Auto ordnance model 1911a1 us army cal. 45acp new in the box Guns International #: 100836106 Seller's Inventory #: 5-7-6,7,8 Category: 1911 Pistols - Auto Ordnance Pistols.

By Frank Iannamico
The Savage Arms Corporation, who originally developed the M1 version of the Thompson, had continued attempts to further simplify the design by experimenting with a fixed firing pin model they designated as the M42. The prototype M42 was originally fitted with an M1 bolt with a separate firing pin, but the pin was secured in the bolt in a manner that made it a non-moveable part. The firing pin was fixed in an extended or “in battery” position. The firing pin, spring, hammer, and hammer pin were omitted. Less than 100 M42s were produced before the “fixed” separate firing pin was completely eliminated and replaced by a projection machined directly on the bolt face.
In September of 1942, Aberdeen Proving Ground was instructed to test “A modified version of the M1 submachine gun, that eliminated the firing pin, firing pin spring, the hammer and hammer pin”. The four parts were eliminated from the design by making the firing pin an integral part of the bolt. Tests at Aberdeen indicated that the M1 submachine gun equipped with a fixed firing pin functioned slightly better than the standard M1 submachine gun. It was also noted that the fixed pin design saved considerable manufacturing time and that the bolt was strengthened by elimination of the deep drilling operation necessary to accommodate the firing pin and spring. The Springfield Ordnance District was notified that manufacture of a fixed firing pin bolt for use in the M1 submachine gun was authorized. In order to distinguish between submachine guns equipped with separate firing pins and fixed firing pins, the submachine guns fitted with the fixed firing pin would be designated as Gun, Submachine, Caliber .45, Thompson M1A1. It was also noted that the bolts with and without the fixed firing pin were interchangeable. The M1A1 Thompson was formally approved at an Ordnance Committee meeting held on 29 October 1942.
In 1943, Auto-Ordnance ordered from the Savage Arms Corporation under contract G-19, 100,000 Thompson Submachine Guns M42-M1A1 type without magazines, slings or other accessories. The contract specified “Savage agrees to manufacture said guns in accordance with the United States Government specifications which are identified as AXS-725 (revision 3) dated 7 January 1943 except each of the following parts are to be incorporated in the gun. These parts shall not conform to said government specification but to the Savage, Auto-Ordnance or United States drawing number placed after the part name”. All of the parts specified had been redesigned to require less labor hours in their manufacture. The design of the M1A1 along with the redesign of many other parts for faster production had reduced the time required to manufacture an M1A1 by 10.11 hours over the earlier M1928A1 model.
Early M1A1s were equipped with many parts that were originally manufactured for use on the 1928 and M1928A1 Thompson. These parts were generally used until the supply was depleted. An example of such parts usage was; the uncheckered paddle style rocker and safety levers, the milled steel mount for the foregrip and the M1928A1 type magazine release catch. When the Thompsons were being built there was little attention paid to getting “correct” parts in the weapons. Often a mixture of new and old design parts were used in the manufacture of the M1A1 Thompsons.
The M1A1 weapons that the Savage and Auto-Ordnance factories produced were identical in appearance and specification, and all parts were completely interchangeable. Unlike the 1928 Thompsons, the manufacturer’s initials, AO or S, were not used as a serial number prefix on the M1 or M1A1. To identify who made a particular M1 or M1A1 Thompson, the manufacturer stamped their code letters on the bottom of the receiver where the front grip mount is fitted. The letters used were S, which indicated Savage manufacture, or AOC for weapons made at the Auto-Ordnance’s Bridgeport plant. As on the previous M1928A1 model, the Auto-Ordnance Corporation name and Bridgeport address is present on the receiver’s right side, regardless of who actually manufactured the weapon. The patent numbers seen marked on 1928 and M1928A1 models were not stamped on the receivers of the M1 and M1A1 weapons. Another change noted in the M1-M1A1 Thompson was the spelling of the word caliber on the receiver. The word was changed from the early spelling of CALIBRE to the U.S. recognized spelling CALIBER.
Another method of identifying the particular manufacturer of an M1 or M1A1 Thompson is by the Army Inspector of Ordnance’s initials stamped on the receiver. M1 series Thompsons produced at the Auto-Ordnance plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut would have the acceptance stamp of the AIO of the Springfield Ordnance District. Very early M1s would have the stamp WB of Colonel Waldemar Broberg on them. Later production would be marked with the GHD stamp of Colonel Guy H. Drewery, GHD. The GHD initials were often stamped near the logo on the left rear side of the receiver.
Savage manufactured M1 and M1A1s would have been stamped with the Army Inspector of Ordnance’s initials of the Rochester, NY Ordnance District. AIOs of the Rochester District were Lt. Colonel Ray L. Bowlin using stamp RLB, and Colonel Frank J. Atwood using his FJA stamp. These were usually stamped near the magazine well on the left side of the receiver. A few early M1 models were stamped with Colonel Bowlin’s RLB stamp, while the majority of the Savage M1 and M1A1’s were stamped with Colonel Atwood’s FJA mark. While the Inspector of Ordnance’s initials appear on the weapons, subordinate officers and their team of inspectors conducted the actual inspection process. All Savage M1 and M1A1 submachine gun receivers and frames were also marked with the encircled GEG acceptance stamp of Auto-Ordnance’s civilian inspector George E. Goll.
