Over the years I can say far too 'cops' have little clue as to just what numbers on many guns are actually the serial numbers and what ones are manufacturing markings,ala 'older guns', YES,on many today, this numbering of the serial is pretty obvious, cut and dry,cause there are not a lot of different numbers, and just because the military or the guns used by them 'may' have matching numbers on various parts, it is still the 'receiver' that is the gun, and in the case of a Ruger replacement, ala 'pac lite',the lightweight upper, IS the receiver, the bottom is the grip frame, NO numbers.just another 'part'. Anyway, any foresight and background information would be much appreciated. I'm concerned that when I do buy the upper, chances are it will not have a SN on it, and it would possibly look kind of suspicious having a pistol with no SN on it whatsoever, especially since its not a 80 percent lower. The big reason I am asking this question is because I want to purchase a new aftermarket upper for for the MKII when I actually do purchase it. The one I looked at has the stamp 212-XXXX so I from what I understand the model produced from 1986.

Is there a serial number on the lower receiver? If not, I thought it was required to have serial numbers on the lower unless it was a bolt action rifle? then again, I am relatively new to purchasing older model pistols, so maybe there was a loophole back then that I wasn't aware of. I am looking to purchase a ruger MK II, I notice that the serial number is only on top of the receiver from pictures. Hey guys, I wanted to ask regarding serial number placement.

Ruger pistol age by serial number