Speer/CCI manufacture dates

[d'Artagnan]

Ever wonder when your Speer/CCI product was manufactured? Since 1995, on center-fire ammo, rimfire ammo, bullets, and primers the manufacture date is encoded in the first four places of the lot number, which is printed on or impressed into the box or packaging. The format is L##L where L is a letter and # is a number. Letters and/or numbers following these I haven't figured out yet. The first letter is the month, January through December -- A through M, respectively, skipping I, which looks like a 1/one. The numbers are 01 through 31 for the numerical date; single digit dates get a leading zero. The second letter is the year, 1995 through 2008 -- A through P, respectively, skipping I and O (I looks like a 1/one, O looks like a 0/zero). Therefore, my Blazer 9mm Luger ammo lot number A09P1 was made on January 9th, 2008. My Speer 9mm Luger Gold Dot ammo lot number C12J33 was made on March 12th, 2003. My CCI Large Pistol primers lot number H14M was made on August 14, 2006. And my Independence-brand 9mm Luger ammo lot number C12N3 was made by Speer/CCI on March 12th, 2007. My Blazer rimfire ammo lot L08NQ3 was made on November 8th, 2007.
Check out the lot numbers in Speer's 2002 ammunition recall notice and you'll see the pattern.

 

[Halo]

Pretty cool. By that nomenclature, my box of Speer Lawman 45 ACP was made on July 27, 2000.

 

[d'Artagnan]

That should be G27F, before the recall. On 50-round 45 Auto boxes I've only noted subsequent numbers of 21 through 25. Is yours different?

 

[ricciardelli]

Your code doesn't seem to work on my products. Here are some of my numbers:
M19T09
E29P07
F12UU
G12UU
G23MMW

 

[Halo]

Correction - September 27, 2000. Lot number is J27F24.

 

[d'Artagnan]

ricciardelli--
Three possibilities I can think of:
1. The products are not center-fire ammo, rimfire ammo, bullets, or primers.
2. Your "P", "T", and "U" products are from before 1995. I have an old box of Speer swagged .570 lead balls stamped J25S, which doesn't fit the pattern. I probably bought them in the 1980's, before this pattern. I also have another ancient Speer box of lead .380 balls stamped 19EE, possibly bought them in the late 1960's.
3. Perhaps it's from another producer. Example: Speer sold .308 150-gr FMJBT bullets made by IMI in Speer packaging. I can't read the lot number on my box, unfortunately. Also I've seen Speer and Independence Speer/CCI-sized boxes where "Lot No" is printed but no lot number follows.