Fazakerley Serial Number
Printed From: Enfield-Rifles.com
Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Enfield Rifles
Forum Description: Anything that has to do with the great Enfield rifles!
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11232
Printed Date: March 26 2026 at 4:32pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.07 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Fazakerley Serial Number
Posted By: 105GunGrunt
Subject: Fazakerley Serial Number
Date Posted: February 18 2021 at 8:28pm
|
From all of my research I can't seem to find any reference to the serial number on my No 4, Mk 2. The left side of the receiver is stamped: No4 Mk2 (F) 10/49 PF 140 299 Bolt and magazine have the same PF 140 299 number. Help!!
|
Replies:
Posted By: Bear43
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 7:18am
| What are you trying to find out? |
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 7:31am
|
what the gap is? 140#229? ------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 7:54am
| that is the serial number , straton has a list of which serial numbers are related to what contracts , i no longer have my copy - someone here that does can check it for you , |
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 9:41am
|
It must be either: a seven digit number. Or 2 X 3-digit numbers separated by a space? That's got me buffaloed. I'm guessing a mis-strike, but its hard to guess second hand.
------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: Bear43
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 10:16am
For a while they had a period in there for a thousands separator. Here is my 1948 as an example: |
Posted By: devrep
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 10:20am
|
mine is July of 49 and is 5 digits. it has a comma (looks more like a period) after the first 2 digits. maybe your space is the comma between the first 3 and last 3 digits. ------------- double gun |
Posted By: devrep
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 10:21am
. ------------- double gun |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 1:41pm
| there ya go - explained , now whoever has a copy of stratton available tell hi which contract it was made for , |
Posted By: Bear43
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 1:42pm
|
devrep, you serial is 6 digits. Look at mine and then yours. It is only a 3 sided box around the PF. The first digit in your serial is 1. Plus, yours being a 7/49, mine a 7/48 the serial number on yours wouldn't be lower than mine. They didn't restart the numbering after switching to the Mk 2.
A_square, I was planning to do that when I get home tonight.
|
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 1:53pm
| thanks , you reaffirm the fact that this is the best enfield site with all the best people , hope you and yours are safe and well , ill be looking at a new date after this covid crap goes away to try to get together for lunch , i felt bad our last meeting was so limited , |
Posted By: devrep
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 3:58pm
|
I didn't realize that the box was 3 sided. as to our 2 serial numbers yours is a mk1 and mine is a mark 2. would they be in the same serial number string?
------------- double gun |
Bear43 wrote:Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 4:06pm
|
Well I ain't ded yet! I learned sumptin' today! Thanks guys! ------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: 105GunGrunt
Date Posted: February 19 2021 at 8:23pm
|
Thanks for all of the input. Upon closer inspection my 6 digits are separated by a ".", or period. After a bit more research I found the accepted starting point for Mk 2s is PF100,000, thus mine was the 40,299th one made. I also believe, but the information is sketchy, the initial batch was contracted to South Africa. Thanks again for all of the help.
|
Posted By: devrep
Date Posted: February 20 2021 at 9:24am
the fine fellows on this forum informed me that this mark on mine is a South African government mark.
------------- double gun |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: February 20 2021 at 7:15pm
| ok , not that certain , but ill accept that for the time being , i was under the impression that SA markings were a "U" but im always open to learning new things of something i know less about - ive never owned a SA rifle myself , |
Posted By: devrep
Date Posted: February 21 2021 at 12:50am
|
I believe that is a big U that is only half struck, I think it was Goosic who pointed it out. It was a while back, ------------- double gun |
Posted By: Bear43
Date Posted: February 21 2021 at 7:24am
|
105GunGrunt, I looked things up and your rifles falls into a range where I can't find specific contract information. Sorry. devrep, when Fazakerley switched over to the Mk 2 they didn't reset the serial numbers, they kept going. There was some overlap on serial numbers as well. It seems they estimated Mk 1 production and overran the estimate to have an overlap with Mk 2 serial numbers. In Stratton's book it is also stated that the lowest observed Mk 2 serial number is in the 80,000 range. As to the mark, I wish it was more complete but it is entirely possible yours came out of South Africa. Mine was there too and a whole lot of these early PF series rifles ended up there. Are there any more markings like that? Some were stamped here and there while some, mine in particular, were stamped all over the place. A_Square, I am happy to help when I can and I'm sure that's why I ended up with your books and notes. You know I'll share the info. And yes, we do need to meet up again. Hopefully this pandemic will run its course soon and things will open back up so we can have a nice long sitdown.
|
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: February 21 2021 at 6:43pm
| look forward to it my friend , and yes i knew you would share , not a lot of folks bought strattons books because of the missing and in some cases erroneous info , but we have to work with what we have and skennerton did not cover some of the details stratton tried to provide , |
Posted By: blackx
Date Posted: March 01 2022 at 6:29am
he!!o, I joined today as I have a SN question for a Fazarkerly No 4 Mk 1. Is it really PF911? On the receiver and bolt or what is on the bottom of the magazine which appears to be PF 455 911 ?   |
Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: March 02 2022 at 3:56am
| That’s does look like PF 911. Perhaps the magazine was renumbered. |
Posted By: blackx
Date Posted: March 02 2022 at 5:09am
| Thank you. Does it make sense that the number would be so low? |
Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: March 02 2022 at 6:52am
|
That is one of the lowest serial numbers I have seen to date.
The 458 stamp indented the magazine and would not be inline with with Fazackerly's numbering process IMHO. The PF and the 911 looks correct however.
|
Posted By: blackx
Date Posted: March 02 2022 at 7:03am
| Thank you. |
Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: March 02 2022 at 9:41am
Someone will surely correct me here but, from my standpoint, it is not at all problematic that you have an extremely low numbered rifle. These were not intended to be collector item at the time of manufacture. Did you pay a reasonable price for the rifle and are you happy with the purchase? The low serial number would just be an added bonus if I answered yes to the questions I just posed...
|
Posted By: Strangely Brown
Date Posted: April 28 2022 at 12:46pm
|
11/47 is far too late for the serial number to be part of normal production; Stratton's book unfortunately misses out some of the Fazackerley special order blocks of which there are many and this list below is far from complete. I have yet to see a Fazackerley prefix with a double PP, has anybody on here witnessed one? Numbers not found in Stratton's Book. (This isn't a knock regarding his book which I have found to be a good "primer" on the subject) circa 1951/1954 PF405513 - PF405712 ADMIRALTY PF405813 - PF405848 PF411229 - PF411264 PF361160 - PF361259 PARKER HALE PF404157 - PF404206 PARKER HALE Unknown contracts PF401496 - PF404156 2661 RIFLES PF404207 - PF405392 1186 RIFLES PF405413 - PF405512 100 RIFLES PF405713 - PF405812 100 RIFLES PF405849 - PF407448 1600 RIFLES PF407729 - PF411228 3500 RIFLES PF411472 - PF412789 1318 RIFLES SPECIAL ORDERS PP1 - PP43 PARKER HALE PP44 - PP47 ------------- Mick |