Remington Serial Number Lookup: Barrel Date Codes and Year of Manufacture

Last updated October 10, 2026

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Dating a Remington isn’t like dating a Winchester. Remington doesn’t publish serial number tables for the 870, the 700 or the 1100, so there’s no chart that turns the number on your receiver into a year.

What Remington did instead was stamp the date on the barrel. Two or three small letters on the left side, just ahead of the receiver, give the month and the year. Once you know the letters, you can read them in ten seconds.

We built this page from two places: Remington’s own help center, which we pulled from archived copies, and the Remington Society of America, the collectors’ group that publishes the date letters and the old factory serial records. Where those sources slip or disagree, we show you what’s printed and flag it.

Table of Contents

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Where to Find the Serial Number and the Barrel Code

You're looking for two different stamps. The serial number identifies the gun. The barrel code dates it. Here's where Remington itself said to look.

Sources: Remington Arms help center and recall notice, archived copies from 2014 and 2015, linked through this page. Accessed October 10, 2026.

On the 870s, 1100s and 11-87s we've handled, the serial number is on the left side of the receiver, and the barrel code sits a few inches ahead of it on the barrel. On a pump or an auto you may need to look just in front of where the barrel enters the receiver.

Don't panic if an old .22 or single shot has no serial number at all. Remington's answer was blunt: before 1968 it was not mandatory, and a lot of its early rifles never got one. On those guns the barrel code is the only date you'll find.

How Remington Dating Works: Serial Number vs. Barrel Code

Remington's old help center had a page titled How can I tell how old my Remington firearm is? The answer wasn't a chart. It asked owners to call or email with the serial number and model so staff could work out the approximate age from company records.

One archived question shows how that went. An owner sent in a Model 700 serial number, 6314160, and Remington wrote back that the rifle was produced in early 1970. That's the right way to date a 700 by serial number. The trouble is that the records behind the answer were never made public.

That's why every collector falls back on the barrel code. The Remington Society of America says it was never allowed full access to Remington's serial number records, and that its own experts rely mainly on the barrel date code for guns from 1922 on.

The Remington Barrel Date Code

The Society's manufacture dates page says Remingtons made after 1921 carry a code on the left side of the barrel, near the frame, that gives the month and year. The first letter is the month. The letter or pair of letters after it is the year.

Month Letters

The month letters spell BLACKPOWDERX. Twelve letters, twelve months, in order.

Source: Remington Society of America, Manufacture Dates. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Year Letters, 1921 to 2012

The year letters are where you need care. There aren't enough letters to go around, so the same one comes back every couple of decades. An L can be 1942, 1964 or 1991. The gun's model, and what it looks like, tell you which.

Source: Remington Society of America, Manufacture Dates. Accessed October 10, 2026.

We checked this list against a second page on the Society's site, its sales record for the Model 14 and Model 141 rifles, which prints a barrel letter beside each year from 1921 through 1950. The letters match for 28 of those 30 years.

The two that don't are worth knowing. The date page prints X for 1934, the same letter as 1929, while the sales record prints C. And the sales record prints S3 for 1947 where the date page has SS. We've flagged 1934 both ways in the lookup.

One more looks odd to us. The page prints a single Z for 1954, right after ZZ for 1953. We couldn't find a second source for that year, so it's shown exactly as printed. If your gun's features say mid 1950s and the letter doesn't fit, that's the first place we'd look.

The stars beside 1999, 2000 and 2001 matter too. The Society says Remington stopped stamping barrels on 8/9/99, marked the code on the end flap of the shipping box instead, and went back to stamping on 10/1/01. A barrel from that gap may have no code at all. The Society's list ends at 2012, and we haven't added to it.

Remington's Own Worked Example

Here's one Remington confirmed itself. An owner wrote in about a Model 760 with serial number 431655 and a barrel marked 29X L33. He read it as December 1964. Remington's reply was that his rifle was produced around 1964.

