During my visit to Smith Enterprise, Inc. on 03/02/08, I asked Ron Smith if he knew the meaning behind the numbers found below the stock line on the 1980s and 1990s production Chinese M14 receivers.  For clarity, the 1965 (nineteen sixty-five) vintage Chinese M14 receivers do not have any numbers on the receivers below the stock line.  There was a customer's Poly Technologies M14S receiver in the shop so he showed me how to decipher the secret code.  I'll not reveal that serial number out of respect.  After he explained it, I'm sure he saw a light bulb turn on over my head. I said, "It figures it would be that simple."  Can I get a, "Duh!"

Here's the explanation, M14 fans.  It's a date code. It's not perfectly straightforward as there are often additional numbers but it's the answer.  Here are some examples from reports provided by owners along with the interpretation:

Poly Technologies s/n 00689 (88 03 14) = March 14, 1988
Poly Technologies s/n 00827 (88 06 3) = June 03, 1988
Poly Technologies s/n 01965 (88 3 7) = March 07, 1988
Poly Technologies s/n 02116 (0 8 4 02 6) = August 04, 1990
Poly Technologies s/n 08162 (1 08 19 3) = August 19, 1991
Poly Technologies s/n 14584 (3 4 19 37 7) = April 19, 1993
Poly Technologies s/n 17096 (3 5 11 8 7) = May 11, 1993
Poly Technologies s/n 21671 (3 7 22 18 10) = July 22, 1993

Norinco s/n C01050 (3 3 6 34 67) = March 06, 1993
Norinco s/n C08312 (3 10 13 27 17) = October 13, 1993
Norinco s/n 000450 (3 11 30 48 20) = November 30, 1993
Norinco s/n 93046 (93 4 6) = April 06, 1993
Norinco s/n 185928 (1 8 5 9 2 8) = August 05, 1991

Some examples for our Canadian brothers:

Norinco s/n 001265 (3 12 2 37 20) = December 02, 1993
Norinco s/n 005778 (4 2 14 30 23) = February 14, 1994 (Will you be my Valentine? )
Norinco s/n 0012687 (4 4 8 30 25) = April 08, 1994

One thing to keep in mind is that the serial numbers were not always stamped in chronological order.  In other words, a receiver with an older date code may have a lower serial number above the stock line.  Likewise, the serial numbers were not imported in perfect sequential order.  This is especially true for post-US ban receivers and rifles imported into Canada.

Quoted: During my visit to Smith Enterprise, Inc. on 03/02/08, I asked Ron Smith if he knew the meaning behind the numbers found below the stock line on the 1980s and 1990s production Chinese M14 receivers. Poly Technologies s/n 00689 (88 03 14) = March 14, 1988 Poly Technologies s/n 01965 (88 3 7) = March 07, 1988

Thank you Lee  ~ Outstanding detective work !!




My pair of Poly Tech M14s just celebrated their 20th birthdays 1 week apart !!
Gifts of Portuguese NATO surplus are appropriate - 20 round boxes are preferred

October 24, 1995, be careful what you post.

Based on date codes reported to me by owners, including some photos, and what John at Marstar Canada has stated at canadiangunnutz, production of M14 receivers continued until at least September 1996 at State Arsenal 356, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.

What does 5 19 7  1 mean? This is from an IDE imported Poly.  Am I to assume that somehow IDE imorted Poly Techs made in 1995? Not likely.

Quoted: What does 5 19 7  1 mean? This is from an IDE imported Poly.  Am I to assume that somehow IDE imorted Poly Techs made in 1995? Not likely.

You're correct.  Chinese M14 receivers imported into Canada as late as 2007 (two thousand seven) are marked CJA.  Don't read too much into the date code, especially as to when a receiver or rifle was imported.  Another possible explanation is that there is a "1" or "3" lightly stamped to the left of the "5" and it is hidden by the phosphate coating.  It's a possibility for some of the IDE USA marked receivers.

