Ruger 22/45 Pistol
I am looking for information on a serial number on this Ruger Pistol. I have been unable to get any information from Ruger on this altho they did say this serial number is not a Ruger serial number. A machinist friend looked at the gun and said no other serial no. had been on the gun, then replaced with this one, so it had to come from the factory. I have several Rugers and love them, but after the last reply from Ruger, may never again buy a Ruger. Their advice to me was to take gun back to dealer or turn in to police. It's pretty hard to return a gun to a gun show. The serial number is 0U812 SYK. I am attaching pictures. Thank you for any information you can give me.
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Am having problems putting pictures on. Will keep trying. Sorry. 0 -
Ruger .22 pistols unlike most other firearms are serial numbered on the barrel extension, not on the receiver or frame. The serial number would be located just forward of the ejection port on the right side. If Ruger has no record of the serial number, it doesn't bode well for the legal status of the pistol.
You might try the Ruger forum. They have a specific board devoted to Ruger collectors type guns. One of the pros over there might be able to identify your pistol from the serial number. If it turns out to be a rare prototype or tool room model it might turn out to be a big buck sleeper. My experience has been that a lot of the gun companies don't have as tight of control of their prototype or tool room firearms as they would like. Hopefully in your case this is what it would turn out to be.
If any body was to attempt to remove the serial numbers from the barrel extension of a 22-45 it would be visible as the numbers are stamped quite deeply. If the diameter of the barrel extension just forward of the ejection port is the same as the rear part of the barrel extension likely the serial numbers are original IMHO.0 -
Aftermarket upper: as in Ramline or Volquartson(sp)?? 0 -
There are aftermarket replacement uppers for Ruger pistols available.
For example, Tactical Solutions makes a lightweight upper receiver called a "Pac-lite" for this model in particular:
Since in the case of the Ruger, the upper is the part that contains the serialized receiver, if you replace the upper, you replace the serial number. Is that the case for you gun? I don't know. I do know that some people have built their own Ruger clones, so maybe that's the case for your gun.
As a secondary matter, the number "OU812" is a sort of pun, "Oh, you ate one too?". I don't know what, if anything "OU812 SYK" means in the context of your gun, but it may have some meaning to the builder of the gun.
The Rock group Van Halen used this for the name of one of their albums, supposedly as a dig at former singer David Lee Roths solo Album, "Eat em and Smile":
Edit:
OK, now that your image is up and visible, I have to agree with the others. There is no way any reputable gun outfit put that serial number on a pistol. Are there other markings on the RECEIVER/upper to indicate that is is, in fact, a Ruger manufactured gun?
If *NOT*, then it *might* still be a home built upper. If that's the case, the gun is not legally transferable from the original builder. In practice, I think it could be difficult to prove who exactly built it and when.
If the original upper *IS* a Ruger (and it sounds like this is the case) then that's not good. Not only is altering the serial number on a gun a Federal crime (and in most if not all States a State crime as well), but mere POSSESSION of a gun like that is also illegal.
You say you bought the gun "from a gun show", but that can't be true. You had to buy it from SOMEONE at the gun show. If it was a registered dealer there or an individual with a booth, they could be tracked down via the show organizers.
If it was just a random individual in the parking lot, then without their contact information you're SOL if you just traded cash for the gun without any documentation or paperwork.
Even assuming you had valid contact information from the seller, they might be a criminal, and you might think twice about contacting them for a refund. While they might be inclined to give you a refund (in lieu of you contacting the police and turning them in), they also might not be so inclined.
If you can't (or won't) contact the seller, you've got two choices:
a. Destroy the gun entirely (ie melt the receiver with a torch or smash/chop it into itsy bitsy pieces). If you wanted to salvage the non serialized frame, and/or any small parts like the bolt, trigger assembly, etc, you might be able to recoup a few bucks in selling them.
b. Call your local BATFE field office and tell them EXACTLY what happened, ie where you bought the gun, when, and from whom, and that you suspect the serial number has been altered. My understanding is that so long as YOU are the one bringing this to their attention, and they don't have reason to believe you're lying about what happened, the BATFE's policy is not to press charges. This way, the BATFE, at least, might be able to get the "real" criminal here.
If it were me, I'd do choice "b", though I can see why a lot of individuals might opt for "a" (and call me crazy for invoking the Feds here).
But in NO CASE WHATEVER should you keep the gun!0 -
Per your photo, I have to agree with the folks you talked to at Ruger. The original serial number has been removed with a end mill, and some Mickey Mouse serial has been added. Looks like stamped in by hand, to me.
Get hold of the guy you got it from if possible, and get your money back. If not it could cause you a whole lot of trouble with the badge boys, if it comes to their attention that you have a pistol that has been screwed with in your possession.0 -
Got plans for the next ten years ?
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