#Remington model 12 serial number 163xxx code

I'm close, but I'm having trouble finding help with the last few details. I've been trying to gather enough information to put together a complete, well-explained guide to dating 870s. Some even call the barrel date stamp a serial number. These are two different things, but most of the 'guides' online don't explain this very well, if they even try. It's because you're taking the first two letters from the serial number, and looking them up as if they were a barrel date stamp. From several different sources, of which Remington is one of them, that tells me it was manufactured in November 1998, 1969, or 1925. Jwtubs wrote:I just bought a new in box 870 tactical with a Blackhawk Special Ops II stock and pistol grip from a small independent dealer/sporting goods store. If you want to be absolutely sure, call or email Remington and have them look up your gun's serial number. However, if you can identify several features that line up with one of your date possibilities, you should be able to identify the correct one fairly confidently. Keep in mind that barrels can be changed, guns can be refinished, and old parts can be replaced with new ones, so these things won't always reflect a specific date with 100% surety. A decent overview of which models and features were available when can be found here. Other things that help separate 1978 from 1996 are screw-in chokes (introduced in 1986), Express models (1987), and nickel-plated finishes (1992). If your 870 is a 12ga, and you're trying to figure out whether it was made in 1978 or 1996 (which are on opposite sides of the '80s), your shell carrier will give you a strong clue. For example, in the mid-1980s, Remington implemented some minor design updates to the action on 12ga 870s, including a 'U'-shaped cut-out in the shell carrier that prevented a certain type of malfunction from binding the gun's action.

In addition to what TuJays said, the barrel date stamps usually take long enough to repeat that you can get a pretty solid idea of which potential date applies to your gun based on its features. Jaydaddy1 wrote:How can I tell if I have a 78 or 96? O - Jul W - Aug D - Sep E - Oct R - Nov X - Dec

#Remington model 12 serial number 163xxx code

Then look on the left side of the barrel near the receiver and look for a two letter date code stamp and follow this chart with the first letter being the month and the second being the year the barrel was made ī - Jan L - Feb A - Mar C - Apr K - May P - Jun LW MAGNUM (ALSO INCLUDES M/1100 “LT”)ġ963 TO APPROX. “LIGHT WEIGHT” (“LW”) (ALSO INCLUDES M/1100 “LT”) Model 870 LETTER SUFFIX (DESIGNATES GAUGE) Cary wrote:How do I find out the date of manufacture for my 870 Express using the serial number? Is there a key for deciphering the serial number to figure this out? Thanks for your help.Ĭall Remington and give them the serial number, they will tell you when it was born, however keep in mind they due make errors.īack up what they tell you with this information ġ950 TO APPROX 1968: NO SERIAL NUMBER PREFIXġ968 TO PRESENT: LETTERS USED (IN SEQUENCE)