Quoted: Quoted: What does 5 19 7  1 mean? This is from an IDE imported Poly.  Am I to assume that somehow IDE imorted Poly Techs made in 1995? Not likely. You're correct.  Chinese M14 receivers imported into Canada as late as 2007 (two thousand seven) are marked CJA.  Don't read too much into the date code, especially as to when a receiver or rifle was imported.  Another possible explanation is that there is a "1" or "3" lightly stamped to the left of the "5" and it is hidden by the phosphate coating.  It's a possibility for some of the IDE USA marked receivers.

IDE imported M14's into Canada?

Quoted: Quoted: What does 5 19 7  1 mean? This is from an IDE imported Poly.  Am I to assume that somehow IDE imorted Poly Techs made in 1995? Not likely. You're correct.  Chinese M14 receivers imported into Canada as late as 2007 (two thousand seven) are marked CJA.  Don't read too much into the date code, especially as to when a receiver or rifle was imported.  Another possible explanation is that there is a "1" or "3" lightly stamped to the left of the "5" and it is hidden by the phosphate coating.  It's a possibility for some of the IDE USA marked receivers.

Why are you making such a point of spelling out the year?

ETA meaning is there some confusion about the year in numbers vs. letters that is SN-related?  Am I missing something here?

Oh, and awesome detective work...  you are the M14 guru.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: What does 5 19 7  1 mean? This is from an IDE imported Poly.  Am I to assume that somehow IDE imorted Poly Techs made in 1995? Not likely. You're correct.  Chinese M14 receivers imported into Canada as late as 2007 (two thousand seven) are marked CJA.  Don't read too much into the date code, especially as to when a receiver or rifle was imported.  Another possible explanation is that there is a "1" or "3" lightly stamped to the left of the "5" and it is hidden by the phosphate coating.  It's a possibility for some of the IDE USA marked receivers. IDE imported M14's into Canada?

No, see my post immediately below this one.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: What does 5 19 7  1 mean? This is from an IDE imported Poly.  Am I to assume that somehow IDE imorted Poly Techs made in 1995? Not likely. You're correct.  Chinese M14 receivers imported into Canada as late as 2007 (two thousand seven) are marked CJA.  Don't read too much into the date code, especially as to when a receiver or rifle was imported.  Another possible explanation is that there is a "1" or "3" lightly stamped to the left of the "5" and it is hidden by the phosphate coating.  It's a possibility for some of the IDE USA marked receivers. Why are you making such a point of spelling out the year? ETA meaning is there some confusion about the year in numbers vs. letters that is SN-related?  Am I missing something here? Oh, and awesome detective work...  you are the M14 guru.

To make it clear that Chinese M14 receivers were imported into Canada with American importer markings way past the U. S. May 1994 import ban.  The markings on the receivers don't necessarily track with reality as to who really brought them into Canada.  In other words, Marstar Canada imported Norinco M14 rifles into Canada but the receivers were marked CJA. That is one example.

Taggage for tomorrow.

i don't get what the whole craze is for with these Chinese made receivers.

ill take a LRB American made anyday.
my Springfields are 100% , never a problem. good as any of them.
and thier customer service is Tip notch, will Beijing take those in on repair ???

Quoted: i don't get what the whole craze is for with these Chinese made receivers.

I get it

Quoted: i don't get what the whole craze is for with these Chinese made receivers.

Good, stay in the dark. More for me.

I have 2 poly's and both IDE imported

3  4  10  97

and the other is


37  36  50    11


when was they made?


Both have numbers on the op-rods,trigger group,bolt i was told they was on the 1965 FA m14's

The numbers on the operating rods, trigger housings and bolts indicate that they were parts in the 1965 production rifles.  April 10, 1993 and July 03, 1993 are the date codes.  

Info on the Chinese rifles starts on page 188.

