i.d. year of mossberg

Question
can you i.d. a mossberg's (500A) date of birth thru it's serial #?

is there a way of running numbers before purchasing to make sure the gun is o.k.?

thank you

Answer
Yes, manufacturers keep records of firearms by serial number. If you call Mossberg with the make, model, and SN of the gun, they can tell you when it was made and if there is anything interesting about it. Many companies charge a small fee for this, but will send you a certificate authenticating the information.

As to you second question, since there is nothing proprietary about serial numbers (different guns form different mfgs may have the same serial numbers, and since it is illegal for a govn't agency to keep a registry of firearms, there is no way of simply entering a number somewhere to see what comes out. You can usually make a request of the State Police for a list of guns by make, model, and SN that have been reported stolen, and see if the gun in question matches any on the list.