M49 Telescope - WW2

[cwbuff]

How do you tell a WW2 production M49 Observation Telescope from one made post-WW2?

[M1Garandy]

The data plates are different. I know the later ones had P/N's cast into the housing, I can't recall if the WWII era units did as well. You ought to PM Johnny in Texas. He knows a ton about M49's.

[Johnny in Texas]

The WWII M49 will have a steel main tube krinkle OD paint the name plate on the side of the prism housing not the bevel dated name plate '42,'43,'44 I have never seen '45 dated after that name plates were brass no date and the main tube was aluminum still krinkle paint until late 50's early 60's then smooth dark OD.

[cwbuff]

ID Plates

Take a look at the data plates. The top one is dated 1943 so is a ww2 plate. The bottom one looks like post ww2. What era is the brass plate in the middle?
M49_ID_plates..jpg

[Johnny in Texas]

Based on the S/N's on the brass Name Plates I would think post WWII to pre Vietnam. v
19,XXX is a late brass name plate scope. I have seen with this scope a range of about 10K on the brass name plate scopes.