# Get apraisals, take pictures and insure.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The other morning I walk up the drive way with the pup to get the paper they throw at the end of the dive every Saturday night some time. Off in the far distance I hear a pack of coyotes, A friend lives off that away who I hunt coyotes with a lot. I decide I will call him later in the day and see how his trip out west went, and ask about us getting together over Christmas holidays to see what we can call up.
He is a realtor and his lively hood has been in the crapper since 2007 but has picked up greatly in the last year and a half. Doing so well he decided to take a trip out west to hunt pheasants in N. Dakota, Antelope in Montana and Take a crack at a bear in Idaho. He had returned home on Nov. 10th. Since he had been gone for 2 Â½ weeks he decided to take his wife and daughter still at home out to a dinner at a nice place and a movie. They returned home to a swinging door on the garage side of the house and it was wide open. First thing they noticed when they went in was the flat screen TV in the dining room was gone. As was the bigger one in the living room, stereo and speakers were gone. So were four of his guns all were still in the travel cases sitting by his safe waiting to be cleaned and put away. His house has a alarm system but is monitored as they had dropped that when it was just his wife earning any income during the rough times and he had not got around to get it hooked up again.
The four guns were what were missed the worst. A Husqvarna 65.x55 that his grandfather had bought new in 1952 gave to his father and to him just 3 years ago. A weatherly rifle, a Winchester 101 and a model 21 pump also. 
With Michiganâs deer season coming up fast he needed a rifle and after the expense of the hunt He could not afford a new complete set up. Off to one of Michiganâs biggest used gun stores (Guns Galore Fenton Michigan) but decided to stop at a pawn shop before he got there. Only one gun got his attention a Husky 6.5x55 that had been his. He called the police who came but there was nothing they could do to get this $2000 gun back because he didnât know the serial number No pictures of it up close with idenfying marks either. 
The pawn shop owner got out the paper work on the buy and there was a driverâs licenses but when the cops contacted the guy he said it had been stolen and there was a police report.
The moral of this story is to record all your serial numbers and get a appraisal, take pictures with close ups of idifying marks. 
I just did mine in Sept. Was a pain as I didnât have enough cases to transport them all at once to the shop I used. But it is done and everything is on a couple flash drives with a copy at my daughters too.

​  Al


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I have been wondering about adding serial numbers where they won't be seen to guns to old to have them

most people don't know guns did not need serial numbers till 1968
and a lot of 22s were made with no serial number.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

so now the gun is in limbo correct , the guy whos ID was stolen can't get it the guy who left it can't have it and the shop owner can't prove it wasn't stolen because he didn't compare the guy who dropped it off to the drivers license he took down 

this is where a smart cop would say , you can cut this gentleman a deal on his gun and give him back the evidence or we can take it to the station and your out anything you paid out on this until we can prove it wasn't stolen , which at best is going to take a long time.

you would think the pawn shop owner would be scrambling to show video of the guy who dropped it off real fast


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Since the cops could not prove the rifle was stolen and the guy had got the right information although it didn't belong to the seller they could not take the rifle. 
Joe paid $1400. to get his grandpas rifle back. Still has not found the other stuff either. But he did have a recite so insurance for contents will defray the cost, right now they are close to $6000 worth of stolen goods to be replaced. 
Joe has been busy since how ever, got the door removed and a new one set in since the jam was destroyed. Has alarm company monitoring again, all guns that were in the safe were appraised, serial numbers recorded, Hidden some place is a label with Joes name and address on the guns.
Joe found a gun shop that sent a person to his house to do the appraisal too. New TV and other electronics have been engraved with Name and address also in hidden areas.

Going after coyotes day after Christmas as we both are able to hunt deer till the 21st. they didn't get his critter gitter as they couldn't pry the safe open and was bolted to the floor. They figure there were 5 guys to clean them out like that.

When my boat was stolen I got it back because the guy that bought it from the pawn shop tried to register it when it was already registered to me. They would not procute the pawn shop for receiving stolen property either, even though the seller is supposed to sign the registertion slip when selling the boat so I am sure the pawn shop knew it was likely stolen. 

 Al


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

glad he was at least able to buy back , and hopefully with the insurance money his family heirloom

I have marked things in unseen places on some , i need to update my list with recent items 

thanks for the reminder


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Recent close up pictures go a long way in IDing a stolen gun. Pictures of some engraving and such, stock grain and don't for get the scope.

I see I did mine in May, thought it was latter than that.

Loopy compact 3x9 scope.



Grain on stock





Mag Na Porting.



Door on bottom of mag engraved.



Over all picture.



Remington 700 #1 custom in 300 Winchester Mag. Serial Number xxxxxxxxxx


 Al


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

Your drivers liecense number engraved behind a butt plate or other hidden place can be a great help also.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Problem with that is you would have to have a pawn broker willing to allow you to remove the butt plate. Best to have serial numbers and pictures in hand with cops in tow to recover stolen guns.

 Al


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

Right Al I agree but on the old weapons, or anything else without a serial number a DL# goes a long ways. If there is some questions and you tell the cops my rifle has my DL# under the butt plate usually the butt plate comes off.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

In the case of a old gun with no serial number I would just engrave my 
# on the barrel or some other easy to see place.

About 1973 I bought a Remington 700 BDl in 243 from a gun shop. One day after a long session at a shooting bench I happened to notice some thing blue under the top of the spring loaded clip. Turned out to be the name and DL # of a past owner. Next time I was in the gun shop I asked the owner about where he got the rifle. Said he took in on trade from Old Johnny what his name was. Matched what I had found.

 Al


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## JohnnyRebel (Dec 23, 2014)

Working in Law Enforcement, I have told everyone that gets something reported stolen to take pictures and write down serial numbers and keep it all on a USB drive. Small and convenient. People thank me for it and it makes our jobs easier as well as gets their products entered into the system much faster. I have all my products, with a serial number, and pictures on a USB that I have in a place no one can find. People also do not know that when you purchase something without a serial number you can add anything with letters or numbers on it. This is known as an OAN or Owner Applied Number. Even with no serial number, items can be entered into the national data base with just an OAN. Just a Public Service Announcement. I also feel comfortable telling everyone on this blog I work law enforcement since there aren't too many crazies on here (although they are everywhere), especially with everything happening around the nation nowadays.


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