Eagle Arms Ea 15 Serial Numbers
Eagle Arms ea-15, serial # 15xxx, bought in 91 or 92. You used to be able to check online and they said it appears to be pre-ban, whatever that means. The one i am looking to buy is EA-15 serial number 1030x. Eagle Arms M15 Semi-Auto.223 / 5.56 Caliber AR-15 Rifle by Armalite. Flat Top with A-2 Front Sight. 16' Chrome Moly Heavy Barrel Marked.223 Wylde, 1 in 8 Twist. 6 Position Stock. Complete with Shell Deflector, Forward Assist, and Dust Cover. Ships with one 30 Round Magpul PMAG.Looking for one of these with a A3 Carry Handle Model Here you go. This info maybe correct, but I called Olympic Arms today for a letter of manufacture. They will give you that proof of manufacture for 38.49. If your serial number is listed on their website, it will be quick. Serial numbers/ranges not listed on their site may/maynot get a letter. They will also verify SGW lowers too. Well while browsing the web in random searching I found a website that is a database of serial numbers for most firearms. It will show in a spread sheet of say xxxx-xxxxx = year of production. I thought it was decent so decided to share it with G&G as it seems like a good resource. Serial Number Lookup Enter your Ruger® serial number above to view its model number, product line, caliber, production status, ship date and instruction manual. Note: This service is provided as reference only, and accuracy is not guaranteed.
By Geremy Chubbuck (chubbg@champint.com)Excel Version
Disclaimer: This list is correct to the best of my knowledge, however, I accept absolutely no responsibility for the accuracy of this information or for the consequences and/or damages occurring from any inaccuracies. I have compiled this list for the purposes of sharing information only. This is not intended to be used in any way except for personal entertainment. It is a compilation of both personal information and information submitted from others from the Internet. ALL SERIAL NUMBERS SHOULD BE VERIFIED FROM THE MANUFACTURER PRIOR TO ANY PURCHASE OR ASSEMBLY. It should be noted that it is a felony to possess a Post-Ban (newly assembled after Sept 13, 1994) assault weapon.
If any information presented here is found to be incorrect or you have additional information to contribute, please contact me via E-Mail (hkusp40@midmaine.com) and I will update and re-issue the list.
Note: All items marked with a single asterisk (*) are taken from http://home1.gte.net/bblakley/ban/index.htm. The year/serial numbers under Colt SP series was forwarded to me by an individual whose return address I no longer have. Double asterisk (**) under Bushmaster, a person on the internet e-mailed me that he had a lower that was shipped stripped (thus not a complete rifle) in 1991 from Bushmaster with serial #0327XX - ALWAYS CALL TO VERIFY.
Advanced Armaments
No information - Apparently machined from bar stock aluminum, lowers are marked as M-15.
American Spirit Arms(Formerly 'Sun Valley Traders')
ALL lowers are Post-Ban. Began introduction of lowers and rifles in mid/late 1998. Noted as having good fit & finish. Also, reported to be manufactured by Lewis Machine & Tool.
Armalite/Eagle 800-336-0184
Slightly over S/N 30,000 was the Pre-Ban cut-off, call to verify.* (Some Eagle lowers below the 30,000 range were determined to be POST ban by BATF - call to verify) Armalite sells Eagle lowers, but sells factory complete rifles with Armalite lowers.
Bohica
Made stainless steel lowers, rumored to have also made AR-15 pistols. Lower marked M16-SA. This is NOT verifiable info as it came from the Internet. Out of Business.
Bushmaster 800-998-SWAT
Below L051000 - Assembled Pre-Ban Rifles and some pre-94 lowers.**
L051001-L063000 - Mixed Pre-Ban Assembled Rifles and Pre-Sept 94 Lowers (Call to verify)
L063001 and Up - Post-Ban
Century Arms
Lower marked CIA. All are Post-Ban. Made with Olympic Arms Receivers under contract.
Colt 800-962-COLT
CC001616 and Below - Pre-Ban
CH019500 and Below - Pre-Ban
GC018500 and Below - Pre-Ban
LH011326 and Below - Pre-Ban
MH086020 and Below - Pre-Ban
NL004800 and Below - Pre-Ban
SL027246 and Below - Pre-Ban
SP360200 and Below - Pre-Ban
1963 SP00001-SP00023**
1964 SP00101
1965 SP02501
1966 SP05600
1967 SP08250
1968 SP10750
1969 SP14000-SP14653
1970 SP15001-SP15473
1971 SP16001
1972 SP19401
1973 SP24201
1974 SP32601
1975 SP43801
1976 SP55301
1977 SP67651
1978 SP83400
ST038100 and Below - Pre-Ban
TA10100 and Below - Pre-Ban
BD000134 and Below - Pre-Ban (AR-15A3 Tactical Carbine - very rare model)
MT00001 and Above - Post-Ban
BK000001and Above - Post Ban (CAR-A3)
CST000001 and Above - Post-Ban (Began Late 1997 Production)
CMH000001 and Above - Post Ban
CCH010000 and Above - Post Ban MT6700, MT6700C and MT6700CH series, 1998 production
Dalphon (360) 427-6867
All are POST ban. Cast 356-T6 Aluminum, hardcoat anodized per mil-spec A-8625
DPMS 800-578-3767
Below 10300 - Pre-Ban.
