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.Originally Posted by John Sukey
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
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.
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