Both the M1 and M1A1 models had their serial numbers roll marked on the left rear side of the receiver and a matching number was marked on the trigger frame. The trigger frame number is usually located on the bottom of the trigger guard. Like the 1928 and M1928A1 guns, the M1-M1A1 receivers and frame were originally matched and fitted at the factory, but purely for cosmetic reasons. A mismatched frame-receiver is fairly common and has no bearing on the proper functioning of the weapon. There have been many M1A1 trigger frames documented that did not have serial numbers stamped on them. The practice of placing a duplicate receiver serial number on trigger frames ceased in January of 1943 as per specification AXS-725. However, the practice of selective fitting of frames to receivers still was performed at the factories.
There are some interesting differences in the markings on M1 and M1A1 Thompsons that vary between the weapons manufactured by Savage Arms and those made by Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport. On trigger frames of Savage manufacture, the words FULL AUTO are marked on two lines, while on Auto-Ordnance frames the words FULL AUTO are on one line. Some of the M1A1 Thompsons were marked US PROPERTY on the receiver just behind the rear sight. On Savage produced weapons the letters US are stamped on one line, and the word PROPERTY is on a second line underneath it. The US Property stamp was marked to be read from the rear of the receiver. On Thompsons of Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport manufacture the US PROPERTY was roll marked on one line and was marked to be readable from the front of the weapon. Not all M1A1 Thompson guns had the U.S. Property stamp on them, the reason for this is not known for certain, but one possible explanation could be that those stamped with U.S. Property markings were destined for the Lend-Lease Program. One of the requirements of the Lend-Lease program was that the weapons provided through the program be U.S. marked. There were no early M1 models documented or examined by the author that were U.S. Property marked.
One other minor difference between the early M1 and later M1A1 Thompson’s is the configuration of the receiver. On M1’s the back end of the receiver was squared off and has somewhat sharp edges, while the M1A1’s studied had rounded edges at the rear of their receivers.
On many M1A1 Thompson guns manufactured at the Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport plant the A1 designation appears to have been added by hand stamping. This has led many collectors to believe that these were originally M1 weapons, which is true in part. The Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport facility had a difficult time when changing over from M1928A1 to M1 production, resulting in a several month delay in the start of their M1 production run. This delay was followed by another, when the weapons were rejected by the Springfield Ordnance District inspectors, because their full-auto cyclic rate exceeded the specifications. By the time the problems were resolved, and the Bridgeport plant M1 guns were finally being accepted by Ordnance, the M1 had been superseded as Standard by the M1A1 model. Most all of the receivers on hand at Bridgeport had already been roll marked M1, but were upgraded to the new M1A1 configuration by replacing the bolts. This necessitated the hand stamped addition of the A1 suffix on these weapons at the factory.
In January of 1943 the Ordnance Department announced to the Auto-Ordnance Corporation that the Thompson was going to be replaced by the newly developed U.S. M3 submachine gun. After the Ordnance Department’s official adoption of the M3 submachine gun, Thompson production was scheduled to be concluded in July of 1943. Plans were made to begin tapering off production of the weapon. In April 1943 62,948 M1A1 guns were built, this was reduced to 55,000 in May and 51,667 in June. This left only 5,000 guns remaining to be manufactured in July. Authority was then received from the Ordnance Department in June to procure an additional 60,000 weapons by the end of August. Before the end of August more orders for the Thompson were received from Washington. A total of approximately 119,091 additional Thompson M1A1 models were to be manufactured, providing continuance of production through December of 1943. At the end of December there were enough parts remaining to assemble approximately 4,500 additional guns. In January of 1944 authorization was granted to complete the remaining guns by 15 February 1944. Production briefly resumed in February completing a total of 4,091 additional guns. On February 15, 1944 the very last M1A1 Thompson Submachine Gun was accepted by the government against contract W-478-ORD-1949.
There were several manufacturing problems encountered with the new M3 that had caused Thompson production to be extended for several months until the M3 production difficulties could be solved. By the time of the last procurement of the M1A1 Thompson, the price charged to the United States government had been reduced down to $42.94 per weapon.
M1 and M1A1 Thompsons that were manufactured by Savage were originally assembled with parts produced by the Savage or Stevens companies. M1 and M1A1’s manufactured at Auto-Ordnance’s Bridgeport plant were assembled with parts supplied by a variety of contractors.
The Savage Arms Corporation manufactured an estimated total of 464,800 M1 and M1A1 model Thompsons, while the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport plant turned out an estimated 249,555 M1 and M1A1s.
This article was partially excerpted from the new book “American Thunder, the Military Thompson Submachine Guns”. The book is now available from Chipotle Publishing 702-565-0746

