Two guns with same serial numbers

[ggoingpostal]

Police show up to my house last night telling me they have a glock 17 with my serial number in there possession and it was involved in a shooting. Told them that was impossible cause the gun was in my safe. I show him the gun he verifies the number and makes a call. My gun is a brand new lower with an aftermarket slide. I called the police station to confirm that there was a shooting and the Officer that I talked to indeed is an Officer that works for them. Has anyone ever heard of two guns with the same serial number?

I left out that I am a home based FFL and a CCW holder. I show him my A/D book and when I got the lower and from whom I got it from which was a shop out of Huntington Beach. I am the only person with access to my guns. Just freaked me out a little bit.

[9Cal_OC]

Your G17 has matching slide/barrel and frame serials?

I’ve read about police going off a Glock slide when the owner had the serialized frame

[SkyHawk]

Where is the original slide that Glock originally shipped on your frame? Sounds like it ended up on a Ghost gun perhaps...

Buying Glock frames isn't all it's cracked up to be now - a lot of factory slides are in the hands of criminals, and they are serialized to match the original frame.

I suspect we will hear a lot more of these stories.

[socal m1 shooter]

Not a Glock expert but at least certain generations have the frame and barrel with a serial number, however I have been told it is quite common that the numbers, which are *not* the same-- a Glock frame could be ABC-NNNNUS, whereas the slide could be ABC-NNNN, or equivalent. For example, HGT-762-US on the frame, vs. HGT-762 on the barrel-- are often DROSed using the serial number on the barrel. So in CA, many LEOs and staffers who do CCW permits where they actually run serial numbers can tell you, they have learned to run the predictable variants if necessary. In other words, Joe Blow lists HGT762 on his permit application, and when the IA checks the database, they don't find HGT762 registered to the applicant, so maybe they look at applicant's whole record in the database to see if HGT762-US shows up instead.

Anyway, this may be the same dynamic popping up in the case described by the OP.

[ggoingpostal]

Never had the original slide or barrel just had the stripped lower which was sold to me as new.

[SkyHawk]

Never had the original slide. I bought a lower only.

Well, now you know where the original slide went

[FarwestFFL]

its happened to me as well. ATF called me for a trace on a Glock 17 I had here and the gun i had- had a factory upper with a different number on it. ATF guy was stunned when i said I have it here..haha..I said flip the gun over and look for the silver tab... dealers can sell the 2 parts usually for more than a whole gun quite often so thats why this happens.

[SkyHawk]

its happened to me as well. ATF called me for a trace on a Glock 17 I had here and the gun i had- had a factory upper with a different number on it. ATF guy was stunned when i said I have it here..haha..I said flip the gun over and look for the silver tab... dealers can sell the 2 parts usually for more than a whole gun quite often so thats why this happens.

There have been hundreds probably more like thousands of brand new Glocks stripped by big name dealers and sold in pieces the past year. You can see it happening on ebay where the uppers are being sold, and Gunbroker where the frames are being sold.

Dealers are getting more on ebay for an upper than the whole gun is worth.

That is why I can comfortably say this will keep happening.

[bohoki]

yep sounds like someone was lazy and didn't verify the "frame number" yea california gun dealers can get off list glocks but cant sell them but they can sell every part but the gun often for more than the sale price

reminds me of the during ban era gun dealers would buy the colt leo only guns sell off the uppers for more than the whole gun msrp

[M1NM]

yep sounds like someone was lazy and didn't verify the "frame number" yea california gun dealers can get off list glocks but cant sell them but they can sell every part but the gun often for more than the sale price

They just sell the lower out of state and reap the CA profits on the parts.

Colt (and probably others) has reused numbers for years on different models. I looked up the serial number on my Trooper and it produced 3 different models of Colts with the same number.

Ruger sometimes has their serial number stamp stick and makes 2 guns with the same number. They stamp a D (duplicate) next to the number and carry on as usual. I imagine those throw off searches too since "everyone" knows except for some old "alphabet" guns Ruger only uses numbers.

[BlueOvalBandit]

Will confirm, they see a serial on the slide/barrel of a Polymer-80/SS80 and that's all they see. I'm having to make the corrections all the freaking time.

//Ignores the blank serial plate and giant SS80 on the frame "The slide said it was a Glock 43x..."

[ojisan]

They just sell the lower out of state and reap the CA profits on the parts.

Colt (and probably others) has reused numbers for years on different models. I looked up the serial number one my Trooper and it produced 3 different models of Colts with the same number.

Ruger sometimes has their serial number stamp stick and makes 2 guns with the same number. They stamp a D (duplicate) next to the number and carry on as usual. I imagine those throw off searches too since "everyone" knows except for some old "alphabet" guns Ruger only uses numbers.

I was looking up a Colt revolver part by serial number, the Colt search came up with 62 different models that had that serial number.

[hermosabeach]

If I stole a red Honda Civic

I'd steal license plates from a red Honda Civic.



If I build guns, I might get my serial numbers from cal gun pictures, gun broker, etc

Add a random serial # to my 80% gun

[M1NM]

If I stole a red Honda Civic

I'd steal license plates from a red Honda Civic.

Add a random serial # to my 80% gun

Why color doesn't appear in the records.

I'd use the serial number from the Glock upper on the 80% lower. Easier than getting questions from the cops why upper & lower are different.

[Cali-Glock]

That was my experience:

In the 1990s I had a couple of Glocks stolen: when they returned my G21 in 2002, the serial number plate had been pried off the gun, but the they local law enforcement agency insisted the gun was properly serialized because of the serial number on the slide. I realized I was arguing with them wanting to give me my gun back so I shut up. They gave me back standard cap mags as well!

I was screwed though because I now had a Glock in my possession with the serial plate pried off. I contacted Glock and described the situation and they cut me a deal and sent me a another (properly serialized) frame.