Can anyone tell me an approximate year of manufacture on a Model 700 with a 1797XX serial on it? Just bought one for a custom build, and wanted to see if I could figure out what year it was made.
I'm guessing late 60's. That is a guess though and is based on a old M40A1 I was issued with a SN of 168xxx. It traced back to one of the first run of M40s built in the mid-late 60's too.
Again, this is simply a guess but hopefully you at least have a ballpark idea on it. Barrel stamp is your best bet.