Auto Ordnance 1911 Serial Numbers

This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V6N2 (November 2002) and was posted online on December 20, 2013

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The U.S. Carbine Caliber .30

U.S. Army Ordnance Serial Number Assignments

Serial Number Tables Models M1, M1A1, M2 By Prime Contractor Table A Numerical Order Table B Subcontracted Receivers Table C Leftover Receivers used by Winchester Table D Transferred Receivers Table E Duplicated Serial Numbers Table F Irwin-Pedersen, Grand Rapids, & Saginaw Table G Inland Mfg - Engineering & Presentation Gifts Table H 8 Million Serial Numbers Table I Model T3 T3 Model T4 T4 Understanding Serial Numbers - Understanding Dates of Manufacture Dating a carbine by its serial number alone is difficult and not always accurate given the circumstances inherent with manufacturing and the logistics situation during the time the carbines were manufactured. Some people estimate a carbine's date of manufacture by adding the quantities manufactured month to month to the assigned serial number blocks. This is not an accurate means of estimating the date the carbine was finally assembled or when it passed its final inspection. Serial number blocks were assigned by the Ordnance Department on an as needed basis, generally in response to the awarding of a contract to a given manufacturer. Think of each serial number block as a separate contract. Contracts had a completion date but there was no requirement for completing one contract before starting another. There was no requirement as to using the serial numbers in order. A few manufacturers used some serial number blocks out of order. Some of these blocks were split up and used before or after other blocks. Some manufacturers used more than one block in the same time frame. A few of the manufacturers used subcontractors to manufacture their receivers. One manufacturer separated out smaller blocks of serial numbers for use by subcontractors who would use these serial numbers concurrent to receivers being made by the prime contractor and/or other subcontractors assigned lower or higher serial number blocks. The serial number was placed on the carbine receiver during the manufacturing process of the receiver, not when the carbine was finally assembled. The decision for which receivers would be used for the U.S. Carbine Models M1 or M1A1, and some of the M2's, were made well after the receiver was completed as all of these models used the same receiver. Serial numbered receivers that failed to pass inspection were set aside as rejects if the defect(s) could not be brought up to minimum standards. As solutions to old problems were learned, some of the same receivers were brought back online and completed (i.e. Inland receivers initially rejected because of an off spec deep hole drilled for the recoil spring and guide, later recovered and altered to use a detachable main spring housing). If a receiver was scrapped and not used, its serial number may or may not have been reused. No documentation from Ordnance, or any of the prime contractors, has been found that indicates the date and serial number of carbines as they were assembled or when they passed final inspection. Given the high volume of production, receivers were generally assembled as part of a carbine within a few months after the receiver was serial numbered. Barrels were a critical component in the production lines. If inventory ran out it could shut down production. Four of the prime contractors did not have the ability to manufacture barrels. The ebb and flow of mass production created parts surpluses and shortages for all the prime contractors, barrels included. Shortages were common until Ordnance arranged for additional barrel manufacturers. During the first half of production the barrels were often mounted on a receiver within 1-2 months of when the barrel was made. If a receiver has its original barrel and the barrel includes a date, it may provide a general idea of when the barrel was attached to the receiver. As time goes on more and more carbines are having parts replaced. Parts wear out, carbines are disassembled for the sale of the parts individually. Carbines have been, and still are, rebuilt from spare parts. Many people have reconstructed many carbines with what they believe should have been on the carbine when it left the factory.

