No Serial Number on shotgun

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

There's no serial number on my Steven's Model 77f 20 gauge 3" pump shotgun. There are no, and I repeat NO signs of grinding off. If there is a SN, where would I find it, and if there isn't, is this gun legal? I've looked all over and can't seem to find one.

 

[dogngun]

There was no legal requirement for SN's on shotguns before the Gun Control Act of 1968. Stevens, Savage, and many others will be found with no serial numbers. It is perfectly legal.

mark

 

[jmr40]

Prior to 1968 serial numbers were not required and were not put on many guns. Budget guns in particular did not have them. It is quite possible this is the case with this gun. If so it is perfectly legal without one.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Thanks for the info. I KNEW my shotgun was old!

 

[mike724]

I sent my old Stevens 311 for a butt pad, and the gunsmith told me he was required to enter a SN in his logbook. Since the piece had no number, I had him stamp a 5 digit code on the receiver- my birthdate!

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

I might do that my shotty, but I don't really know for sure. She's a beut, nothing wrong with her at all. The only ding she has is in the buttstck.

 

[foghornl]

Got an OLD Mossy 500 and an OLD Marlin 99 (.22LR) w/o serial numbers.

Before the GCA of 1968, firearms were not required to have s/n's

 

[Virginian]

For many years I had my FFL and was a legit dealer. I asked the BATF about this, and if there is no serial number all you have to do is enter "none". It is a crime to alter a serial number, or create one, unless you are a legally licensed firearm manufacturer. Tell your FFL he needs to do a little reading. A lot of people, me included, vehemently object to anything other than the original manufacturer's serial number on a firearm. I will never understand the mentality to reduce the value of things by branding them permanently with something no one else would want like their driver's license number or SSN. (I am not talking about you Mike - you got some bad info from someone who should have known better.)

 

[rcmodel]

+1

You cannot arbitrarily create a new serial number & put it on a gun that doesn't have one.

If it's an old gun and doesn't have one, it just doesn't have one!

rcmodel

 

[Husker1911]

I sent my old Stevens 311 for a butt pad, and the gunsmith told me he was required to enter a SN in his logbook. Since the piece had no number, I had him stamp a 5 digit code on the receiver- my birthdate!

Perhaps he's not been in business very long? I've had bound books inspected numerous times, and the BATF(E) agent never said a peep about the "no visible s/n" entries.

 

[akodo]

You cannot arbitrarily create a new serial number & put it on a gun that doesn't have one.

what defines a serial number as far as putting one on? I know people who engrave or stamp numbers on expensive mechanical goods to aid in later identification in case of theft

People also engrave firearms with initials etc,

if your firearm doesn't have a serial number, can the poster who had the FFL put his birthdate on the gun simply call that an identifiying mark to seperate his from any other guns of same make and model in case of theft?

 

[Neo-Luddite]

It's your gun--you can carve or scribe whatever pleases you on it--PROVIDED you are not defacing a serial number while doing so.

There is no legal reason to put any sort of ID number on a pre-68 and originally un-serialized weapon. By the same token, it IS just as unlawful to deface the serial on a pre-68 weapon as it is on a new one.

And if you have come across that rare bird, a pre-68 gun WITH a serial DEFACED prior to 1968--good luck on having that conversation someday if anyone wants an explanation.

 

[rcmodel]

I agree there is no law preventing you from engraving your name, rank, and serial number, social security number, birthday, safe combination, or anything else on a gun.

But entering that number on an ATF form that asks for a serial number, in place of a serial number would be a violation.

rcmodel

 

[Browning]

You're in a very dangerous and precarious legal situation with that shotgun.

I'd like to help you out if I can.

Just send the gun to me and I'll dispose of it in a legal manner (by sticking it with the rest of my guns and by taking it out to go bird hunting or trap and skeet shooting).

Just let me know if I can help, thanks.

 

[velobard]

My old Stevens 520 (at least I think it's a 520, that's my best guess from some research I've done), dates back to sometime before 1920. It has a hand-stamped serial number, which I found repeated in two additional places when I removed the stock. If you can't find one on your Stevens, it's at least worth a shot to remove the stock and see if one's hiding there.