Serial Number Lookup
Enter a firearm's serial number to estimate the year it was made. Every result cites the
published manufacturer chart it came from — we show the threshold serial the factory
documented, so you can check the reasoning yourself.
How this works. We transcribe the serial-number-to-year charts that
manufacturers publish themselves, keep the documented threshold serial for each year, and
find the latest threshold at or below your number. Nothing is inferred or interpolated —
if a serial falls outside the published ranges, we say so instead of producing a number.
Look up by make
Frequently asked
Is there a free database of gun serial numbers?
Not one that reveals history. Stolen-gun records live in the FBI's NCIC database, which only
law enforcement can query, and ATF traces run through eTrace, also law-enforcement only.
What is public is the manufacturer's own production chart — which is what this tool
uses, and it dates the gun, not identifies an owner.
Why do you show the threshold serial?
So you can verify the answer. Manufacturers publish "first serial shipped that year", so a
result is only as precise as the gap between two published thresholds. Showing the threshold
makes that precision visible instead of hiding it behind a confident-looking year.
Which makers are covered?
Browning, Ruger — with more being transcribed. Requests are welcome: tell us which
maker you need and we'll prioritise the published chart we can cite.