The numbers under the stock line are discussed on page 199. The examples they use don't seem to work with the date code idea.

PolyTech 185433 ?

Quoted: The examples they use don't seem to work with the date code idea.

FYI, they is Different and he just posted updated information.

Quoted: Info on the Chinese rifles starts on page 188. The numbers under the stock line are discussed on page 199. The examples they use don't seem to work with the date code idea.

I disagree.

Quoted: PolyTech 185433 ?

You can do this.  

1 = 1991
8 = August
5 = fifth day of the month

Several companies imported these rifles into Canada and the USA.  The receivers all came out of the same factory, State Arsenal 356.  With several importers in two countries, there only being two "brand" names, and because the receivers were not stamped, exported or sold in perfect numerical sequence, the serial numbers and date codes got mixed up somewhat.  Throw in the fact that the factory continued to export receivers with American importer markings to Canada after May 1994 and this gets confusing.  This is why I say you should not read too much into these date codes, importer markings and serial numbers.  A lower serial number does not necessarily mean an older receiver or an earlier import for these 1980s and 1990s receivers.  

Here's some examples from Chinese M14 rifles with CJA markings exported to Canada post-2000:

001199 - Imported by Marstar Canada in September 2003
002096 - Imported by Bell Lifestyle Products and Distributors in January 2005
002194 - Imported by Lever Arms Service Ltd. in December 2001
004739 - Imported by Bell Lifestyle Products and Distributors in May 2005
007926 - Imported by Marstar Canada in May 2006
008511 - Imported by Dark International Trading Company in September 2007
008568 - Imported by Bell Lifestyle Products and Distributors in March 2007
012687 - Imported by Marstar Canada in May 2006

my LRB will shoot or outshoot any of these Norinco receivers.

Buy American....or we ALL lose.

Quoted: my LRB will shoot or outshoot any of these Norinco receivers. Buy American....or we ALL lose.

Sure..

Quoted: my LRB will shoot or outshoot any of these Norinco receivers. Buy American....or we ALL lose.

Put down the LRB Kool Aid ..

Your $ 900 recvr by itself won't make your rifle shoot better....

Mine are:

Polytech S/N 25181

38 54 31 15

Any ideas please?

ETA: Aug 3rd 1985?

You can do it.

Quoted: my LRB will shoot or outshoot any of these Norinco receivers.

All of my Chinese receivers were purchased from Americans and 4 of them were custom built by an American company - everybody wins !!

As for your "shoot or out shoot" comment ............. sure it will

I am sorry but I still do not understand the numbering of the rifles, and I consider myself a relatively intelligent individual

Please bear with me, I'm foreign! Heh. So if my Norinco s/n is AL000844 it would mean that...? OK, I understand it was imported to Canada by Lever Arms, right? But when? And is it possible to conclude if the bolt is of the older, softer kind, or if is of the newer, harder type? There are some really shakey numbers etched onto it, this would indicate it is a chinese bolt, as opposed to an USGI. I really appreciate the help, been searching all day for info on this.

I'm skeptical. What was the source of Smith's information? Only part of the numbers are explained. This theory explains 3 or 4 out of 6 or 7, even up to 9 numbers? A partial explanation is no explanation.

Quoted: I am sorry but I still do not understand the numbering of the rifles, and I consider myself a relatively intelligent individual Please bear with me, I'm foreign! Heh. So if my Norinco s/n is AL000844 it would mean that...? OK, I understand it was imported to Canada by Lever Arms, right? But when? And is it possible to conclude if the bolt is of the older, softer kind, or if is of the newer, harder type? There are some really shakey numbers etched onto it, this would indicate it is a chinese bolt, as opposed to an USGI. I really appreciate the help, been searching all day for info on this.

