Laser Engraving

Compliance handled — just send the approved form

Your approved Form 1 is the whole brief. The maker's name, city and state, and the model, caliber, and serial printed on that stamp are the marking, and our job is to get them onto your part exactly as the ATF approved them. You don't have to know the spec, measure anything, or work out what belongs in the block — we read it off the document and lay it out for you.

The one thing we need is the approved stamp itself. Wording can still shift while an application is in process, so waiting for approval is what guarantees your engraving and your paperwork say the same thing. Send it over and we'll get started.

Spot something off on the approved form — a misspelling, an old address, a name that came through differently than you expected? Tell us before we set up and we'll help you sort it. Our NFA bench sees this regularly and there's usually a clean path forward; it's a much easier fix on paper than on a receiver that's already marked.

The spec, and how we meet it

27 CFR 479.102 sets the requirement: a maker's serial number, conspicuously placed on the frame or receiver, at least 1/16 inch tall and at least .003 inch deep, in a manner not readily obliterated, altered, or removed — plus the maker's name, city and state, and the model and caliber where they apply, at that same .003 inch minimum. We cut every line of the block to the stricter reading of both minimums and check it before the part leaves, so your marking clears the requirement with room to spare.

The particulars change with what you're making. An SBR built from a rifle that's already serialized almost always means adopting that serial and adding what the original manufacturer never marked — that covers the large majority of the Form 1 work that comes through here. Less commonly, a suppressor built on a Form 1 gets a fresh serial and carries the block on the outer tube. Either way we go by what your approved form says, and we handle working out which lines your build needs.

Filing the Form 1 with us puts both halves in one shop: we prepare and e-file the application, and when the stamp comes back we cut the marking here rather than sending your receiver to a third party.

Where it goes is your call

The regulation says which surfaces are legal and how deep the cut has to be. It doesn't tell you which flat to use, and that part is yours. The receiver flat is the standard location; the magwell is the most-requested alternative, and the dust cover, the flat ahead of the magwell, and the side of the receiver all work. Suppressor tubes get the block run along the tube. Somewhere else in mind? Just ask — it's a standard option on the service.

Tell us the placement and the look you want — how tight the block sits, whether it's centered on a flat or run along a line, what type size — and we'll lay it out on your part and send a proof before anything is cut. We handle the rest of it: making sure the spot is a legal surface, stays conspicuous and legible, and won't end up hidden under a rail or furniture. If your first choice runs into one of those, we'll flag it early and show you the nearest option that works.

Custom marking and logos

Outside compliance work, a fiber laser marks just about anything you can hand us a design for: shop logos, unit and presentation engraving, dust-cover lettering, control markings, and one-off personalization. Because it's cut into the surface, it doesn't wear off the way infill or print does.

Bring whatever art you have, in whatever format — we have graphic designers on staff who vectorize, modify, and plan artwork for stencils, engraving, and custom designs, and illustrators for fully custom work drawn from scratch. If you can describe it or hand us a file, we can get it onto the part.

Custom work and a required marking can share a setup — a logo on one flat, the compliance block in the magwell. We lay the artwork out around the required block so it stays clear and legible on its own, which keeps the compliance side clean and gives the custom side plenty of room.

The block, as it comes off your stamp

Every line is transcribed from your approved Form 1 — spelling, punctuation, and abbreviations exactly as they appear on the document. You get a proof to compare against your own copy before the laser runs, so you can see it's right before anything is cut.

SMITH FAMILY REVOCABLE TRUST
ROSWELL, GA
MODEL SBR-15   CAL 5.56 NATO
SER  LP-004821

See how we file a Form 1 →

From approved stamp to finished mark