Luger identification

kzullick · 10-14-2013, 06:12 PM

How is illegal not to have a serial number in the USA when many guns made in the USA were manufactured without any serial numbers?

gunbugs · 10-14-2013, 07:31 PM

Many firearms before 1968 were made without serial numbers. Typically these were inexpensive firearms. The cost of stamping a number would have materially increased the cost of manufacture, so it wasn't done to help keep the price low.
That being said, it is a violation of Federal law to buy, sell, or possess a firearm that has an REMOVED, OBLITERATED or ALTERED serial number. USC Title 27 CFR Chapter II(C) Part 478.34. It doesn't matter when or where it was made.
Again,there are many firearms that were made with no serial number, so it is best to be informed about what you are buying or trading and be aware of typical serial number placement and "font" for a typical specimen. Lugers in particular shouldn't be hard to figure out.

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10-14-2013, 06:12 PM	#1
kzullick Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: East Berwick, Pennsylvania Posts: 239 Thanks: 683 Thanked 104 Times in 85 Posts	How is illegal not to have a serial number in the USA when many guns made in the USA were manufactured without any serial numbers?

10-14-2013, 07:31 PM	#2
gunbugs Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska. Home of the best moose. Posts: 672 Thanks: 371 Thanked 1,202 Times in 407 Posts	Many firearms before 1968 were made without serial numbers. Typically these were inexpensive firearms. The cost of stamping a number would have materially increased the cost of manufacture, so it wasn't done to help keep the price low. That being said, it is a violation of Federal law to buy, sell, or possess a firearm that has an REMOVED, OBLITERATED or ALTERED serial number. USC Title 27 CFR Chapter II(C) Part 478.34. It doesn't matter when or where it was made. Again,there are many firearms that were made with no serial number, so it is best to be informed about what you are buying or trading and be aware of typical serial number placement and "font" for a typical specimen. Lugers in particular shouldn't be hard to figure out.