Run it through the table. X is December. L is 1942, 1964 or 1991. Remington lists the Model 760 as made from 1952 to 1980, which leaves 1964. The 29 and the 33 aren't part of the date.

What Else Is Stamped on the Barrel

You'll see more than the date code on a Remington barrel. Remington says REP is a proof mark that stands for Remington English Proof. Numbers, single letters set apart from the code, and choke or chamber markings aren't dates either. The date code is the two or three letters on the left side, close to the receiver.

Why a Barrel Code Can Lie: Replaced Barrels

The code dates the barrel, not the gun. On a rifle that's fine. The Society says barrel codes are reliable on Remington rifles because the company rarely changed a barrel on a customer's rifle.

Shotguns are another story. The Society calls the method somewhat unreliable on a shotgun, because barrels get swapped all the time. We've changed an 870 barrel in under a minute with no tools. If you've got a slug barrel and a bird barrel for the same gun, they can carry different dates, and neither has to match the receiver.

So check that the barrel is original before you trust it. Matching finish wear, a gauge and chamber that fit the receiver, and a code that falls inside the model's production years are all good signs.

Remington 870 Serial Numbers

This is the one we get asked about most, and the honest answer is short. There's no public table that turns an 870 serial number into a year. Remington lists the Model 870 as made from 1949 to the present, and the barrel code is how you date one.

What the serial number does tell you is the receiver. Remington's help center explained the last letter, and it matters when you're buying barrels.

Source: Remington Arms help center, archived copy, How can I tell if my shotgun has a magnum receiver?. Accessed October 10, 2026.

A second Remington answer covers the early 20 gauge guns, which were built on the big 12 gauge frame. If you own one, read this before you order a barrel.

Source: Remington Arms help center, archived copy, I just purchased a new barrel for my older 20 Ga. shotgun. It won't fit, why?. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Remington's articles stop there. They don't explain the letter in front of the number or any other last letter, so we haven't guessed at them.

If you're pricing one, our used Remington 870 guide tracks what they sell for, and our Remington 870 review covers the current gun after a 500 round test. A new 870 starts at $619.99 with the trusted sellers we track right now, and the card lists every other dealer's price under that.

Older Wingmasters are the ones worth dating carefully, because condition and era move the price. A used Wingmaster starts at $569.99 with the trusted sellers we track, and police trade-in guns sometimes list for less. Swapping parts on one? Our guide to Remington 870 parts and accessories lists what fits.

Remington 700 Serial Numbers

Remington lists the Model 700 as made from 1962 to the present. The serial number sits where the barrel meets the receiver, on your left with a right-handed rifle. The date code is on the left side of the barrel, and on a 700 it's the better tool, because rifle barrels tend to stay with the gun.

There's one case where the date really matters. Remington recalled Model 700 and Model Seven rifles with X-Mark Pro triggers made from May 1, 2006 to April 9, 2014. If your barrel code lands in that window, read the notice before you shoot the rifle again.

We put 500 rounds through a current rifle for our Remington 700 review. The one used 700 BDL our trusted sellers list right now is $749.99.

Remington 1100 and 11-87 Serial Numbers

Same story as the 870. Remington lists the Model 1100 from 1963 and the 11-87 from 1987, and neither has a public serial table. Date them by the barrel code and keep the swapped-barrel warning in mind.

The 1100 does have one useful serial clue. Remington says the 20 gauge arrived in 1964 on the full size 12 gauge frame, and that it began making the smaller LT-20 frame in 1977. The last letter of the serial number tells you which frame you've got.

Source: Remington Arms help center, archived copy, Can I purchase a barrel for my older Model 1100 20 gauge?. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Remington printed K twice, once for the big LW frame before 1977 and once for the small LT frame after it. So a K gun needs the barrel code as well. Our Remington 1100 review covers how the gun shoots, and it sits in our best Remington shotguns roundup.