Some or all lowers are cast. Black in color. Some lowers are Stainless Steel.
Eagle Arms 309-944-6939
Now called ArmaLite. They will not give out a list, but will look up on an individual basis. Lower receiver serial numbers DO NOT begin with EA.
Essential Arms
All are Pre-Ban as they went out of business in 1993. (DPMS bought them prior to the Ban) Call DPMS Lower receiver serial numbers begin with EA. Some or all lowers are cast. Light gray coloring. It is rumored that Ruger investment casted the lowers for Essential Arms.
Frankford Arsenal
All are pre-ban. As rumor has it, Olympic Arms produced the lowers for Frankford Arsenal Call Olympic Arms and then Frankford assembled the weapon. A2 configuration lower. Frankford Arsenal went out of business in 1987. (Info from RudolphoS@aol.com)
Hesse Arms
All AR-15's are post ban. Manufacturing began late 1997/early 1998.
J.L.M & Sons* (603) 425-1860
SC001 thru SC250 are Pre-Ban. All others are post ban.
Knights Armament Co.
All AR-15's are post ban, very few AR-10's are pre-ban. No further info at this time.
Military Manufacturing (M2) (FAX 702-263-7875)
All were military/law enforcement only. Full auto lowers were standard, semi were optional. Lowers were machined form raw bar stock with improvements incorporated - 18deg magazine angle and square mag release. (See: http://www.m2corp.com/HOME.htm)
Nesard
See 'Sendra' below.
Olympic Arms 360-459-7940
Eagle Arms Ea 15 Serial Numbers Online
Olympic Arms Manufacturer's Notes:
1. There were some odd variations and some custom serial numbers mixed in thru the years also. And, some receivers manufactured after the ban have the year stamp after the model name, not in the serial #. And if you don't see a year stamp on the receiver, it is not necessarily pre-ban.
2. Serial numbers that end in 'D' were duplicates and one was changed using this letter.
3. Recently some serial numbers have left with one or two letters followed by FIVE numbers. The last numbers are either 5's or 0's. 99.9% of these are post-ban.
4. 'Older' does not always mean pre-ban as per Corey Sattler.
5. 'BL' serial number series lowers are transitional with some pre and some post ban. If you have a 'BL' you'll have to call to verify for certain.
Professional Ordinance
All are post ban (including all of the pistols).
PWA (360) 438-3983
35222 and Below - Pre-Ban (Note:Some lowers are cast not forged. Out of business) Post-ban have a year prefix in the serial number. Rumored to have only sold lowers.
Rocky Mountain Arms
Producer of AR-15 type pistols.
Sendra
Post-ban receivers have a circle milled into the side of the magwell. They were originally bead-blasted to a non-glare finish. All others are pre-ban. (This is unverified info..) Also, they used to be NESARD. Rumored to have been owned by Dick Drasen (currently M&A Parts) and produced lowers only out of Barrington, Illinois. No complete guns were sold (again, unverified info).
I worked for Cavalry Arms Corp from 2001 until it ceased operations in June of 2010, beginning as shop help and ending as Vice President of the company. During that time I was able to participate in all aspects of manufacturing, product testing, warranty and repairs, and product improvement. It is funny now to think about this all in a historical context, because at the time we were just running a business. My goal in writing this is to provide the firearms community with the historical context of the CAV-15 receiver and it’s various revisions over that time frame. Working on the CAV-15 receiver was a learning experience for everyone involved; from where it began to where it ended up as a durable, reliable product was a long journey. In an ideal world the CAV-15 MKII would have been what the first CAV-15s were released as. Revisions and enhancements were incorporated constantly as issues were identified and resolved. The CAV-15 MKII has remained largely unchanged since it was released in late 2003.
Origin
The history of Cavalry Arms and the CAV-15 begins with Shawn Nealon. Nealon’s parents owned an injection molding and mold manufacturing company. Nealon would learn about injection molding, machine work, and manufacturing working for his parents. Nealon grew up with an interest in firearms including hunting, target shooting, and serving as a rifle instructor at Boy Scouts summer camps. Not long after High School, Nealon enlisted in the US Army and served in the first Gulf War in the 1/7 CAV as a Cavalry Scout. As a Cavalry Scout Nealon learned to appreciate the benefits of lightweight equipment and minimizing the weight one carried in the field. After the Gulf War, Nealon remained active duty for a period of time, and later in the Arizona National Guard. Nealon spent some time as a unit armorer. In civilian life, Nealon spent some time working for Accumatch, a company that manufactured firearms accessories, then as a partner in Advanced Tactical Firearms (which was later bought by Armscor). After the sale of Advanced Tactical Firearms, Nealon founded Cavalry Arms (named after his branch of service) and began working on what would become the CAV-15 receiver.
