What’s Your Shotgun’s Serial #?

Do you know your shotgun’s serial number by heart? Unlikely.

But you DO have it written down and saved somewhere, right? Be honest…

I’ll admit I have as good a chance picking the next Powerball lotto correctly as I do guessing the numbers that comprise my shotgun’s personal identification.

Most of us will never need to know this number until we need to know it, i.e. when your firearm is stolen or goes missing. Consider the case of well-known waterfowl hunter Jeff Foiles. Among the items taken by thieves from a recent heist of Foiles’ truck included two Benelli Super Black Eagle 12-gauge shotguns. To read Saint Paul Pioneer Press Outdoor Editor Chris Niskanen’s account of the crime, click here.

I ran into Niskanen at Game Fair (the event Foiles was in town for) the week after the break in and asked him how the investigation was going. “No serial numbers for the guns, so there’s really nothing they [police] can do,” he said. For the record, Foiles’ calls – used to win big calling competitions and lure countless ‘fowl into gun range – are the real irreplaceable items from the caper. But finding the firearms at a pawn shop or elsewhere could be the lead needed to get them. Without the serial numbers, it’s a virtual cold case.

Niskanen told me the incident had inspired him to jot down and save the serial numbers for all his firearms. I’ll do the same, and you should, too. Chances are you’ll never need it, but better to be safe than sorry.