1980's Rossi 38 m68? need info please

[PANDEE38]

A gun I had for almost 30 years was stolen. I do not have the serial number but I do have a couple of pictures. I think the serial number is on the butt. I need to know if I am looking at the numbers right side up or are the upside down in this pic. I believe I can tweek the picture to be readable but first I need to get right side up.
so if anyone out there has an 80's Rossi M68 please take it out and if its laying on its right side, is the serial number upside down or rightside up?

Now while you have it out, how many letters and numbers? are the letters s/n for serial number actually in front of the number. How many digits are actually on the butt. ?

I am going to report it but I know that without the serial number nothing will happen. I know who stole it. It was the first gun I ever shot.

I bought it in new 1983-1985 in Fort Worth Texas. Any ideas of the range of serial numbers would be a great help since the Rossi websiteis very vague about the serial numbers on older guns.

 

[PANDEE38]

Updated info

UPDATE: After looking through thousands of pictures literally I have determined that my gun is a model number 88 Rossi Inter Arms stainless steel 38 special. 5 shot. First year this model type was manufactured was 1983. I believe I purchased it between 1983 and 1987 in Fort Worth Texas. Not sure which pawnshop.
It originally was a 3 inch barrel and it was cut down to approx 2inch barrel before I bought it.. The cut was made between the lettering on the barrel (see picture). Cut was made
at the arrow marks as follows: Ama^deo Rossi S.A. and Sa^o Leopoldo. I only have a picture of the left side of the gun which includes a very sharp angle of the butt.

What I need to know is: in this date range, is there a letter in the serial number?
What does the serial letter represent? Please give examples of this for instance: J means it was made on the Three Stooges birthday or if it indicates frame type. D AA W.
Are only a few letters used in Serial numbers or are all the letters of the Alphabet used in serial numbers.?
I have tweaked the photograph. I have come up with the following: still not positive on the first third and last numbers.
__3157
26_315
86_317
My husband says that I'm stuck on one size of numbers. He says he sees much smaller numbers in there.

I am attaching a photo of what I am looking at. please provide input on what y'all think. I know who stole it but I need the serial number in order to report it. Since I don't know if there is a letter that should be included, the Rossi website I have found pretty much useless. Like I said I have also called Rossi and they told me that the serial number is just on the most forward part of the frame.

 

[rcmodel]

Only the shadow knows.

Rossi has never been a popular gun in the USA.

As such, nobody I am aware of has compiled serial number records, or written books on them.

Your best bet is to call Rossi directly.

Maybe they can help?

Or maybe not.

Rossi has changed hands & importers so many times over the years it is pretty doubtful Taurus/Rossi even has all the records either.

rc

 

[Jim K]

While firearms theft is a serious matter, I doubt that any dealer is going to search 20-plus year old records using a partial serial number and a purchaser's name for any reason short of a major criminal investigation. As for the company, even if they would go through hundreds of thousands of records, they would not have the full serial number either and would not have the final customer's name, either.

In brief, finding the full serial on your gun is really a lost cause.

As a lesson learned, though, this does show that recording the serial numbers of your guns and keeping the serial number list in a safe place is a very good idea. (Your computer hard drive is not a safe place; thieves take computers first thing.)

Jim