Nealon with CAV-15 MKI and MKII and prints circa 2003.
CAV-15 “MKI”
The CAV-15 injection molded AR15 receiver was first unveiled by Cavalry Arms at the 2000 Soldier of Fortune Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Viewfinder anime free download. The first CAV-15 receivers shipped to consumers in December of 2000.
All CAV-15 receivers were injection molded in two halves from glass filled nylon 6, but the design went through 4 generations of revisions as assembly techniques were perfected and issues with the product addressed.
Eagle Arms Ea 15 Serial Numbers Explained
CAV-15 “MKI” Generation 1: The plastic of these receivers was untextured, and the halves were assembled together using screws only. Very few of these receivers remain in existence, most were remanufactured as later versions.
CAV-15 “MKI” Generation 2: The plastic of these receivers was untextured, and the halves were assembled together using a combination of screws and sonic welding. Very few of these receivers remain in existence, most were remanufactured as later versions.
CAV-15 “MKI” Generation 3: The plastic of these receivers was untextured, and the halves were assembled together using screws and more sonic welding. Internal structural enhancements were incorporated as well.
Note the longer reinforced area at the back of the stock. This was added to reinforce the buffer tube that used a rifle length buffer. The rifle buffers were cracking the back end of the buffer tube.
CAV-15 “MKI” Generation 4: Same as the Gen3, except texturing was added to the plastic.
Other Notes
Colors: Cavalry Arms made receivers in a wide varieties of colors including Black, OD Green, Desert Tan, Purple, Yellow, Blue, and Pink. Cavalry Arms got into manufacturing AR15 furniture out of necessity to have matching handguards for its lower receivers. Later the OEM side of manufacturing handguards, buttstocks, and pistol grips for most of the industry would make up the bulk of Cavalry Arms’ sales compared to the CAV-15.
Speed Pins: To reduce scrap rate and increase product durability, Cavalry Arms switched from standard military style take down pins to “Speed Pins” that have the spring and detent built into them. The hole for the standard rear spring/detent was found to be a fail point that could crack all the way into the pistol grip. The front spring/detent area was prone to chipping. Speed Pins are still standard mil-spec diameter. Some Gen3 and roughly half of the Gen4 receivers in existence use these pins. All CAV-15 MKIIs use speed pins.
Shortened Receivers: The CAV-15 “MKI” had a 14.5″ length of pull, making it longer than an A2 stock. To meet the demand for requests for shorter stocks, Cavalry Arms offered stock shortenings for their receivers making them roughly A1 length. The process involved chopping off the end of the stock, running a delrin plug into the buffer tube that the buttplate would screw into. Screws were run into the sides of the stock into the plug for structural support. This process also made the receiver use a carbine buffer system. The popularity of this modification resulted in the A1 length of pull on the CAV-15 MKII.
Seven Glow in the dark receivers were made and given to company investors and staff in 2002.
CAV-15 “MKI” receivers were discontinued in February of 2003 with the announcement of the upcoming CAV-15MKII at SHOT Show. Existing inventory of CAV-15 MKI receivers was sold off to wholesalers. The CAV-15 MKII replaced the CAV-15 “MKI” in the Cavalry Arms Product line.
CAV-15 MKII
CAV-15 “MKI” receiver (top), with its successor the CAV-15 MKII (bottom)
CAV-15 MKII receivers were released in November of 2003, replacing the CAV-15 in Cavalry Arms Corp’s product line. The original CAV-15s were called “MKI” retroactively to establish their difference from the CAV-15 MKII. Cavalry Arms Corp. sold CAV-15 MKIIs until it gave up its FFL in March of 2010
The delay between discontinuing the CAV-15 MKI and release of the CAV-15 MKII was caused by the fact the CAV-15 MKII was originally to use the same sonic welding process as the MKI. It did not work and the parts wouldn’t stay together. The decision was made to switch to Linear Vibration Welding, and the mold was modified to accommodate for this different process. Ultimately, the delay was worth it as Linear Vibration Welding was faster and more consistent, producing a stronger weld. The machine required for this process was significantly more expensive however.
CAV-15 MKIIs are the most prolific CAV-15 receiver with thousands having been produced. Standard colors included Black, OD Green, Coyote Brown, Foliage Green, and Dark Earth. Special production runs in Pink, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Blaze Orange, Electric Green, Pigeon Gray, Urban Gray, Yellow, and others. Some colors are much more rare than others. 11 Glow in the Dark MKIIs were also made.
