Any association between Remington build# and Colt serial#

[GaryKeim]

While reading TD's great book, An Amateur's Guide for the Colt's Thompson Submachine Gun, I discover the Remington build#'s on the inside of the butt stock. Is there any association between that number and the gun's serial number? For instance, should they be relatively close or no, there's no association?

 

My '28 Navy is #7976 and the Remington build is #11243.

 

As an aside, I really wished I had this book prior to my acquisition (it wasn't available yet), but it's great to find out that the gun is 100% original, even the oiler. All the other items pointed out that can be used to validate originality are fascinating too, from the spacing of "U. S. A." on the rear sight to the ways to check if a barrel may have been replaced.

Edited September 23, 2019 by GaryKeim

[TD.]

GaryKeim,

Thank you for the kind words about my book. The numbers applied to the butt stock and butt plate are known as "assembly numbers." I would assume the butt stocks were supplied by Remington Arms to Auto-Ordnance at Colt's in batches or lots. The number of letter R's on the butt plate assembly (see page 21) may be a good indicator if your butt stock was in one of the early lots. Not that it really matters for a Colt's in the 7000 serial number range.

 

As part of my PowerPoint presentation at the Thompson Collectors Association Show & Shoot last Saturday I included a few pictures of recently examined Colt Thompson NO 91. The butt plate and assembly numbers were 2 digits (but not matching); the first 2 digit assembly numbers I have seen! As expected, the butt plate assembly had three R's.

 

The assembly number on the butt plate and butt stock by Remington Arms have nothing to do with the serial number of the Colt Thompsons. Any matching numbers or even numbers close together would be purely coincidental. Same with the numbered L and C drums.