We refinish firearms. Our finishing process starts with abrasive blasting the individual parts down to bare metal and then building the new finish up on that fresh base. Over the years, I've come across three different application types for serial numbers:
1...Hard Stamping...This is the type that we're all most familiar with. It's usually pretty deep and just about indestructable.
2...Stiple Stamping...It's lot's of little dots stamped into the metal in the shape of letters and numbers. It's also pretty durable.
Both # 1 and # 2 hold up well to normal refinishing techniques. In my experience, they seem clearer after refinishing, most likely due to years of crud being removed from deep inside the stamping. Both types are "recoverable". Even if they're filed off, they can be "seen" by forensic experts with X-rays, acid baths, Magnufluxing, etc.
Then there's the third kind! It's called "Laser Etching". Sounds high tech, right? It's JUNK! It's about as durable as an ink stamp. It can be rubbed off with a pencil eraser and is not recoverable in any way by any method. The reason that so many manufacturers and importers are starting to use it, is because it's cheap to apply. It's applied
ON the metal instead of
IN the metal.
Years back...when I first ran into the Laser Etched serial number..I realized that it would be gone before the preparation work for refinishing was completed. I contacted BATF to ask for their "expert opinion". My plan was to take the frame down to the local BATF office, have them inspect the original number, have the identical number hard stamped right above it, take it back to BATF to have it verified and then refinish it normally. Several hours of phone time later, I gave up.
Hard Stamping the identical number was not the problem. Making the OEM number go away was a huge problem. Here's a few things that I got from those hours of conversations with the so called experts:
*...It's fine to stamp whatever numbers/letters you want to any place on the pistol. After all, it's your's.
*...Altering, removing, defacing, etc. the OEM number is a crime and will be punished. That includes hard stamping the identical number directly into/onto the Laser Etched number.
*...BATF has no records or any other way (at that time) to know which type of application system was used on which firearm or where it was applied except that it was on the frame or receiver. I think this applied mostly to importers.
*...Rust, useage wear, holster wear, belly wear, age wear, laying-on-the-car seat-next-to-you wear or any other kind of wear on a firearm with a Laser Etched serial number is a federal crime and will be punished.
During those conversations, I finally ended up with an "expert" at the BATF Tech Center. I explained to him that the serial number on this handgun was Laser Etched, on the left side of the frame, the owner was right handed and carried it concealed in a belly holster. The number was getting thin due to belly wear and surface rust caused by sweat. His response was: Then the owner is guilty of a Federal Crime and will be prosecuted. So, there you have it! Belly sweat is a crime!
From that point on, I started carefully examining all ID numbers on the frames/receivers prior to starting any finish work. Anything that even looks like laser etching is masked off for the entire process. Honestly, I don't worry about our Tuff-Gun finish filling in any type of hard stamping even if it's shallow. As long as the numbers are clearly identifiable, it shouldn't be a problem. "Defacing" is removing the face...as in filing it off.
The bottom line is: If you have a firearm with a laser etched serial number, do yourself a big favor and engrave or hard stamp the same number elsewhere on the frame. Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All.
Mac's Shootin' Irons
http://www.shootiniron.com
