to your aiming point. The cheater’s way to fix this would be to tape some light cardboard around the front sight (like a concrete form) with the cardboard at least ¼ inch higher and fill it with epoxy or Bondo. Let it dry and clean it up and adjust the height. Then you can thin down the profile, or file it to a “V” or narrow post if you like, then paint it black. Frankly, I think you can mess with blade replacement or Bondo fixes on your own. Or, you can pay a gunsmith to mess with replacing the blade. They could also replace the current sight with a much nicer looking (but totally inauthentic) ramp type sight which is available in different heights. Hope that helps. John Spangler

15925 - Sporterized M1917
11/20/2018
Jamey, White House, TN

Maker: Remington, Model: 1917, Caliber: 30-06, Barrel Length: 21 Inches, Finish: Blue, SN: 527824

Question:
I have a U.S. Model of 1917 Remington 30-06 with Redfield mounts and an old looking (but great shape) Weaver single power (low) scope. The gun is in really good shape, have hunted several times with it. I was wondering what a gun like this is worth.

Answer:
Jamey, your M1917 has been modified or `sporterized`. In the process of sporterization, a military rifle is reworked for hunting use. The most common modifications are changing or modifying the stock and handguards to look more like a hunting rifle. Parts of the stock are often cut off and the stock is sanded and refinished. Receivers are drilled and tapped for a scope like yours has been. Sights are replaced or simply cut off. Sometimes the barrel is shortened, swapped out or re-chambered to a new caliber.

Needless to say, sporterizing an old military rifle destroys any value it might have had as a collector. My guess without seeing your rifle is that value would fall in the $300 or less range. If the rifle were in original condition value could be as much as $1000 or more. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Marc

15898 - Marlin Rifle Value
11/17/2018
Larry Chavez nm 5052390664

Maker: Marlin, Model: 1893, Caliber: 25 36, Barrel Length: Takedown, Finish: Blue, SN: 281719

Markings:
Smokeless marking good shape value of rifle

Question:
Lddchavez3@comcast.net value rifle

Answer:
Larry- Sorry, I really do not pay much attention to Marlin prices, and honestly cannot tell one from another without reading the markings. In general value seem to be far less than a comparable condition Winchester lever action, so my guess is maybe $300-700 retail. However, being a takedown model and in the unusual .25-36 caliber may make this one a lot more desirable to one of the Marlin collectors. Your best bet is to find some that have sold at one of the big gun auction houses, or on GunBroker.com and see what people are actually paying. Make sure you compare apples to apples in terms of model, caliber, condition and any special features. Marlins are good guns, but frankly people just don’t seem to collect them. John Spangler

15924 - British Export M1917 S&W
11/17/2018
George, Aliquippa, Pa.

Maker: Smith & Wesson, Model: 1917, Caliber: 45 Colt, Barrel Length: 6 1/2 '', Finish: Blue, SN: 13827

Markings:
Barrel is stamped with British proof marks, A crown over BNP,455'',760#,under that is6 TONS PER sq.''. Stamped on left side plate, SS3, various other British proofs on cylinder and left side of frame.

Question:
I would like to know the year of manufacture. The cylinder has been reamed out to 45 Colt. Do you think that this gun was issued to the British military? Thank you.

Answer:
George, my records indicate that the month and year of manufacture for serial number 13827 is January 1918. Because of the need to expand the U.S. Army when we entered World War I, and shortage of the automatic pistol, U.S. Model 1911, the military contracted with Colt and S&W to provide revolvers chambered for the rimless 45 ACP cartridge. Since the cartridges were rimless, they had to be loaded with a "half moon" clip which held three rounds. The `S` marking that you mention, leads me to believe that your revolver is likely a pistol made for the U.S. military, if the marking has an eagle head above the letters it was accepted by the U.S. military.

In 1940 after the disaster at Dunkirk the U.S sent many 1917 revolvers back to England. Some were re chambered for the 455 Ely cartridge which was the standard British service cartridge. The `BNP,455` proof mark would indicate that this was done to your revolver. S&W and Colt also sold some revolvers to the British that were not converted.