U.S. Caliber .30 Carbine Models M1, M1A1 and M2

TABLE A Prime Contractor Prime Contractor Start End IBM 3,651,520 4,009,999 Inland 1 5 11 999,999 2,912,520 3,212,519 4,879,526 5,549,821 6,219,689 6,449,868 6,629,884 7,234,883 7,369,661 8,069,661 National Postal Meter 1,450,000 1,549,999 1,937,520 1,982,519 4,075,010 4,432,099 ...as Commercial Controls (1) 001 239 Quality Hardware 1,550,000 1,662,519 1,875,040 1,937,519 4,432,100 4,532,099 4,632,100 4,879,525 Rock-Ola 1,662,520 1,762,519 4,532,100 4,632,099 6,071,189 6,099,688 6,199,689 6,219,688 Saginaw (S.G.) 3,250,020 3,651,519 5,834,619 6,071,188 Saginaw (S'G')/Irwin-Pedersen 1,762,520 1,875,039 3,212,520 3,250,019 Standard Products 1,982,520 2,352,519 Underwood 1,350,000 1,449,999 2,352,520 2,912,519 4,010,000 4,074,999 6,099,689 6,199,688 Winchester 6 10 1,000,000 1,349,999 4,075,000 4,075,009 5,549,922 5,834,618 6,449,884 6,629,883 7,234,884 7,369,660

TABLE B Numerical Order Start End Prime Contractor Notes 1 5 Inland Toolroom Models (2) 6 10 Winchester Toolroom Models (2) 11 99 Inland Engineering (3) & Experimental (4) 100 999,999 Inland (see Tables C, E, F) 1,000,000 1,349,999 Winchester 1,350,000 1,449,999 Underwood 1,450,000 1,549,999 National Postal Meter 1,550,000 1,662,519 Quality Hardware 1,662,520 1,762,519 Rock-Ola 1,762,520 1,875,039 Irwin-Pedersen/Saginaw (S'G') (see Table G) 1,875,040 1,937,519 Quality Hardware 1,937,520 1,982,519 National Postal Meter 1,982,520 2,352,519 Standard Products 2,352,520 2,912,519 Underwood (see Tables C, D, E) 2,912,520 3,212,519 Inland (see Table C) 3,212,520 3,250,019 Irwin-Pedersen/Saginaw (S'G') (see Table G) 3,250,020 3,651,519 Saginaw (S.G.) (see Table G) 3,651,520 4,009,999 IBM (see Tables C, E, F) 4,010,000 4,074,999 Underwood 4,075,000 4,075,009 Winchester Winchester gift guns 4,075,010 4,432,099 National Postal Meter (see Table C) 4,432,100 4,532,099 Quality Hardware (UN-QUALITY) (see Table C) 4,532,100 4,632,099 Rock-Ola 4,632,100 4,879,525 Quality Hardware 4,879,526 5,549,821 Inland 5,549,822 5,549,921 not assigned 5,549,922 5,834,618 Winchester (see Tables D, F) 5,834,619 6,071,188 Saginaw (S.G.) 6,071,189 6,099,688 Rock-Ola 6,099,689 6,199,688 Underwood 6,199,689 6,219,688 Rock-Ola 6,219,689 6,449,883 Inland 6,449,884 6,629,883 Winchester 6,629,884 7,234,883 Inland Model M1 & Model M2 7,234,884 7,369,660 Winchester Model M1 & Model M2 7,369,661 8,069,661 Inland Model M2 higher s/n's (post WWII) (see Table I)

(1) leftover carbines offered to Ordnance after a company name change and completion of the NPM contract (2) Toolroom Models: Pre-production carbines to test and finalize drawings for mass production (3) Engineering Models: Pilot models made from Engineering Drawings (4) Experimental Models: alternate designs experimenting with ways to reduce the time and cost of production

Notice

Tables C - F

Documents found in the past have identified several prime contractors who assigned subsets of their serial numbers to their subcontractor(s). Data collected over the years has sometimes conflicted with the information in these documents. There are a variety of reasons things may have been changed or simply ignored. Rather than assume the documents were followed to the letter, the serial numbers in tables C-F are presented with the lowest and highest reported to date. We would like to encourage you to share information you may have that will help reconstruct what was actually done versus planned. If you choose to do so please contact us using the forum.

