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How to Find a Serial Number on a Shotgun

The most common reason for wanting to find the serial number of a shotgun is so that an owner, a potential buyer or collector, can date the gun. Many models of shotguns from particular years or eras are highly valued and sell for thousands - even hundreds of thousands of dollars. To know when most shotguns were manufactured you'll only need to know the serial number on the shotgun, which is usually fairly easy to locate.

Things You'll Need

Shotgun
Computer

Instructions

- 1
  Handle the shotgun with care. Before doing anything else, make sure the shotgun is not loaded and avoid pointing it at yourself. Never point it at another person.
- 2
  Refer to the owner's manual for the gun to find out where the serial number is located. If you are not in possession of an owner's manual try to find it online. For example, if you have a Browning Recoilless Trap Single Barrel Shotgun, you can go to the Browning website and look at the owner's manual online. The owner's manual will tell you that the serial number for this particular Browning shotgun is located on the right side of the receiver just below the ejection/loading port.
- 3
  If you do not have an owner's manual and cannot locate one online, carefully search the shotgun starting from one end and working your way to the other.
- 4
  If after carefully searching for the serial number you are still unable to locate it, take your gun to your local gun store. A specialist at the gun store should be able to assist you in locating the serial number.
- 5
  Use the serial number to find the approximate value of your shotgun using a blue book for firearms.

Gun Collecting