The CAV-15 MKII was also produced under marking variances for Sabre Defence as the SR-15 “Light Sabre” and for Eagle Arms as the M15P. Both of these were only available in black.
CAV-15 MKII Receivers were injection molded from glass filled nylon 6, a polymer material very similar to that used by other firearms companies. Polymer offers unsurpassed corrosion resistance, finish durability. and is significantly lighter than aluminum based receivers.
The receivers were molded in two halves and assembled using a linear vibration welding process. Linear vibration welding formed the two halves into one solid piece. Every contact surface between the two halves was bonded together with a weld that was even stronger than the parent material.
CAV-15 MKII Receiver Features:
• A1 Length integral Stock (5/8″ shorter than A2) with sling loop. 13″ Length of Pull.
• Carbine buffer system (reinforcement ribbing behind the buffer tube area to absorb impact)
• Ergonomically enhanced integral pistol grip
• Wider magazine well capable of accepting .45 Greasegun magazines with caliber conversion upper receivers and magazine blocks. Standard AR15 magazines can be used without modifications.
• Receiver weight (complete) is 1 full pound lighter than complete aluminum receiver with A2 stock
• Uses all standard mil-spec parts with the exception of the take down pins. The front pivot and rear pins are a Quick Take down style with Detents built into them, This allows for quick and easy removal of the pins while maintaining a positive lock.
Other Notes:
Serial Number Tags: Sometime in 2008 Cavalry Arms changed the serial number tag to comply with new BATF guidance to make them more tamper proof. Many polymer firearms manufacturers made similar changes around the same time; look at older Glocks vs newer Glocks for example.
Safety Selector Spring and Detent Hole: The hole for the safety selector spring and detent is drilled from the top down into the pistol grip on the CAV-15 receiver. Later MKII receivers had the upper half of this hole formed in the mold to make production easier. The preformed U shaped hole in this area served to help center the mill or drill press for drilling the hole down into the grip. It also prolonged drill life and prevented the drill from walking as it went down.
Single Point Sling Slot: Cavalry Arms offered a factory service to slot the receiver to accept a single point sling
CAV-15 MKII Shortened Receiver by Echo 93
Joe Elledge of Echo 93 was authorized by Cavalry Arms to perform modifications to the CAV-15 receiver including shortening the stock and modifying the pistol grip
CAV-15 MKIII Prototype
Cavalry Arms Corp. exhibited a prototype CAV-15 MKIII at the 2008 SHOT Show. This prototype showcased several new features:
• 9.5″ Length of Pull Stock, that could be extended with spacer plates.
• Club foot stock for supported shooting
• Redesigned pistol grip allowing for a higher hold
• Texture and finish enhancements
Unfortunately Cavalry Arms Corp. was never able to bring this receiver to market. Only one prototype existed and it was destroyed.
CAV-15 MKIII prototype (left), CAV-15 MKII (right)
Sale to GWACS Armory
I purchased the CAV-15 and CAV-15 MKII Mold/Tooling when Cavalry Arms was closing operations in mid-2010. I was intending to manufacture them under my own company. After six months of interviews and meetings with BATF, and no definite answer on getting an 07 FFL manufacturing license, I elected to drop my application and sell the CAV-15 MKII Mold/Tooling. GWACS Armory of Tulsa, OK eventually purchased it in December 2011, and began manufacturing operations in 2012. GWACS is currently offering service and support for existing CAV-15 type receivers if you already own one.
Update March 2019
In the few years the CAV-15 MKII had been off the market, other lesser polymer designs that did not use an integrated buffer tube and stock became prevalent. These designs developed a bad reputation for breaking. Once GWACS resumed production of the CAV-15 MKII reintroducing it was made difficult by general public ill-will against polymer receivers in general.
I worked with GWACS helping them with sales and general consulting/product knowledge. To address some of the durability concerns, in 2014 I made this video with my friend Karl Kasarda, who would later go on to start InRange TV with Forgotten Weapons’ Ian McCollum:
Sales continued at a moderate pace for GWACS until in 2017 InRange TV announced their What Would Stoner Do Project
GWACS Sold out of CAV-15 MKII Receivers by the summer of 2018 thanks to the interest generated by InRange. Unfortunately, the CAV-15 MKII was worn out at this point. GWACS announced that they intended to develop and release 2 new models and posted this message mid 2018:
In January of 2019 these messages were posted to the GWACS Facebook page:
I have not had any direct contact with GWACS for some time now. My Point of Contact no longer works for that company, and the president never responded when I reached out.
What is the future of the CAV-15 Receiver? As long as I’m alive the concept of a CAV-15 style receiver is not dead. Be patient and stay tuned…