Norinco serial number AL000844 was imported into Canada by Alan Lever (Lever Service Arms, Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia).  The AL prefix serial numbers were imported around 1990.  The hand etched numbers indicate parts removed from the 1965 production rifles.  So, chances are the bolt is headspaced long and/or the locking lugs are narrower than USGI and/or the hardness is lower than the USGI drawing requirement.  The bolt is not made of 8620 equivalent steel but of 4135 equivalent steel.

In our Western minds, we expect numbering formats (firearms serial numbers, vehicle license plates, VIN numbers, consumer product model and serial numbers, etc.) to be very consistent.  It's not always that way outside of Europe and North America.

Quoted: Norinco serial number AL000844 was imported into Canada by Alan Lever (Lever Service Arms, Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia).  The AL prefix serial numbers were imported around 1990.  The hand etched numbers indicate parts removed from the 1965 production rifles.  So, chances are the bolt is headspaced long and/or the locking lugs are narrower than USGI and/or the hardness is lower than the USGI drawing requirement.  The bolt is not made of 8620 equivalent steel but of 4135 equivalent steel. In our Western minds, we expect numbering formats (firearms serial numbers, vehicle license plates, VIN numbers, consumer product model and serial numbers, etc.) to be very consistent.  It's not always that way outside of Europe and North America.

Thank you. I would probably get a USGI bolt if I could, but 1) they aren't available here, nor can I order one from the US without a LOT of hassle and 2) There probably aren't any skilled M14 gunsmiths in this country.

Sorry to go off-topic

Quoted: I'm skeptical. What was the source of Smith's information? Only part of the numbers are explained. This theory explains 3 or 4 out of 6 or 7, even up to 9 numbers? A partial explanation is no explanation.

I disagree with the assertion that a partial explanation is no explanation just on general principle.  Experience has shown me that not all of the picture is immediately visible.  Sometimes it takes years for all of the facts of a matter to come out.  I have found that principle at work in my research on M14 rifle history and development.  We'll have to agree to disagree on that.

Being skeptical is fine.  I do my best to document my written and oral sources.  A lot of history is not written down.  However, I have seen written documents where Smith Enterprise, Inc. and Keng's Firearms Specialty met with and worked with Poly Technologies in the 1980s on the production and importation of M14 rifles from State Arsensal 356, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.  Ron Smith, and his dad Richard Smith, were involved in those meetings, he tested the first five Poly M14s, and the firm has worked on hundreds of Chinese M14 rifles.

I have seen an independent lab analysis report from 1994 that showed the Chinese M14 bolt (of the time) to be made of equivalent 4135 steel.  It's not, "he said, she said."  There is documented proof that the US imported Chinese bolts were not made from 8620 steel.  Aside from the written documentation by Smith Enterprise, I have other documentation and personal interviews from first hand parties as to the story of the Chinese M14.  In his book from ten years ago, Poyer alluded to persistent rumors of Chinese M14 rifles produced during the Viet Nam war.  It took some digging, but I'm the one that has dug up the history on the Chinese M14 and made it public to the English speaking world.  It's a work in progess but my research is available for free at www.imageseek.com/m1a in the .pdf file titled Online Edition of M14 Rifle History and Development.  

I have a spread sheet of the numbers below the stock line from eighty US and Canadian imported Chinese M14 rifles.  Some of the number sets were obtained from receiver photos but most of the information was provided from owners of the rifles.  Based on those eighty sets of numbers, the numbering below the stock line on Chinese receivers varies from four to eight digits.  That's not a neat and clean numbering format.  Ron's statement about the date code (and the way I understand the numbering format) fits all of the information I have regarding the timelines for the various importers.  This includes reports from original owners as to when they bought their Chinese M14s.

It doesn't make sense, at first blush, as to why CJA markings would be on Chinese M14 receivers exported after 2000 to Canada.  CJA was an American importer and they ceased importation of Chinese M14 rifles by May 1994 when the U. S. government enacted the ban on Chinese firearms and ammunition.  But it happened.  Why? Because those receivers were the remaining inventory made for export to the USA.  Receivers so marked were imported by four licensed importers into Canada.  Apparently, there's no violation of Canadian law in doing so.  

