Need help with an old .22

[Gtimothy]

I've spent the last couple of hours doing inventory and recording serial numbers on all of my guns for insurance purposes. When I got to the first gun I ever owned, a Stevens model 56 Buckhorn .22, I was unable to find a serial number anywhere on it! I took it out of the stock, took the bolt out and still can't find a number!

The only marking on it other than the Manufacturer logo and usual brand info is a number 7 in a circle stamped close to where the barrel is threaded into the action. Does anyone out there in THR-land know where I might find some information on this gun?

Thanks!

 

[GCBurner]

Serial numbers weren't required on all guns before the Gun Control Act of 1968 went into effect. Before that, many guns, particularly low-priced .22s, didn't have individual serial numbers.

 

[rcmodel]

Looks like this one sold for $76 dollars.
Some history in the item description.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=267021661

rc

 

[Gtimothy]

Looks like this one sold for $76 dollars.
Some history in the item description.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=267021661

rc

If that one went for 76 dollars I could probably get 3X that for mine! My Grandpa gave it to me when I turned 6, 46 years ago and it gets shot pretty regularly. The only thing I've done to it is refinished the stock back to original. The bluing is original and has only one or two scratches. This gun will never be sold but I need to have some way to identify it for insurance, any ideas?

 

[JohnBT]

You could write your name and phone number on a slip of paper and put it under the butt plate.

Or scratch your social security number on the barrel with a rusty nail like some people do. <joke>

 

[dubya450]

I am of no help but that looks alot like the first rifle i ever had as well. It was my moms and she got it from her dad. Its also a Stevens bolt 22 and looks alot alike besides the black fore end cap yours has. Ill have to dig mine out of the attic at my dads one of these day and see if mine has a serial #

 

[HGM22]

Scratch some sort of ID in the stock, under the barrel?

 

[Gtimothy]

I posted the question on the "general gun discussion" board about the best way to mark it for identification and it was suggested to write my name, address and phone# in pencil under the buttplate. Seems like a good idea as most stupid crooks wouldn't think to look there! but the police would! (I would hope...)

 

[BruceB]

You'll want some sort of PERMANENT identifiable mark.

I'll suggest something quite unique, such as your birthdate, electro-penciled under the stock line on the barrel or action. These "vibrating engravers" are inexpensive, and have even been used by such entities as the British War Department to identify weapons and other valuable equipment (many #4 Enfields are thus marked).

A simple set of numbers (d-m-y) such as "9 11 75" is most unlikely to be meaningful to anyone....except you and your insurer.

I've used the last four digits of my SSN for similar purposes.

 

[P51D]

Beautiful little rifle, Gtimothy! I like it. Are the sights original?

P51D

 

[87Theworld]

Make on up cuz if you ever need to use it for insurance purposes it most likely will never be recovered to verify the #'s anyhow.

You could just use the 7 you saw on the barrel

 

[dprice3844444]

find a trophy shop that has a good engraver and engrave it with your initials and 007 or see if there is a title 2 nearby who will engrave it.make it look professional.

 

[303tom]

I have a bunch of old rifles that had no serial numbers, well they do now, thanks to a electro-pencile, my last 4 on the bottom of the barrel between it & the stock.

 

[Gtimothy]

Beautiful little rifle, Gtimothy! I like it. Are the sights original?

P51D

Thanks P51D, As far as I know they are the original sights. They were on it when I got it from my Grandpa 46 years ago. The front sight used to have a small brass dot but I lost it in the woods when I was a kid. Other than that, it's all original. It really is a great gun. All of my kids learned to shoot on it and it's very accurate...lots of dead cans and bottles can attest to that!