Pics please. What model is it? DaFabricata would be interested in it.
Back in the Laser Products days, when the bodies of the flashlights didn't have flat surfaces for markings, no serial numbers were used. As such, there were a lot of models produced without serial numbers, not just the usual, smaller 3P/6P/9P lights but also the larger 12PM/12ZM models and all of the other oddities that no longer get any mention on CPF.
The only markings were on the tailcap.
If you (the OP, or anyone else) want to date a SureFire then posting a picture would certainly help. The serial number itself might not be very useful (although it can help sometimes) but the design itself and particular features can place it at a particular time.
Doing this with more recent SureFires is a lot easier now that just about everything is marked in some way and one can therefore distinguish one revision from another with ease. For example, the KL1 and KX1 are visually similar, but the fact that one is marked KL1 and the other KX1 helps a fair bit in telling them apart. No such luck with the older models.
Even with such markings, though, it's not always easy. To use the KX1 example again, there's no difference in the markings between the single-level (30 lumen) KX1 and the two-level (3/45 lumen) KX1 replacing it.
To summarise: serial numbers aren't a good guide, determining age is difficult but not impossible, and it's best to post a photo of the light in question
Regards,
Tempest