Researching the history of the M14 rifle is a work in progress.  It is revealed in pieces, not paragraphs, on the commercial side.

From your book:
"To date, the marking IDE USA SLFD MICH has been observed on
Poly Technologies receiver serial numbers 03028 through 25119."

Mine is serial # 25181 and is marked the same as in your online book copied above. Hope that helps you some. Mine was unfired when I got it last Thursday. Still had the original grease and all. I bought it from a guy in NY. It had the fake FH with the closed slots.

The numbers below the stock line are: 38 54 31 15

I think it means Aug 3rd 1985. Is this correct?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Picture from the GB Auction.


And the auction with all the pics:
www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=92715608

Thanks, TNROBOCOP.  My interpretation is August 05, 1993.  Obviously, this is a very high serial number receiver.  1993 is when IDE USA / CJA was bringing Chinese M14 rifles into the USA.

Quoted: Thanks, TNROBOCOP.  My interpretation is August 05, 1993.  Obviously, this is a very high serial number receiver.  1993 is when IDE USA / CJA was bringing Chinese M14 rifles into the USA.

Thanks. Hope I helped some with my info also.

Different here's my info. No heel stamp 1 8 51 32. that would make August 8 1991 correct? That would be around when my father in law remembers buying it. For a whopping 400 bucks. Oh ya barrel marking's C.A.I. ST. ALB. VT. M14 S/A Sporter 308 China

You have seen mine from different boards.

Norinco unmarked recvr, Century barrel markings like above, bobbed flash hider.
Serial on side of heel 9914 number under woodline 9 9 14.

IIRR these were some of the very first imports ?

There's a number of serial number formats for the Chinese M14 rifles exported to the US and Canada because there were two brands and several importers.  I wish someone would find their stack of early 1990s Shotgun News issues, dust them off and send me an IM.  It would help with this research.  

It's not a consistent numbering format.  It appears that in some cases that two digits indicate the year and in other instances one digit indicates the year.  As you can see from above, a leading zero was sometimes used and sometimes not even though there was just one factory.  What the additional numbers beyond the date code mean, I don't know.  

I'll continue to collect the serial numbers and date code numbers as I can.  With more sets of numbers, I think the pattern(s) will become more evident.  This is still a work in progress.

Based on what I know, the import sequence appears to have been, first to last: KFS Poly, CAI Poly (C letter prefix serial numbers), CAI Norinco (date codes starting with 9), CAI Norinco (C letter prefix serial numbers), IDE USA Poly, CJA Norinco.  About the time Century Arms was importing Poly marked rifles, Lever Service Arms was importing Norinco marked rifles into Canada.  

Stopped by a local pawn shop that I knew had one of the Century Import unmarked recvr Norinco's. For only $ 999.99 !

Serial on left side of heel 94049 , # underwood line ( 9 40 49 ).

Thanks, tangeant.  I added it to the spreadsheet.

OK, now I'm cornfuzed...


My heel stamped Poly is---------------Ser # 0153X

88  20  42



Obviously 1988-------------FEB 04...???


I bought it new in 1990 or 91

Quoted: My heel stamped Poly is---------------Ser # 0153X 88  20  42 Obviously 1988-------------FEB 04...???

Yes, definitely 1988.  When you look at the date codes, sometimes a leading zero is included, sometimes not.  February 04, 1988 is what I would call it.  This is a KFS import.  The timeline makes sense.  Made in early 1988, imported sometime in 1988 or 1989, and then you purchased it new in 1990 or 1991.  Also, the numbers on the stock line are similar to serial numbers below and above it.  IOW, there's a chronological sequence to the numbers below the stock line for each importer.

Thanks for verifying my guesstimation.


And affirmative on the KFS import. It has their info barrel stamped.

I got it from Southern Ohio Guns.