doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SS# on guns are just hideous.

I saw three guns this weekend which had a SS# engraved on them with an electric engraver pen. Talk about out of date and hideous to look at. Now days we hide that information from view to prevent identity theft. The worst was a Winchester model 21 with the SS# engraved on the trigger guard bow, under the barrels and on the water table. Next worst was a bolt action with the # engraved on the side of the barrel in plain sight. Last was a LC Smith that was a decent shooter but the SS number was engraved under the barrel, just in front of the for end in plain sight.

Three different numbers so three different previous owners. I am glad this "theft prevention" died out years ago. I wonder how many guns are scared for life because of it? Kind of reminds me of what a friend use to say about one mans custom upgrade or enhancement being the next mans ugly warts to be fixed or ignored.

The thing to do would be to put it out of sight like under the buttplate,if you have to do it at all.Putting it on the metal on a good gun is like a tattoo on the Mona Lisa.

I once owned a shotgun that the owner had put his name on it with an electric engraver pen. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF R. J. KORNBRATH'S ENGRAVING!

Which arm has the "Live to Ride- Ride to Live" tat??

http://pictures.gunauction.com/935/12242463/img_5532.jpg_thumbnail0.jpg


Might have been better to engrave a SS# on this one.

Looks like someone did that with a Dentist's drill! Lagopus.....

Years ago, the police around here told people to do that.It was only to save the police some work.They could check with the ss# owner easier than checking if the serial number was stolen.In my opinion it didn't help, for the reasons mentioned above;plus I don't think it is illegal to remove a ss#, but it is highly illegal to remove a manufacturer applied serial number.The police should think a little bit before they tell people to do things.
Mike

Yep:
Engraved SSN's on guns are just as hideous as the government mandated disfiguration requiring an importers stamp.
Jim

That was done at a time when people freely used their SS# for ID purposes,,even though it says 'Not for Identification Purposes' on the card.

There wasn't any NCIC file to drop a SS# into to retrieve a name anyway, so having someones firearm, golf clubs or sterio with a SS# did nothing to help find the owner when recovered.

People loved it though. Those handy little electric scriber tools got a good workout and everyone felt safe and protected.

Brought to you by the same people that did things like used individuals SS# as their State Sales Tax license number for self owned business.
'Post in a Conspicuous Location' it said....Ummmm,,maybe not.
That's since been changed, but not all that long ago.

What do you think of a less than perfect attempt at engraving the original owner's name and a date on the trigger guard ?

This Fox has L.B.Hart Oct. 1929 engraved crudely in the oval on the guard bow.



SRH