Nylon 66 and Other Remington .22 Rifles

Remington lists the Nylon 66 as made from 1959 to 1989. The early ones were made before serial numbers were required, so don't be surprised to find none. The barrel code is on the left side of the barrel like every other Remington.

The same goes for the 500 series bolt guns, the 550-1 and the early 552 and 572. Find the two letters, read the month and year, then use Remington's production list below to throw out the years that can't be right.

What Years Was My Remington Made?

Remington's help center kept three plain lists of models and the years each was made. They're the best tool for narrowing a barrel code, and the lookup at the top of this page uses them. We've copied all three as Remington printed them.

Two things to know. Present means the day Remington published the list, and our archived copies date from February 2015. And the lists aren't perfect. Where a line disagrees with another source we saved, we've said so in the notes and the lookup won't use that line to narrow anything.

Shotguns

Source: Remington Arms help center, archived copy, Remington Shotgun Production Dates. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Centerfire Rifles

Source: Remington Arms help center, archived copy, Remington Centerfire Rifle Production Dates. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Rimfire Rifles

Source: Remington Arms help center, archived copy, Remington Rimfire Production Dates. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Old Remington Serial Numbers by Year, From the Factory Records

For guns made before the barrel code, there is real serial data. The Remington Society of America publishes figures taken from the factory's record of sales, and its Model 12 and Model 121 pages credit Remington Arms as the source. Most give the last serial number recorded each year.

Treat them as a close guide. On its Model 14 page the Society warns that guns were not produced in strict serial number order and that many were delayed years in the pipeline. Its advice is simple: if the gun is new enough to have a date code, the code is correct.

A few lines on those pages are plain slips, with a figure lower than the year before or a year typed wrong. We've left every one as printed, marked it in the notes, and told the lookup to answer with a span of years where the numbers can't be split.

Model 8

Remington lists the Model 8 autoloading rifle as made from 1906 to 1936. The record book summary covers it through 1931.

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/8. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 11, 12 Gauge

This is the humpback autoloader John Browning designed. Remington says it was introduced in 12 gauge in 1905 and renamed the Model 11 in 1911. The record book column covers 12 gauge guns only. It's a close cousin of the Auto-5, which has its own numbers in our Browning serial number lookup, and our Browning Auto-5 guide covers the family.

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/11.12 GA.. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 12 Rifle

The Model 12 is the slide-action .22, not a shotgun. The Society's page gives the guns sold each year beside the last serial number.

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials Model 12. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 14

The Model 14 page is the most detailed of the lot. It prints a first and last number for each year and, from 1921, the barrel letter that goes with it.

Source: Remington Society of America, Remington Model 14 Rifle, Record of Sales. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 141

Source: Remington Society of America, Remington Model 141 Rifle, Record of Sales. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 121

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials Model 121. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 10 Shotgun

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/10. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 4 Rolling Block

The summary for the Model 4 and the Model 6 starts in 1905, years after both rifles went on sale. A number below the first line can only be called that year or earlier.

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/4. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 6

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/6. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 16

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/16. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 17 Shotgun

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/17. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 24

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/24. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 25

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/25. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 29 Shotgun

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials 1890 to 1931, column M/29. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 1889 Hammer Double

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials Shotgun, MODEL 1889 TOTAL Mfg. 134200. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 1894 Hammerless Double

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials Shotgun, MODEL 1894 TOTAL Mfg. 41194. Accessed October 10, 2026.

Model 1900 Hammerless Double

Source: Remington Society of America, Serials Shotgun, MODEL 1900 TOTAL Mfg. 98508. Accessed October 10, 2026.

That isn't everything the Society holds. Its serial lists also cover the Army and Navy revolvers, the Model 51 pistol, the single shot shotguns and the 1903 rifles, and it has posted its factory record book serial pages as well. We've kept this page to the models people ask us about.

Military Remingtons: the 1903-A3 and the Model 1917

Military rifles follow different rules. Remington says the 1903-A3 was built under government contract from July 1942 until February 1944, and that all records went back to the Ordnance Commission when production ended. The good news is that the date is stamped on the barrel, just behind the front sight.

