M14 serial number decoding?

slushee

slushee

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I was just replacing the springs in my Norc M14 bolt when I started looking at the stampings on the receiver.

The stampings I have on the left side of the receiver (as a right hand person would hold it to shoot it) are as follows:

Above the stock line
M14 .308 NORINCO
MADE IN CHINA CJA SFLD. MI.

009755

Below the stock line
4 3 49 39 24

No stampings on the heal of the rifle. The bolt has 09755 poorly electro stencled into the underside of it. There are no other serial number type stampings on the rifle that I know of.

I've scoured google, and came up with CJA standing for China Jing An Southfield Michigan.

Obviously 009755 is my serial number.

There is a website that states the first # below the stock line is the year of manufacture (1994), the second is the month of manufacture (March) and the third sometimes means the day of manufacture (no 49 days in March haha).

I was curious if anyone could substantiate the above information or provide any additional information?

This rifle was bought by me back in i believe 2007 from Dark International http://darkinternational.com/ The only issue i've had with this rifle was a chipped firing pin head which has been replaced by a good Samaritan (thread can be searched on this forum for pics).

Thanks in advance and Merry Cat-mas everyone!
 
So i seem to have answered some of my own questions.

Below is an excerpt from M14 History and Development available from w ww.milsurps.com

Chinese M14 Rifle Export to Canada
Alan Lever of Lever Arms Service Ltd. (Vancouver, BC) imported Norinco M14 type rifles into Canada in 1988. Century Arms International imported both Norinco and Poly Technologies M14 type rifles into Canada during the early 1990s. Some Norinco receivers imported around 2002 to 2003 by Marstar Canada and by Lever Arms Service in 1988, e.g., serial number AL000680, had a blued finish instead of a phosphate coating. These receivers lack the scope mount vertical groove lug and boss. Instead, these receivers are flat on the left side have the bolt hole drilled and tapped and the horizontal groove is still present. At least some of these blued receivers are marked Model 305 7.62X51 on the left side of the receiver, e.g., serial number AL000680. At some point, Norinco serial number AL000844 found its way to Finland from Canada. Dark International Trading Company (Ontario) imported Norinco M14 rifles from 1997 until at least September 2007. From September 2003 until November 2008, Marstar Canada, Inc. (Vankleek Hill, Ontario) imported Norinco M14 rifles into Canada with the receivers exhibiting the CJA marking seen on American imports. These complete rifles were assembled with new Chinese manufacture parts but the receivers were the last of the residual inventory from production in the mid-1990s. At least some of these rifles are marked with the year of assembly, e.g., 2007, on the right hand side of the receiver. By 2007, the production machines used to manufacture Chinese semi-automatic only M14 receivers had been laid up for many years.
Aside from the blued finish M305 models lacking the receiver scope mount geometry, the Norinco rifles imported by Marstar had the slotted flash suppressor and scope mount recoil lug. The left side of each receiver imported in 2004 and 2005 was stamped as follows: first line - M14 .308 second line - CJA SFLD MICH third line – NORINCO MADE IN CHINA and the six digit serial number. A May 2006 import was marked on the left side of the receiver as follows: first line - M14 .308 NORINCO 00###X second line - MADE IN CHINA SFLD, MI. The fit and finish of Norinco rifles entering Canada after 2000 are judged to be better than that found on the 1980s and 1990s M14 type rifles exported to the United States. These M14 rifles still have chu wood stocks. Reportedly, USGI bolts fit properly in these post-‘00 assembled Norinco M14 rifles. The bolt hardness is also markedly higher than bolts exported to the United States before 1994. Marstar Canada marketed the Norinco M14 rifles as the M-305 and backed them with a one year parts and labor warranty. Marstar Canada received subsequent export shipments of Norinco M14 rifles from China in November 2006, November 2007 and the last one in November 2008.
Click to expand...

