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I saw a model 70 receiver serial 39850A. Ive never seen a Model 70 serial with an A behind it. The guy was a military match shooter and its a loose receiver. I thought of the military stamping an A behind duplicate serials. Is this military or commercial?
It is for sure a pre WW2 receiver by features.
Steve,
Are you sure that it was a Model 70 receiver? The number you mention appears to be a Model 54 receiver.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 5, 2014
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Steve-
I suspect (as usual) that Bert is correct 
. The bare receivers of the M54 and M70 are quite similar in appearance except for the absence of a slot for the bolt release on the M54 and some milling differences underneath to accommodate the different trigger, bolt stop, etc. Did the number look like this (M54 S/N 37440A):
The “A” suffix was added to to M54 serial numbers around 21,000 and denoted a change in the design of the extractor. I imagine it helped the parts department send out correct replacements.
On the M70, duplicate serial numbers were initially indicated by a letter prefix, e.g. D39850. Later this was changed to a “x” suffix, e.g. 422990x. Since the letter prefix/suffix was hand stamped only after the erroneous duplicate serial number was noticed, the letter stamp is usually misaligned, and in the case of the “x” often smaller.
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
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