The crown over BNP,455 markings are British proofs applied by the British government to firearms that were to be exported. British export firearms were proof fired and stamped with the pressure generated by the proof cartridge. These markings indicate that your revolver was in England and was it exported sometime after the end of World War II. Marc

15922 - Rossi Made In Spain?
11/14/2018
David San Antonio Texas

Maker: Rossi Made In Spain, Model: ?, Caliber: 38 Long Cartridge 6 Round Revolver, Barrel Length: 4 Inches, Finish: Blue, SN: 11417

Markings:
It has a 12 on the barrel

Question:
I can't fined any info about it or model number or what year it was made just know it was made in Spain and the s.n# 11417 Rossi has no Mach for it. Plez help thank you

Answer:
David, Rossi has a pretty good reputation among inexpensive revolvers for being well made and reliable, but since there is little or no collector interest in Rossi firearms, I have never paid much attention to them. I can tell you that Rossi was established in 1889 and located in Sao Leopoldo, Brazil. Since Rossi is a Brazilian company, your assumption that the revolver was manufactured in Spain is probably incorrect.

A Google search for Rossi manufacture dates pointed me to The Rossi Model Number Lookup System at http://www.rossiusa.com/find-model.cfm which is supposed to ``help you find detailed information about your Rossi Gun``. When I entered your serial number no results were retuned. The instructions on the page say that specific information for all serial numbers may not be available, especially on older models. If a serial number does not return a result, they ask you to call Rossi customer service at 305-624-1115. Good Luck Marc

15837 - National Postal Meter M1 Carbine Date
11/14/2018
Robert

Maker: Postal Meter, Model: M - Carbine, Caliber: 30 Cal, Barrel Length: ?, Finish: Blue, SN: 1955918

Question:
I`m looking for the manufacture year of this M - 30 Cal Carbine

Answer:
Robert- Thanks to the info in Larry Ruth’s superb books on the M1 Carbine (in this case War Baby Volume 1, page 458) we know that National Postal Meter delivered 413,017 carbines, with first deliveries in February 1943 and the last big batch in April 1944 with a final 239 in July 1944 but the latter were marked Commercial Controls.

NPM was assigned four serial number blocks, with 100,000 in the first bunch starting at 1450000, which would have lasted until mid-September 1943. Then they would have started on the second block of numbers beginning with 1937520 in September and probably reached your number in early October 1943. Many M1 carbine barrels included the date of manufacture (of the barrel) in the markings, and they are usually pretty close to the date the gun was assembled, maybe 1-3 months before, but close enough for government work. John Spangler

15830 - Turkish Mauser
11/10/2018
Germany

Maker: C.A.I. Georgia UT / Germany 1903 8mm, Model: 1903, Caliber: Sniper Rifle, Barrel Length: ?, Finish: Don`t Know, SN: TUO3000742

Markings:
1938/1903/20160 Joy/ 160/A9359/3f/788/ star w/half-moon & a crest symbol

Question:
Can you help identify this

Answer:
The marking information provided is very helpful. The “star with half moon” is found on most Turkish used arms. Century Arms International of Georgia, Vermont imported huge numbers of these, marking them (per federal law) with the importer name and location above and the country made (Germany) and caliber 8mm.

I am not familiar with any Turkish “sniper rifles” but they may have had some. I suspect that most of them with scopes today are the result of Bubba adding a scope for deer hunting. Frankly, my personal opinion is that while most Turkish arms started off as very well made guns with quality materials made by competent craftsmen, nearly all have subsequently been diddled with by Turkish armorers with very questionable skill and making modifications which may or may not degrade their safety to shoot. My personal stand is that I will NEVER attempt to fire any gun which has been used by Turkish military forces. (Some of their current commercial production is reportedly excellent, but that is far different from what is made or modified by illiterate conscripts in primitive shops.)

The “Model 1903/1938” designation is applied to rifles which started as a Gewehr 98, Cz 98/22, Turkish Model 1903 or the Model 1893, most in 7.65 x 53 Mauser caliber but were cobbled into more or less similar configuration regarding barrel length and bayonet lugs and converted to 8mm Mauser caliber.

In general the Turkish rifles seem to sell for a fraction of what a similar “un-Turked” rifle used by another country might bring, and for several years they were selling for $50-100 retail. (And, I never had any urges to buy one even at those prices!) John Spangler

15921 - Remington Model 12 Manufacture Date
11/10/2018
Roland

Maker: Remington, Model: 12, Caliber: 22, Barrel Length: 24, Finish: Blue, SN: RW 329595

Markings:
Pop up sight, crescent metal end of stock

Question:
I am trying to find the manufacture date of this rifle.

