bfryar44 Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Need some information on serial numbers for my Dummy BAR M1918A2 that I have currently at the engravers. He is engraving the top of the receiver to match the rest of the parts on my BAR. It is N.E. Small Arms Corp. and the barrel is dated 9-43. I will be stamping the serial number but I need to know what range of numbers to use for the serial number. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leid Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Hi, NESA's assign serial number range was 500,000-750,000. There is a documented 1918A2 NESA with a barrel dated 10-43 with a serial number of 5252XX. And the earliest serial number I see listed on a NESA known to exist today is 5213XX. The original purchase order for the first contract called for 16,288 NESA BARs: 8,037 model 1918 and 8,251 model 1918A2. But I have never seen a NESA 1918, so the order might have been changed to all 1918A2 BARs or the original 1918s might have been modernized to 1918A2 configuration. Jim Ballou, author of "Rock in a Hard Place", would have more accurate info for you. Merry Christmas! Carey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21 smoker Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 bfryar44,...my NESA 1918A2 has a barrel date of 6-44 and a serial no. 642xxx to give some first hand info...hth.. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif Merry Christmas to all!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfryar44 Posted December 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 21 smoker and leid, Thanks for the information and Merry Christmas to all! bfryar44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leid Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Hi bfryar44, I found what you need. S/N from 517,922 to 523,921 correspond to serial numbers of NESA BARs made in the month of 09-43. Just pick a S/N that you like except S/N 521,389. That S/N M1918A2 NESA BAR is documented to still exist in the MoD Pattern Room collection. Hi Smoker, S/N from 569,489 to 574,488 correspond to NESA BARs made in the month of 06-44. S/N from 638,999 to 647,998 correspond to NESA BARs made in the month of 05-45. So your barrel was made and dated in 6-44, but your S/N 642,XXX NESA M1918A2 BAR was made in 05-45. Cessation of hostilities with Japan took place on August 14, 1945. You definately have a "War Baby" BAR. NESA made a total of 168,363 M1918A2 BARs. IBM made another 20,017 M1918A2s. Total production of M1918A2 BARs for WW2 was 188,380 accepted between 01-43 & 08-45. Above data can be found in "Rock in a Hard Place" p 153, 166 & 213. I just crunched the numbers. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Carey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfryar44 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Many thanks leid. bfryar44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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