TABLE C Subcontracted Receivers (also see Table E)

Lowest	Highest	Prime Contractor	Code	Subcontractor	Notes
700,126	709,449	Inland	SI	Saginaw S.G., Saginaw, MI	(also see Table E)
707,298	938,380	Inland	SG	Saginaw S.G., Saginaw, MI	(also see Table E)
940,600X	950,919X	Inland	SG	Saginaw S.G., Saginaw, MI	(also see Table F)
2,352,521	2,400,080	Underwood	T	Intertype Corp.	(also see Table D)
2,452,638	2,491,453	Underwood	W	Universal Windings	(also see Table D)
2,572,558	2,601,955	Underwood	S	United Shoe Machine
2,625,041	2,682,871	Underwood	B	Singer Mfg	(also see Table D)
3,152,529	3,199,190	Inland	SG	Saginaw S.G., Saginaw, MI
3,835,477	3,907,689	IBM	AO	Auto-Ordnance	s/n's intermixed w/IBM s/n's (also see Table E & F)
4,325,227	4,387,735	National Postal Peter	U	Union Switch & Signal	the U is different than Underwood ·U·
4,432,255	4,466,225	Quality Hardware	UN-QUALITY	Union Switch & Signal

TABLE D Leftover Receivers used by Winchester

Underwood had receivers in various stages of completion left over when their contract ended. These receivers were purchased by Winchester. What followed was not always consistent and sometimes varied. The information that follows has been reconstructed from the data collected so far. It is not unusual to find a receiver that doesn't fit these criteria. The focus at Winchester was meeting production quotas during a time of high demand.

- Underwood receivers that had not yet been hardened: Winchester removed the Underwood name and serial number, then replaced them with the Winchester name and serial number.

- Receivers that retained the Underwood name: Winchester sometimes lined out the Underwood name, sometimes not.

Winchester added the letters W A or A W to the bevel of the receiver. - If the receiver had an Underwood subcontractor code, the subtractor code was left in place between the W A or A W. - One or both of the letters of the W A or A W code may be difficult to see. Some have been reported with only one of the two letters or in combination with an Underwood subcontractor code. - The significance of the letter A is unclear.

Lowest	Highest	Info	Code
1,244,697	1,290,339	Underwood name removed, Winchester name & s/n	A W
2,38x,xxx	2,404,928	Underwood name not lined out, Underwood s/n	WTA
2,485,125	2,491,867	Underwood name not lined out, Underwood s/n	WwA
5,759,1xx	5,801,924	Winchester name, Winchester s/n	T
5,814,798	5,820,062	Underwood name removed, Winchester name & s/n	A W
6,461,479	6,482,225	Underwood name lined out, Winchester s/n	A W, W A
6,473,811	?	Underwood name lined out, Winchester s/n	No Code
6,497,153	6,614,551	Underwood name lined out, Winchester s/n	B, BA, ABW, BW

TABLE E Transferred Receivers

Ordnance required the name of the prime contractor to be defaced by a single narrow horizontal line. The
identification mark of the receiving facility was to be added at the rear of the serial number.

Serial numbered receivers transferred were not restricted to a certain block of serial numbers. Some were sequential but many were not.

Lowest	Highest	Info	Code
126,794	127,006	Inland s/n'd receivers sent to National Postal Meter	N
438,xxx	590,828	Inland s/n'd receivers sent to Rockola	Rockola
496,xxx	634,161	Inland s/n'd receivers sent to Underwood	·U·
702,607	?	Inland s/n'd receivers from SI subcontract sent to Underwood	·U·
724,318	751,395	Inland s/n'd receivers from SG subcontract sent to Underwood	·U·
1,765,761	1,769,771	Irwin Pedersen s/n'd receivers sent to Underwood	·U·
2,743,286	2,770,326	Underwood s/n'd receivers sent to National Postal Meter	N
3,842,177	3,846,371	IBM s/n'd receivers from AO subcontract sent to National Postal Meter	N
4,049,244	?	Underwood s/n'd receivers sent to National Postal Meter	N

TABLE F Serial Numbers Duplicated (including use of X Suffix)

Auto Ordnance Corp Serial Numbers

Prime contractors and/or subcontractors sometimes ran over their assigned serial number block and into a block assigned to
another prime contractor and/or subcontractor, creating duplicate serial numbers. Ordnance dealt with this by directing
an X be added after the serial number of the receiver that exceeded the assigned block if duplicates were found.

