Quote Originally Posted by frakor View Post
Hi,wishing all members a good 2015.

John, this is what I have got:

Model 49 transitional date 8-53 no serial number
Model 49a date 10-52 #025695 on RHS and #N10016 on LHS
Model 49a date 6-53 no serial number
Model 49a date 8-57 #MD09239
Model 310 no date #213603
Model 310 no date #332518
Model 310 Sport no date #890554

In his book : Luftgewehre und Luftpistolen nach 1945 aus Suhl und Zella-Mehlis: written by Ernst G. Dieter,
he states the model 49a was made from 1949/50 untill 1967/68.

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Frank
Thank you Frank,

Happy New Year to you and all others on this forum from me too.

That is really useful information. I can see a pattern emerging of the date code being discontinued around the time the 310 replaced the 49a.

I have seen 1964 quoted on a Dutch website (albeit I had to translate the narrative) as the date when certain changes were made to the 310 range of models. I have also seen a 64 code on a spare parts list, which could possibly be a date? One of the reasons I started this thread was to see what dates emerged on surviving rifles.

Most sources I have seen do quote 1968/69 as the changeover date and I suspect Dieter's book is the primary source for this. I understand he was an ex employee in the East German factory, which made the Sports Model air rifles under the Haenel name, so his data is likely to be accurate.

Thanks again for taking the trouble to check your rifles for me.

Kind regards,

John