On a U.S. Model of 1917, Remington says to look for an R or an E on the barrel. That tells you whether it came from the Ilion, New York plant or the one at Eddystone, Pennsylvania.

What the Serial Number Doesn't Tell You

A date is all this page can give you, and people ask a serial number for a lot more.

• What it's worth. The Society says outright that it does not provide any value analysis and points owners to the Blue Book of Gun Values. Condition sets the price, not the number.
• Whether it's original. A rebarreled or refinished gun keeps its serial number. A barrel code that falls outside the model's production years is a hint that something has been changed.
• Which grade or variant it is. Remington told one Model 700 owner it would need photos of the stock to tell an ADL from a BDL. The number alone didn't say.
• Whether it's stolen. No public list answers that, and this page doesn't try. If you have doubts about a gun, call your local police or sheriff's office and ask them to run the number.

How to Get an Official Date for a Remington

We looked for a factory letter service like the one Winchester owners can order from a museum. Remington doesn't have one that we could find, and the route it used to offer has changed hands.

The old help center said to call 800-243-9700 or email with the serial number and model. Today that phone number is printed on the Remington ammunition site, which says ammunition and firearms are two separate companies and sends firearm questions to remarms.com.

That address now forwards to remington-arms.com. When we checked, the site said it was rebuilding and offered a contact form with a Customer Service option. It listed no phone number for firearms and nothing about dating older guns. So here's what we'd do, in order.

1. Read the barrel code with the lookup on this page and check it against the model's production years.
2. Send the Remington Society of America a question through its Ask A Question form. It asks for a photo of the barrel date code, the barrel length, the caliber, the action type and every marking you can read.
3. Try the contact form on the firearms site with the model and full serial number, and ask what its records show. We can't promise an answer, because the site doesn't.

The Society's own advice for identifying an old gun matches what Remington used to ask for: rifle or shotgun, action type, caliber or gauge, the patent dates on the gun and the exact Remington markings.

What It's Worth, and Selling It

Once you've got the year, the next question is money. Start with condition. Our gun values guide walks through the NRA condition grades and how to turn a grade into a price, and plenty of older Remingtons now qualify as curio and relic guns.

If you're selling, put the year in the listing beside the model, gauge or caliber and barrel length, and say whether the barrel is original. Our guide on how to sell a gun compares what each sales channel leaves in your pocket. For a private sale, print our free firearm bill of sale and copy the serial number onto it exactly as stamped.

And if the date you found has you deciding between pumps, we put the 870 up against its oldest rival in Remington 870 vs Mossberg 500.

Serial Number Lookups for Other Makers

More than one old gun to sort out? We've built the same kind of page for six other makers, each from the best records that maker has made public.

• Winchester serial number lookup: Winchester's own year tables for the Model 94, the Model 70, the Model 12 and 30 more, plus how to order a factory letter from Cody.
• Browning serial number lookup: The two-letter Browning date code decoded, with Browning's own dating pages for the Auto-5, Citori, Hi Power and BAR.
• Ruger serial number lookup: Ruger's own year tables for the 10/22, Single-Six, Blackhawk, Mark II and Mini-14, with a quick year finder.
• Marlin serial number lookup: How to read the year from the serial number prefix on a 336, a 39A or a Model 60, and what the factory ledgers cover.
• Colt serial number lookup: How Colt's own online lookup works, the serial ranges a public list puts years on, and what an archive letter costs.
• Smith & Wesson serial number lookup: There's no year chart for these, so it covers what the number's format tells you and how to get a factory letter.

Photo credits: the lead photo of a Remington Model 700 is by Ragnhild Kjeldsen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, with the gray backdrop extended above and below. The Nylon 66 photo is by GrayHat, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, resized. The Model 870 photo is a U.S. Department of Defense image in the public domain.

Remington Serial Number FAQ