There is an old saying..."it ain't illegal if you don't get caught".
Of course altering Serial Numbers is not cricket! Of course it is done. I have been in this industry for 37 years now. I am amazed at how many NIB guns over 100 years old are for sale. Or how many upgraded guns there are with serial numbers altered to fit known records. Few check for duplication of ownership provenance, just does the gun match number to grade.
As an example of how it is done: 1997 was my first year as a vendor at Tulsa Gun Show. I was newly moved to MO. from OR. so I took advantage of the 4 hour drive to purchase a table for my business. While walking around I found a Weatherby dealer selling
4 rifles as NIB. I recognized my work as being done within the past year. I also recognized the bluing job to be from a shop in Vancouver, WA. I mentioned to the dealer that NIB was not appropriate for these 4 guns. He said he bought them from another dealer who claimed they were. I had to produce my ATF Bound Book to convince him they were not NIB. Which I did. I do not know how long the NIB label stayed off after I left. Oh, the dealer who sold them NIB....was my client. We had a long conversation when I got home.