There is insufficient data to determine if every serial number between the lows and highs was duplicated or if it was random.
It is assumed some were sequential but possibly not all. More data submissions are needed to help determine any patterns.

Lowest	Highest	Manufacturer	Code	Details
940,600X	950,919X	Saginaw subcontract for Inland	X at end of s/n	Duplication of Inland s/n's
3,651,550	3,651,898	SG	?	Duplication of IBM s/n's
3,835,477-X	3,907,689-X	IBM	no identifying markings	IBM duplicated some of s/n's they assigned to AO
4,800,004	4,801,447	Quality Hardware	X below s/n	Possible duplication of their own s/n's
5,550,040-X	5,550,285-X	Inland	-X below s/n	Overrun into unassigned s/n block & Winchester s/n's
5,550,148	5,812,437	Winchester	D below s/n	Significance unknown
5,557,074-X	5,557,996-X	Inland	-X below s/n	Machine error duplicating Winchester s/n's

TABLE G Irwin-Pedersen, Grand Rapids, & Saginaw

None of the carbines produced by Irwin-Pedersen (IP) were accepted by Ordnance. Saginaw Steering Gear in nearby Saginaw, MI was already engaged in the preparation for the manufacture of carbines along with providing subcontracted receivers for Inland. The Irwin-Pedersen contracts were terminated by Ordnance. An Ordnance supplement to the Saginaw Steering Gear (SG) contract turned over carbine production at the Grand Rapids facility (S'G') to Saginaw Steering Gear. Irwin-Pedersen Numbers Reassigned to Saginaw at Grand Rapids Grand Rapids manufactured their own receivers as well as using viable IP marked and serialized receivers they had acquired in the takeover. Serial numbers IP had not yet used were used by S'G'. As were serial numbers from IP receivers that were scrapped

Serial Number Range		S/N Block Reassigned to	Markings on Receivers	Notes
1,762,520	1,875,039	Saginaw Grand Rapids	Irwin-Pedersen or Saginaw S'G'	names are intermixed
3,212,520	3,250,019	Saginaw Grand Rapids	Irwin-Pedersen or Saginaw S'G'	names are intermixed

Saginaw Receivers with SG Subcontractor Markings Receivers produced at the Saginaw plant under subcontract to Inland initially had the SI receiver code on the left side of the receiver below the wood line. The receiver code was soon changed to SG. Receivers with the SG receiver code were intended for use by Inland though they were also used by Saginaw. The serial numbers and manufacturer names identify who actually used the receiver.

Auto Ordnance Corp 1911 Serial Numbers

Serial Number Range		S/N Block Assigned to	Markings on Receivers	Notes
3,250,020	3,651,519	Saginaw	SG	SG on left side of some receivers, not all

Saginaw SG Markings on Receivers with Grand Rapids Serial Numbers Among the last 1000 serial numbers of a block assigned to the Grand Rapids plant, receivers manufactured in Saginaw with SG markings have been reported mixed in with S'G' marked receivers manufactured in Grand Rapids.

Serial Number Range		S/N Block Assigned to	Markings on Receivers	Notes
3,249,020	3,250,019	Grand Rapids	S'G', some SG	possibly as many as 1000 SG receivers

SG and S'G' Mix of Receivers and Serial Numbers The data submitted for this serial number range is insufficient to reconstruct what was done by which of the two facilities with each others receivers. The data on these receivers, serial numbers, and prime contractor names is an ongoing research project that needs your help. Serial Number Range S/N Block Assigned to 3,541,000 3,651,519 Saginaw Saginaw receivers with Saginaw serial numbers have been reported with S'G' markings. At least one document has been found that indicates Saginaw received Ordnance authorization to sent an unknown quantity of receivers to Grand Rapids. These receivers may not have had serial numbers when provided to Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids facility stopped carbine production on 01 Jan 1944 but continued to make receivers and trigger housings which were sent to the Saginaw Plant for assembly. Assistance Request If you own one of these carbines and would like to assist with the reconstruction of this history, we have a short survey on our forum (with instructions) for you to submit by CLICKING HERE.

