serial # question
I inherited an old winchester model 21 shotgun by my granddad after he passed. It's a very nice gun but he obtained it back in the 50's when he worked at Sears and Roebuck. My question is this. The serial # has been filed off w/o any traces of number on all areas of the shotgun. Can I hunt w/ it still.....is there any way to track the serial # any other way? Is it now an illegal weapon? Please help.
Thanks
Thanks
0
-
Unless you see file marks I'm going to guess that the gun never had any serial number at all.
Even if the number has been removed you can still hunt with it, just don't get caught.0 -
Are you sure that the numbers have been filed off? If it had #'s that have been intentionaly removed you have yourself an illegal firearm. You will then need to find out the legal solution for your problem. 0 -
yes...you can clearly see where the serial #'s were intentionally filed off. So basically I am screwed huh. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by chickenhawk8
yes...you can clearly see where the serial #'s were intentionally filed off. So basically I am screwed huh.
My first question would be why have the numbers been removed?
I would suggest that you repost your situation, maybe on the "ask the experts" section, and see if you can get some advice from someone who would know the legal solution. Good luck.0 -
THE BARRELS 'SHOULD' BE SERIAL NUMBERD TO THE FRAME. TAKE THE FOREND OFF AND CHECK THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BARRELS. 0 -
Knock knock, who is it? It's the ATF sir! [:0] 0 -
I don't know why the serial #'s were filed off...My grandfather bought it back in the 40's or 50's from someone who was trying to return it to Sear's and Roebuck back when they used to sell guns. Well of course S&R wouldn't take it back but I believe my grandad bought it off of the guy for cash. My granddad died about a year ago so I have no answers to those questions. No reciept or record of it being purchased by him. And yes I did take the gun apart and look at all areas of the barral and stock for any trace of serial #'s and all were deliberately marred. I will take the advice and repost the story on ask the experts section and try them....thanks for the input. 0 -
I would trash it, You can not prove that you did not file the #s off, and now days we are guilty until proven innocent, I know it would be hard to trash, but better than letting the feds KILL you. 0 -
sounds like your granddad bought a stolen gun. 0 -
Take it to the state police station in your area, and explain the situation; ASK FOR THEIR ADVICE... Your IP was sold before you ever bought it. 0 -
Back in the early 90's I worked as an apprentice gunsmith for a now closed shop in SoCal. We had a guy come in for some work on a cheep imitation of a Thompson 1927. You could tell that the serial number was removed so the boss told him to get out with that illegal gun. The guy comes back later with the same gun but he added his own serial number over the scraped off number, and it was so obvious that he just added his own number to the gun. The number didn't help ether; it was 9762223, or 976-BABE!!! He was then told to never come back or we would have him picked up by the local police. 0 -
You don't know why the serial was filed off?
Really? You don't know?
Because I do.
You're not as screwed as the guy who had his gun stolen back in the 1950s.
It's illegal under federal (and probably state) law to have a gun with a defaced or obliterated serial. If the police become aware of this gun it will be confiscated and destroyed. They don't arrest or prosecute people in these cases because there's no percentage in it but the gun is history.
You can surrender it or keep it. But if you keep it you can never show to an FFL holder or gunsmith because he would be obliged to notify the cops. Selling it would be a criminal act.
Shame. Very valuable gun.0 -
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=245311
And please do not pay any attention to some of the respondents (they most surely are not "experts"[V]).0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
13 comments