US Military Firearm Serialization

[usabaker]

Serial numbers on civilian firearms were not required until 1968 when the Gun Safety Act was put in place. What about US Military firearms? Have US Military firearms always had serial numbers if not does anyone know when they started applying them?

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[Aragorn243]

I may be mistaken but I believe all rifles and handguns in the US had to have serial numbers. Shotguns were exempt until 1968. 1873 Springfields have serial numbers as do Civil war era revolvers. Earlier than that I don't know.

Did some checking and serial numbers were not mandatory on non NFA regulated firearms until 1968 but most manufacturers used them as control devices prior to that.

[usabaker]

serial numbers were not mandatory on non NFA regulated firearms until 1968

That's what I found as well, the question on Military arms is what did they use he serial numbers for, I found an article on the National Archives that said, " It is not possible for the Archives to locate a record by serial number for any weapon of any type. ...Frequently the lists of serial numbers will not identify the make or model of the arm, only the type (pistol or carbine). " Firearms Genealogy | National Archives

[Sunray]

"...all rifles and handguns in the US had to have serial numbers..." .22 calibre rifles, for one, were not required to have serial numbers until the GCA of 1968. The military put 'em on for inventory control. TrapDoor Rifles and Carbines had 'em starting at least in 1873. However, that doesn't mean anybody kept records. Nobody, anywhere, kept records of who got what firearm issued to 'em. Those were local unit records only and were not kept.
Certainly not the National Archives. They're more about records about people than stuff.

[Aragorn243]

I've only ever had two that didn't have a serial number. The first was a 20 gauge Mossberg shotgun which I traded for an Indian No III Enfield a couple years ago. The second is a Savage 24D over under 22/410 that I just got a couple of months ago. I always thought it strange the shotgun didn't have one but did learn about the 1968 change in the law.

[usabaker]

Savage 24D over under

A lot of Savage/Stevens didn't have serial numbers.

[Eaglelord17]

I suspect most US arms will have had serial numbers all the way back into the flintlock era. The reason being two fold. One inventory control as to what serial numbers were issued where, and secondly to ensure you got all the arms you bought from a contract. I know Civil War era arms have serial numbers, so your going to have to go pretty far back to find any without one.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

There is a government 45 acp handgun made by the OSS that did not have serial numbers. Some of you made be familiar with it, the Liberator. These are pictures of mine.

[usabaker]

There is a government 45 acp handgun made by the OSS that did not have serial numbers. Some of you made be familiar with it, the Liberator. These are pictures of mine.

That is awesome! thanks

[Aragorn243]

Doesn't look like there are any markings at all on that. Could be they didn't want the Germans to know where they came from.