mossberg 500a1 no s#

[cobra3232]

A friend was just given a very old mossberg 500A shotgun that the owner says has never been shot. It does not have a serial number on it, and there is slight rust in the chamber area. For this reason i beleive it is a very old shotgun. Are we not looking in the right place for the serial number? Shouldnt it be in a visible area or will it be hidden? By the way the guy who gave him the gun is an upscale 85 year old gentlemen.

[kilrain]

A friend was just given a very old mossberg 500A shotgun that the owner says has never been shot. It does not have a serial number on it, and there is slight rust in the chamber area. For this reason i beleive it is a very old shotgun. Are we not looking in the right place for the serial number? Shouldnt it be in a visible area or will it be hidden? By the way the guy who gave him the gun is an upscale 85 year old gentlemen.

I believe prior to 1968(GCA) serial numbers on firearms were not required by law. I have several old guns that don't have serial numbers.

[crackerman]

Long guns were not required to have serial numbers prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968. Probably means the gun is from before then. Since the Mossberg 500 has been in production since 1961 there is a good way to give it a date range. Try the mossberg owners forum for more specifics.
And Mossberg 500s with serial numbers have them on the left side of the receiver just forward and slightly above the trigger group pin hole.

[kilrain]

so would he be able to keep it he didnt go through any transfer process

Sure he can keep it, but unless the transfer went through an FFL, pretty sure it's a violation of CA law.

At that point, it would be up to whatever law enforcement agency that discovers it to investigate and then the DA to prosecute. Highly unlikely, but still a violation of CA law.

[kilrain]

so he took it thinking it mite be cnr so now would you recomend him turning it in to a pd station or even to one of those buyback programs to be legal by the book original owner does not want to go through ffl i dont think its a stolen gun hes just real old fashioned just seems like such a nice gun if the original owner does not want it or to turn in to the LE but legal is legal right if it were a cnr elgible gun could he keep it

If the old guy that gave it to him doesn't want it, I'd recommend he give it back to the old guy and tell him that he'd love to have it but for it to be legal, they have to do the transfer through an FFL. Hell, if I was him I'd offer to pay the old guy $50 or buy him lunch or whatever just for his time at the FFL.

If the old guy refuses, I'd advise him to advise the old guy to call the local PD and have them come pick it up.

Those are pretty much the legal options I do believe.....

PS - I hate to say it but he could strip the gun down to the receiver, have the old guy turn that over to the cops, and sell the parts or use them for spares if he has or purchases another 500............sounds wrong but it would be practical and legal.