So, there we have that part of my question, so the theory of my receiver being manufactured in March of 1994 could be valid. Any idea what the rest of these numbers could mean? 4 3 49 39 24
 
Last edited:
slushee said:
So, there we have that part of my question, so the theory of my receiver being manufactured in March of 1994 could be valid. Any idea what the rest of these numbers could mean? 4 3 49 39 24
Click to expand...

Your receiver was manufactured in March 1994. I'm working on decoding the rest of the sequence. The lotto number format is not the same throughout the Chinese semi-auto receiver production but it does follow a logical date and numbering sequence. I have a theory on the remainder of the number format but it's easier to explain if it you were to see the spreadsheet of Chinese receiver lotto numbers I'm amassing.
 
slushee said:
So, there we have that part of my question, so the theory of my receiver being manufactured in March of 1994 could be valid. Any idea what the rest of these numbers could mean? 4 3 49 39 24
Click to expand...

I'm wearing my lucky Feng Shui ball cap right now and it's telling me that you SHOULD play those numbers for the Saturday 649 draw! :evil:

:cheers:

Barney
 
I've got AL00040 and AL00087 :D
Both have no factory markings whatsoever, do not have scope mount detail and serial number was definately not put on at the factory and are located under the windage knob.
 
The Chinese New Year starts at a different time from ours so is it possible that the 49 is the 49th day of the year? In 1994 New Years Day on the chinese Calendar fell on January 22nd, so at 49 days to that and it puts it into March. The other numbers are likely plant and line numbers.
 
huntermb said:
The Chinese New Year starts at a different time from ours so is it possible that the 49 is the 49th day of the year? In 1994 New Years Day on the chinese Calendar fell on January 22nd, so at 49 days to that and it puts it into March. The other numbers are likely plant and line numbers.
Click to expand...

Kung Hai Fat Choy!
 
huntermb said:
The Chinese New Year starts at a different time.
Click to expand...

True but that's not how the lotto number format was used. The first imports into the United States by Keng's Firearms Specialty used this format, 88 XX XX, 88 signifyng 1988 as the year of manufacture. The United Nations has regulations on firearms markings for export. Those regulations may be the reason why the semi-automatic only receivers are marked with the date code. For the Chinese M14, there's only one plant, State Arsenal 356.
 
M14Doctor said:
I've got AL00040 and AL00087 :D
Both have no factory markings whatsoever, do not have scope mount detail and serial number was definately not put on at the factory and are located under the windage knob.
Click to expand...

If AL00040 and AL00087 have the center dismount notch and operating rod rail forward end underside groove, they won't have any lotto number markings as they were manufactured in the 1960s.
 
Different said:
If AL00040 and AL00087 have the center dismount notch and operating rod rail forward end underside groove, they won't have any lotto number markings as they were manufactured in the 1960s.
Click to expand...

They have none of the features associated with the usgi M14 connector assembly. They are much smoother in surface finish and parkerized. They have no stampings under stock line. The only markings are the serial numbers.
 
Today I discovered another "oddity" while disecting a new "canam" shorty.
This is the factory 18.5" barrelled version.
The flash hider is the bayonet lugged version and it has a number stamped on the bottom side of the vaned portion. The number is "030572", and does not match the serial number like the other parts do (ie; bolt, trigger, oprod all have serial number)

This 030572 does not correspond to the usgi part number either so is a bit of a mystery. I've inspected 100's of chinese flash hiders and this is the first one I've seen with any stampings.
 
Different said:
Thomas, I've seen a few Chinese flash suppressors with five or six digit numbers. It's a 1960s part.
Click to expand...

wow, a 1960's part on a 2011 import rifle, looks like I'll keep that hider in my oddity collection. It is well machined.

As for the AL serial number receivers, yes, they both have the barrel set screw hole.
I've got one other receiver that has a 5 digit number under the stock line, left side. No other markings anywhere. It has set screw hole, no selector/connector arm features, does have correct scope mount detail. I just put a 2009 barrel on it and when I went to install a 2009 bolt, it engages the lugs but only closes 80%. Lapping her in is gonna yield headspace measurement in the .308 match ballpark.... I'm a happy camper ;)
 
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