Guns without serial numbers???

[1990GT50]

Well I was out camping when a ranger came across our camp. I gladly turned over my loaded 44mag that I had in my tent and my unloaded .22 rifle. The rifle was purchased about a year ago from a local gun store and is an OLD Remington sportster. The gun was owned by an old mad who passed away and was now being sold through the sherrifs or something. The thing was its so old, theres no serial number. When the ranger saw this he was thinking about confiscating the gun. I was able to provide my story of how I obtained it and he wasn't sure what to do. He allowed me to take my gun but said every gun needs a serial number and he's gonna look into it. He took all my info so I want to figure this out in case he tries to contact me later. Do I need a serial number on this old little .22?

[p7m8jg]

There is a penal code section (I believe) that makes it a crime in California to have a weapon without a serial number. Or maybe that was a gun with the serial number removed.

Don't have the book handy to give you that section, but I'd bet if you took it all apart for cleaning or something, you'd find a serial number somewheres.


But I understand why he was suspicious. Every gun i've seen in the last 30 years had one somewehres, even the small saturday night special cheapo's.

[technique]

is it pre 64?? (or maybe its 67?) If so, it has no serial number and isn't required to have one...

[Technical Ted]

The Gun Control Act of 1968 required that all newly manufactured firearms have a unique serial number. Prior to that, serial numbers weren't required, though many manufacturers used them for quality control purposes.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

It's only a crime if the serial number was removed.

The law requiring serial numbers on all firearms didn't come about until 1968. You will find many shotguns and .22 rifles that never had serial numbers on them because they were manufactured before 1968. They are perfectly legal.

[4 Brigada]

You guys are in the know , how about if I manufacture it? and dont sell it?

[technique]

You guys are in the know , how about if I manufacture it? and dont sell it?

your good to go....MFG name, serial number, and place (city,state) are only required if you sell it...

Might be better to have one on there just in case you get pulled over.

[redneckshootist]

also home built firearms dont require serials either. My romanian ak deosnt have one cause it was built from a flat.

[Jonathan Doe]

You can put your own serial number on it, whatever the number means.

[bohoki]

i have a really old 22 shotgun (smoothbore duh) it doesn't have a serial its a really strange barrel too abotu 12 inches is 22 then the last 8 inches are like 25 caliber i guess its a spreader choke (hmm what is the opposite of choke my lawnmower seems to think it is a picture of a rabbit)

[pTa]

Ive never seen a 22 guage shotgun
Wouldnt the 25 guage section be narrower?

[Californio]

My Remington 512X bought new in 1964 has no serial number, not a requirement before 1968. My much older Winchester 1903 does, go figure.

[GuyW]

ID marks don't have to be numbers, they can be letters (especially for homebuilts), as long as they are fairly unique (I know, those 2 are a contradiction...and a logical inference added by me).

I have a number of anti-government combinations I'd love to use....
.

[Californio]

To the OP,

The last post made the light come on.

Go here:

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/rsa/questions/barrelcodes

Your barrel has codes on it which will decode to the year it was made.

[bohoki]

Ive never seen a 22 guage shotgun
Wouldnt the 25 guage section be narrower?

sorry .22 like 410