Answer:
Roland, Remington introduced their Model 12 .22 caliber slide action rifle in 1909 and over 840,000 were manufactured before the model was discontinued in 1936. The Model 12 was chambered for .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle cartridges and came with a 22 inch round or octagon barrel, open sights, tubular magazine and a plain straight grip stock. The Model 12-B (introduced in 1910) was the gallery model, it was chambered in .22 Short only and came with 24 inch octagon barrel and a pistol grip stock. The Model 12-C (also introduced in 1910) was much like the 12-B except that it was chambered for .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle cartridges. It came with 24 inch octagon barrel and pistol grip stock.

Starting in 1921 Remington rifles should have a code located on the left side of the barrel near the frame that identifies the year and month of manufacture. If your rifle has this date code, it will be easy to determine when it was made by looking at the information that we have posted at the following link: http://oldguns.net/sn_php/remdates.htm. If no date code is present, the best I can tell you is that your Remington was manufactured between 1909 and 1921. Hope this helps luck, Marc

15827 - Marlin Model 94 Value
11/6/2018
David Andover Minnesota

Maker: Marlin, Model: 94, Caliber: 38-40, Barrel Length: ?, Finish: Blue, SN: 124910

Question:
What is its worth

Answer:
David- Sorry, I really do not pay much attention to Marlin prices, and honestly cannot tell one from another without reading the markings. In general value seem to be far less than a comparable condition Winchester lever action, so my guess is maybe $300-700 retail. Your best bet is to find some that have sold at one of the big gun auction houses, or on GunBroker.com and see what people are actually paying. Make sure you compare apples to apples in terms of model, caliber, condition and any special features. Marlins are good guns, but frankly people just don’t seem to collect them. John Spangler

15920 - Winchester 670
11/6/2018
Mike

Maker: Winchester, Model: 670, Caliber: ?, Barrel Length: ?, Finish: ?, SN: G232751

Question:
I have a Model 670 that is in good condition with serial number G232751. My research has turned up that this was manufactured in 1952. Not sure if I want to sell but curious as to possible value.

Answer:
Mike, I believe that you are a little off on your serial number calculations. The Winchester Model 670 is an economy version of the popular model 70 that came with a hardwood pistol grip stock, 22 inch barrel, open sights and a non-hinged floorplate. Although it is a decent rifle for shooting and hunting purposes, the Model 670 never caught on with collectors like the Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters did. The 670 was first cataloged for sale in 1967 and remained in production until 1973. Total manufacture is estimated to be under 300,000 total rifles. Information pertaining to the production runs for the 670 is at best speculative, as Winchester either did not maintain a serial number data base, or what data was retained has been lost or destroyed. Because of this, there is no way to know precisely when your rifle was produced. Values for 670 rifles are not high even if the rifle is in excellent condition.

15826 - Trusty Rusty .50 Caliber
11/3/2018
Michael. Midland mi

Maker: ?, Model: ?, Caliber: .50, Barrel Length: ?, Finish: Rusty, SN: 147299

Question:
I just bought this gun and I`m trying to find any information I can get

Answer:
Michael- Sorry, my crystal ball is cloudy today. I think it is a .50 caliber machine gun from a WW2 fighter plane or bomber. No, wait, it is a percussion primed Civil War Maynard carbine. Dang, now it seems to be one of those flintlock .50 caliber flintlock pistols made recently by Traditions. Maybe a heavy barrel Sharps rifle made for hunting buffalo?

In any case, you bought it, so you must think it is neat and worth the price. Every gun owner will agree that if that is the case, it was a good purchase. Even if we don’t have a clue what it might be. John Spangler

15919 - High Standard Sport King Date Of Manufacture
11/3/2018

Maker: High Standard, Model: Sport King, Caliber: 22, Barrel Length: ?, Finish: ?, SN: 482762

Question:
Hello, Trying to find manufacture date of a High Standard Sport King SK100 22 caliber pistol. Serial number is 482762. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Answer:
My records indicate that your pistol was manufactured in 1955. The High Standard Sport King and Field King models were introduced around 1950, they were "utilitarian range" versions of the more expensive Supematic Trophy, intended to satisfy shooters with lesser ambitions and shorter pockets. The Sport King was chambered for 22LR and came fitted with thumb-rest grips and fixed sights. Guns manufactured after 1954 had an improved safety catch and an alloy frame. Hope that this helps. Marc

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