Frame/Receiver serial number requirements

Ok, I know if you build a frame/receiver you have to put a serial number on it. But when is it required. Can it be the final step or does it have to be done at a certain percent of completion.

If you only plan to make one, would SN1 be enough.

Also, if you don't have a manufacturing company name, do you have to stamp your name into it.

I'm trying to do this right-before I start-rather than have to fight my way out of a bad situation.

Ben

If you are building it for yourself there is no requirement, unless it is a state requirement.

The ATF highly "reccomends" it in case it gets stolen or you want to sell it.

Thanks Bob, I will put one on it for ID purposes. I think it is supposed to have an origin too, as it will pass to my daughter when i die.

lazarus said:

Thanks Bob, I will put one on it for ID purposes. I think it is supposed to have an origin too, as it will pass to my daughter when i die.

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I do not believe you can give away, or sell, any firearm that you personally made, that falls under BATFE reg's.
The best way around it is to not put a serial number on it that is specific to the person who built it. Since there will be NO record on file of the serial # ATF will not know who built it, so your daughters would be safe owning it if they claimed they built it.
However if you apply a serial number like, Homer Simpson 1-21-1966, it would be obvious your daughters did not make it.
If the home made gun was stolen and recovered by law enforcement, it would be entered into the NCIC AFS database federally, and the particular State AFS (Automated Firearms System) that recovered it as stolen or recovered. If you had the opportunity to get it back, you WOULD have to show proof of ownership, and you will then have to go through a FFl, wait 10 days to get it back, but then it would be registered to you, and in some states you cannot 'will' an assault weapon to anyone upon your death.
The best way around that is to strip the lower of all of it's parts, take the upper reciever and accesories off of the serialized lower receiver, and put them all into another, unregistered, home made lower reciever. Then have the law enforcement agency destroy that lower serialized receiver so it is not in existence anymore.

I do not believe you can give away, or sell, any firearm that you personally made, that falls under BATFE reg's.

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Actually you can. You cannot build one for the express purpose of selling it.

It can be sold or given away at a later date if you so desire.

I went through this several years ago with one of the .50 BMGs that I built. the ATF "highly reccomended" that a number be placed on it just for the purposes that you stated.

The problem with LEO's is that IF the gun is stolen, you really have no way of proving that it is yours if they recover the gun. The only proof that you need is a serial number. If you dont have that, you cant prove it was yours...even if your name is carved into the stock. Also, many LEO's are under the mistaked assumption that all guns must have serial numbers and if there is not one then they will think it has been removed, which is a federal offense.

As for the homebuilts, very few people are aware of the laws (or lack of in this case) and many assume that building a firearms is illegal, when clearly it is not.

As an LEO myself, I have had numerous discussions with other LEO's about this very thing. I can tell you for a fact, that most of what the police "think" is wrong. It is but one of the reasons that the ATF will tell you that it needs to be marked.

It could save you a bunch of heartache in the future.

Thanks again BobB.

Yankee Metallic

To clear things up a little, it won't be an assault weapon, unless they reclassify a 1911. It won't even be a double stack. Just a simple 1911 in 45acp. It will have a SN because it will be the first one I make-not for sale at any price as it will be a family heirloom. I already know it is legal to will a legal homemade gun to someone who has the right to own it.

Ben

Looking forward to the build up photo's!

My neighbor was dragged by his wife out to Saturday Morning garage sales. In one box was stuff her Dad had from years back, bunch of junk to get rid off. He has seen my E6B (flight calculator) and recognized on in a bunch of stuff.... then realized it had two 1911 receivers!

$10 for the box. He gave me the E6B, and had two very nice WWII vintage 1911's! He is a LEO, so I was just glad he bought them and not someone else!

Oh, he saw the photo's of the Gatling gun plans in the back of HSM, and is still begging me to build him one. Explained he needed to buy his own tools and get started when he retires...

Will take pics as I go. It's still in the planning stages. I only have manual machines and want to make this unique, so it is gonna take some brainstorming before I start anything.

Just wanted to get the technical(legal aspects) difficulties out of the way first.

Thanks for the info, I'll start a new post when I get it going.

Ben

home build

are you building from an already mfg frame? if so it should have a s/n and now you do not have to renumber it. if you are building from a casting then I would out tha s/n of your choice(it can be anything you want)
I would make the depth .003 and no smaller than 1/16th(atf reg's for mfgr's) just to take one more thing away from the atf.