TABLE H Inland Manufacturing Engineering & Presentation Gift Serial Numbers (not government issue)

Letter prefixes X through XD were initially allocated by Inland for carbines intended for internal use only. The letters were followed by numbers (i.e. XA27, XA62, XD14). XA through XD was assigned for use by their Engineering Section on carbines built for testing and evaluation by their engineers. The quantity of carbines used by their Engineering Section varied so the numbers with each prefix also varied. Inland later decided to present carbines as gifts to Inland employees, subcontractors, suppliers, members of the military or government, and others to show appreciation for their assistance and cooperation with Inlands war effort. The serial numbers allocated to these carbines were as follows.

Start Serial Number End Serial Number X1 X100 XA1 XA100 XB1 XB100* XC1 XC100 XD1 XD100 XE1 XE100 XF1 XF100 XG1 XG100 * XB271 is a documented exception

This resulted in an unknown number of 'presentation' carbines possibly having the same serial number as the earlier Engineering carbines. The carbines used for this purpose were not from inventory submitted to or accepted by the government. Many were constructed using whatever parts were available. Examples being outdated parts and prototype parts that had accumulated throughout the various departments within Inland over the years of production. This included a few of the previous Engineering carbines no longer needed. Carbines that have one of these serial numbers may be an Engineering prototype, a 'presentation' carbine, or both. They are a specialty that requires each be assessed individually to determine its historical significance. They should not be altered or fired. Doing so may alter their historical value. Assistance Available Should you own one of these carbines we may have additional information on your carbine that is beyond the scope of this website. We can be contacted at the following e-mail address.

TABLE I Carbines with a Serial Number above 8 million

Post WWII, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance (OCO) assigned replacement numbers to armories, arsenals, and depots for carbines having damaged or obliterated serial numbers. Numbers were issued sequentially, beginning where Ordnance had left off with serial number blocks assigned during WWII. The letter X preceding the serial number designated it as a replacement. The new serial number was hand stamped on top of the receiver behind the rear sight, in the vicinity of the prior serial number.

Quantity	Start	End	Assigned to:	Date/Notes
WWII
-	7,369,661	8,099,661	Inland	assigned block - M2's
-	8,069,662	8,084,811	Winchester	assigned block - M3's - not used
Post WWII - Assigned by Office of the Chief of Ordnance - Documents unclear if X added
9	8,084,812	8,084,820	'Mr. Thompson', Field Services	04 Mar 1949
1	8,084,821	National Guard Bureau	date unk
1	8,084,822	Raritan Arsenal	14 Feb 1950
Post WWII - Assigned by Office of the Chief of Ordnance - X Prefix
3	X8,084,823	X8,084,825	Raritan Arsenal	18 Feb 1950
1	X8,084,826	Missouri National Guard	17 Jul 1950
1	X8,084,827	Florida National Guard	04 Apr 1951
25	X8,084,828	X8,084,852	Rock Island Arsenal	15 Jun 1951
1	X8,084,853	California National Guard	date unk
1	X8,084,854	Mt. Ranier Ordnance Depot	18 Sep 1951
1	X8,084,855	Raritan Arsenal	28 Nov 1951
25	X8,084,856	X8,084,880	Mt. Ranier Ordnance Depot	10 Dec 1951
200	X8,084,881	X8,085,080	Rock Island Arsenal	30 Jan 1952
20	X8,085,081	X8,085,100	not reported	18 Feb 1952
2	X8,085,101	X8,085,102	Raritan Arsenal	14 Sep 1953
1	X8,085,103	National Guard (no State indicated)	15 Jan 1954
1	X8,085,104	Sampson AFB	17 Aug 1954

The addition of the serial number on the top of the receiver forward of the rear sight indicates
the serial number behind the rear sight was obscured by an adjustable rear sight.

Inland	Winchester
4 Digits: 0001- 0835 5 Digits: 00001-00900	5 Digits: 01701-07545

Auto Ordnance Serial Numbers 1927

Inland	Winchester
6 Digits: 000001-unknown (also used standard s/n's)	used standard s/n's

Auto Ordnance 1911a1 Serial Numbers

Serial Number stamped Twice

If an adjustable rear sight obscured the serial number, Ordnance personnel were authorized
to also stamp the number on top of the receiver between the rear sight and bolt.

Auto Ordnance M1 Carbine Serial Numbers

Other Letters

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