Browning Serial Number Lookup
Enter a Browning serial number to estimate the year it was made — using Browning's own published reference. Browning used two different systems, and this tool handles both: an explicit first–last serial range for the early models (32 documented ranges, 1947–1968), and a two-letter date code inside the serial for everything from 1975 on. Every result shows which system produced the answer.
Enter the number exactly as stamped — including any letter prefix.
Open the Browning serial lookup →How dating a Browning by serial number works
Most serial charts give one number per year. Browning is different, and using the wrong method gives the wrong year — so it is worth knowing which system your gun falls under.
Before 1975 — an explicit serial range per year
For the early models Browning publishes the first and last serial number of each year, for example a bracketed interval per year. That is the most precise form of this data: your serial is not merely compared against a boundary, it falls inside a documented interval. Where two published ranges overlap, the tool gives you the span rather than picking one.
1975 onwards — a two-letter date code inside the serial
From 1975 Browning stopped publishing ranges and encoded the year in the serial itself. The date of manufacture is a two-letter pair, where each letter stands for a digit:
So NN means 99 → 1999, and RR means 77 → 1977. The pair does not sit in a fixed position — Browning prints serials both as 01001NN131 and as 425RR01001 — so the tool scans for it rather than assuming an offset.
Which Browning models this covers
Browning's reference library documents 53 models. The date code applies to every one produced from 1975; the published ranges below cover the earlier models.
pistols covered (14)
- 1911/22
- 1911/380
- 25 Automatic Pistol
- 32 Caliber Pistol
- 380 Auto Pistol
- Bda 380 Pistol
- Buck Mark 22 Caliber Pistol
- Challenger 22 Caliber Pistol
- Challenger 22 Caliber Pistol V2 3
- Hi Power Pistol
- Medalist 22 Caliber Pistol
- Model 1955/380 Pistol
- Model 71/380 Auto Pistol
- Nomad 22 Caliber Pistol
rifles covered (17)
- 22 Semi Auto Rifle
- A Bolt 22 Rifle
- A-Bolt Rifle
- AB3 Bolt Action Rifle
- B 92 Lever Action Rifle
- B78 High Power Rifle
- BL-22 Rifle
- BLR Lever Action Rifle
- BPR 22 Rifle
- BPR Pump Rifle
- Bar 22 Rifle
- Bar High Power Rifle
- Buck Mark Rifle
- Model 1885 Rifle
- T-Bolt 22 Rifle
- T-Bolt New Model
- X Bolt Action Rifle
shotguns covered (22)
- A 500G
- A 500R
- A Bolt Shotgun
- A Bolt Shotgun New Version
- A5 Semi Auto Shotgun
- Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun
- B 2000 Automatic Shotgun
- B 80 Automatic Shotgun
- BPS Pump Shotgun
- BSS Side By Side Shotgun
- BT-100 Single Barrel Shotgun
- BT-99 Single Barrel Shotgun
- BT-99 Single Shot Trap Recent Version
- Citori Over Under Shotgun
- Cynergy Over Under Shotgun
- Double Automatic Shotgun
- Gold Semi Automatic Shotgun
- Leige Over Under Shotgun
- Maxus Semi Auto Shotgun
- Recoilless Trap Shotgun
- Silver Autoloader
- Superposed Shotgun
If your model is not listed, Browning may not publish a date-code reference for it — the tool will say so rather than guess.
Published Browning serial ranges
32 documented ranges across 5 models, straight from Browning's reference pages. These cover the models built before the date-code system.
| Model | Year | Serial range |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1954–1958 | 1–181000 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1959 | 181001–206439 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1960 | 206350–230999 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1961 | 231000–250999 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1962 | 251000–278999 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1963 | 279000–286099 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1964 | 286100–303499 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1965 | 303500–329999 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1966 | 330000–367443 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1967 | 367444–412999 |
| 25 Automatic Pistol | 1968 | 413000–479000 |
| Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun | 1947 | 237001–249000 |
| Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun | 1948 | 249001–270000 |
| Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun | 1949 | 270001–285000 |
| Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun | 1950 | 285001–315000 |
| Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun | 1951 | 315001–346000 |
| Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun | 1952 | 346001–387000 |
| Auto 5 Semi Automatic Shotgun | 1953 | 387000–438000 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1958 | 80001–85276 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1959 | 85268–89687 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1960 | 89688–93027 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1961 | 93028–109145 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1962 | 109146–113548 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1963 | 113549–115822 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1965 | T136569–T146372 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1966 | T146373–T173285 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1967 | T173286–T213999 |
| Hi Power Pistol | 1968 | T214000–T258000 |
| Model 1955 380 Pistol | 1966 | 550001–598803 |
| Model 1955 380 Pistol | 1967 | 598804–603890 |
| Model 1955 380 Pistol | 1968 | 603891–619474 |
| Superposed Shotgun | 1948 | 17100–17200 |
Questions
Why does my serial number not give a year?
Two honest reasons. Either it falls in a gap between the published ranges — the tool will show the nearest documented range instead of guessing — or its date code is not unique, in which case the tool refuses to pick one. A public lookup should not invent an answer.
How accurate is this?
The date-code decoder is checked against every worked example Browning publishes. The ranges are reproduced exactly as published. Neither makes the result a factory letter — for a definitive date, Browning offers its own records service.
Where does the data come from?
Browning's official Date Your Firearm reference — nothing else. The tool is built only from manufacturer-published tables, never from third-party transcriptions.
Other makes
Serial-number charts are published for: