DO you folks remember

[Merc]

Many years ago some people were saying you should etch your name and social security number on your guns so they could be identified? Not only did the perp get your gun, but he also got your identification!

I once bought a gun like that. Fortunately the crap could be polished off and reblued. BUT If i had been a crook, it would have been a license to steal

Evidently, the practice of marking guns with identifying information has been around for a while. Several years ago, I bought a Model 1816 Springfield .69 caliber smoothbore musket at an antique shop in Gettysburg that was converted from a flintlock to a percussion cap ignition in the 1840s or 1850s. The lock plate has Springfield and 1838 stamped on it but the customary eagle was ground off indicating it was possibly a Confederate musket during the Civil War.

Under sunlight, I could see printing scratched on the shoulder stock: John McGess 1868. I found a McGess family in West Virginia, but no-one named John.

[Allen]

Wow. This thread started back in 2010. It's like a time capsule reading the user names of those that replied. Some have left the forum (or the forum has left them). Others aren't with us any more.

[Merc]

Yep. The thread is an oldie alright. I think old guns with ID marks can be interesting. I have a 1923 Colt Army 38 Special that somehow acquired a 2 inch barrel in place of its traditional 4 inch barrel making it resemble a Detective Special. Someone scratched their initials (GP) and a date (3-29-52) on the side plate that suggests it may have been marked for evidence. I could swap out the name plate, but why bother? It’s part of the history of the gun that raises the level of interest. What I find interesting is that so few guns that were used as evidence made it back on the street, especially a hand gun.

[dave]

The bad guys will get your SS numbers with out it being on your guns. I have a large collection of older .22 rifles, most have no serial. I make one up (with my own system, which includes portion of SS#) and stamp it in the wood butt, under the butt plate.

[Merc]

Great idea. Sounds like you’ve given it some thought. Stamping the number in an inconspicuous location preserves the value and natural look of the rifle.

[Major Tom]

I put my Army serial number on a lot of stuff, but not on firearms or even the inside of grips. Under the butt plate is OK.

[Dan Shapiro]

The federal database of stolen items is purged of an item when it's been listed for 6 months but still not recovered. I learned that years ago when researching stolen property, looking for the legal owners. Luckily, IBM maintained their own database and I could confirm an electric typewriter (that dates me!) was stolen property.......the serial number had been in the federal database but was purged after 6 months. Firearm serial numbers are never purged as they are kept in a separate, but linked, database.

As for my own weapons; I place one of those "address labels" with my name, address and phone number, under the grip or under the butt stock. I'm not giving away any "personal information" that can't be found in the phone book.