Model 088 date of birth?

[WyoStillhunter]

Sometime back in the last century I bought an H&R Model 088 12 ga., probably at K-Mart but I honestly don't recall for sure.  Serial # is BA482XXX.  Can someone please tell me the year of manufacture?

Early on I added a DIY camo paint job.  The gun went on at least one turkey hunt where I successfully closed in on a gobbler and unsuccessfully fired as he flew off.  Mostly the gun has just sat around the house among other, more frequently hunted guns.

After stumbling onto this forum I decided to use the gun on a couple of hunts.  This year I added sling swivel studs and an Allen Mfg. elastic butt cuff.  I took the gun on two pheasant hunts scoring 50%:  I fired four times and bagged two pheasants.  I'll say one thing, you don't waste near so much ammo with these single shots.

I bought this gun new and the date of manufacture is likely the same or only one year off of when I bought it.  Thanks to anyone who can remind me when I bought the gun. 

[MSP Ret]

Check your serial number and get back with at least the first 2 letters. BA does not compute in the information that is available in the Centerfire Rifle FAQ section regarding dates of manufacture. Check the letters there or post them here after rechecking them and we will try to help you out. If they are AB and not BA as you state then the gun was manufactured in 1965. Let us know for sure....<><....

[Busta]

I think your BA is a 1986, this would predate Marlins purchase. All the newer NEF's start with N and all new H&R's start with H, the second letter denotes the year of manufacture. Dont know what they are going to start with in 2010, in 2009 they will be NZ and HZ, time will tell.

1985 was AZ, so my guess is you have a 1986 with BA. Does that sound about right?

[WyoStillhunter]

Yep, it's a BA...etc. ser. no. and 1986 makes sense.  I thought I bought it in the 1980s so this narrows it down.  Thanks for the replies.

This was an impulse buy and not a bad one, especially since I held onto it.   In 1967 I made another ?-Mart impulse buy: a Ruger 10-22 well before that gun became an institution.  My girlfriend had sent me a Dear John and I bought the 10-22 to feel better.  Somewhere in the dark shadows of forgotten time I traded that one off.

I am better off without the girl but wish I'd hung onto the 10-22.

[MSP Ret]

Since you have confirmed BA in the serial number that is a plausible explanation. I have an AZ 1985 manufactured gun and an NA 1986 gun but there may have been a period of time in 1986 that BA guns were manufactured. If so it might be good info for the FAQ sticky's....<><....