Would An Engraved Name On A Gun Turn You Off?

I have a 1964 vintage S&W M36 that has a former owners name and telephone number poorly electropenciled on the inside of the frame. I really dont care since you only see it when reloading and its a great shooter for only $225.

It bothers me a bit, I probably wouldnt get any of mine engraved.
(part of me just wanted to say...)
Yeah it bothers me, I just bought what I thought was a new gun, but some guy named walther wrote his name all over it

These comments are seriously cracking me up!

I definitely would ask for a lower buying price for it, but it wouldn't bother me particularly.

My 'engraved" Webley....

My snubbified Webley and Son MKII. I wonder who "WS" was.

jbkebert said:

"Kevin" should be slapped with a wet squirrel for selling a gun that his dad gave him. It would not bother me until someone was looking at the gun and giving me a puzzled look.

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That literally had me laughing out loud.

I almost sold a Browning lever action .22 my Dad gave me years ago. When I called him to see if he would be offended he told me "It's your gun, do with it as you please, but, I will say this, in 20 years when old Dad has passed you'll be sitting in your easy chair wishing you hadn't sold that gun". I felt horrible for asking and needless to say I kept the gun, and am glad I did.

As far as the OP. depends on if I'm buying the gun for a collectible or a shooter. If it's just a shooter it depends on how much cheaper I can get the gun becuase of the stamp. Might be worth it if it's a significant discount.

it would not bother me a bit. It's a piece of history and it,in the end, doesn't hurt anything.

and on the kimber 1911 i gave to my fiance the night i proposed i had "Love till death do us part..." engraved in fancy lettering...she loves it and most every1 that sees it thinks its funny that i put that on the pistol *disclaimer-shes a big gun nut like i am

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What a romantic, wish that worked for everybody. Did you give her a ring too, or just the Kimber?

I think that if it is an old gun, like pre WW2 I'd be fine with it, and think of it as an interesting piece of history. If it was done in 1990 I'd have to pass on it.

I've got two handguns with someone's name engraved on them - I'll have to decide if I'm to name my kid "John Wayne" or "George S. Patton". I hope they don't pick on her in school.

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I knew a kid back in high school with the name "Roy Rogers" (yes his first name was Roy, last name Rogers)...I never got the story on that one, the guy was kind of hostile to everyone.

I don't mind names on guns, so long as it's the same as mine

Someone else's name on it would bother me. But not as much as the S&W M28 I saw with a Social Security number scratched on it.

Someone else's engraving (if done professionally) really wouldn't bother me if the price was right. In this case, with the 1990 date, it really can't be called "historical" but it reminds me of a friend who is a C&R collector. If this sort of "seasoning" was done on a US surplus military rifle, he'd be the first one in line to buy it.

Just put little bit of scroll work on it, and cover it up. I would look for a better price initially as it's not really a defensive gun. but for $300 it wouldn't bother me much and it wouldn't stay there.

Gun is haunted. Do not buy.

I have a really nice, heavy crystal beer stein with "Steve" engraved on the lid; it was a gift from some really neat friends who paid 8 or 10 bucks for it. I toast him every time I hoist it...

Shooting a gun with somebody else's name on it is like dating a woman that constantly talks about her ex boyfriend. You have two options, either polish off the name, or find a different gun.

If it was engraved with something like "Vera" or "Bessie" no, that wouldn't bother me, as long as it looked good. That would just give the gun some character.

I had an H&R for a while that someone had electro-penciled some kind of name onto the handle, and that did bug me. Partly because it wasn't pointed out to me when I bought it, but mostly because it was done so poorly no one could quite figure out what it said. The guy I sold it to didn't mind though, he just really liked H&Rs.

I do think if you have a name on a gun and you sell it without pointing it out to the person you are selling it to you are a horrible person.

"Kevin" should be slapped with a wet squirrel for selling a gun that his dad gave him.

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What if "Kevin" had been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan?

Way to ruin a funny post with a depressing "what-if"

gyvel said:

What if "Kevin" had been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan?

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Then whom ever sold a gun who's sentimental value would have tripled should be the one to get the squirrel treatment.


I would personally not own a gun with someone elses name on it because looks are a big factor in the weapons I own.

I have one engraved "Browning" on the side ... doesn't seem to hurt the value too much.

Seriously, it all depends on price ... just tell everyone you name used to be "Kevin", the CIA sent you into the witness protection program.

smoketheresfire said:

Way to ruin a funny post with a depressing "what-if"

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What if Kevin had a sex change operation and is now known as Kim?

Phydeaux642 said:

I ran across a Smith & Wesson model 63 .22 revolver today for $349. On the right side behind the cylinder it said "To Kevin, From Dad 1990". It was engraved nicely but it obviously affects the value. Would you let this bother you?

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Only if it were engraved with my ex-wife's name.

you can polish out or remove the engraving all together and add your own engraving on the machined off area (most engravers or gunsmiths can do this relatively cheap and some places specialize in it).

also, if a firearm has engraving with someones name on it i use this as leverage in the bargaining and usually can get a gun with the engraving for cheap than one without.

Yes!