Where firearm factory records are held

A serial number can only date a gun if somebody kept the record in the first place. For 23 makers this page says who holds the production records today, whether the maker publishes a serial table at all, and what it costs to have an archive read them. Where the records are gone, it says that too — an absence is an answer.

Records survive in an archive4

The ledgers exist, an institution holds them, and a factory letter or a serial search can be ordered.

The company still reads its own records6

The maker maintains its own archive and answers enquiries or issues letters directly.

The records are gone6

Destroyed, lost or never kept. No letter can be bought, and any year you see online is a reconstruction from secondary tables.

The data exists but is not published7

The maker or a researcher can answer, but there is no table to consult and no self-service route.

On the costs and waiting times. Every figure on these pages carries the date it was observed (2026-10-14). Archive fees and turnaround change without notice — Colt's own published list is dated February 2024 and its quoted turnaround has moved since. Confirm with the archive before ordering.