Question about Detroit PD M1 Carbine Stock

[Dgreifzu]

I just bought a DPD-marked M1 carbine from Gunbroker. My understanding is that the Army sold or gave M1 carbines to various police departments after WW2 and that Detroit sold them off about 5 or 6 years ago. I field stripped the rifle and found a lot of various manufacturers for the small parts. The barrel appears to be the original with a Buffalo Arms 8-43 which is pretty close to when a Quality with SN 1895xxx would have been built.

Considering that this rifle is a rebuild with an M marked magazine release, a new safety, and type 3 barrel band, I expect the stock to have been replaced. I've attached pictures of the stock and markings. It appears to be walnut but I thought that most replacement stocks were birch. It has mark in the sling well, but no marks on either side of the grip nor a P mark on the pistol grip. The mark in the picture appears to be sideways in the sling well with the top toward the slot. The bottom of the mark appears to have some numbers with a few letters directly above it.

I was trolling the web for pictures of stock cartouches and I ran across a few other DPD marked rifles with the same type of wood and a lighter band of finish about an inch from the sling well that goes all the way around the butt. The lighter band of finish was attributed to where some tape had been applied to the stock. I found a post on a different M1 forum site that had a picture of a rifle that the same cartouche marking but nobody every came back and identified it (maybe because the picture wasn't very sharp. Is this a USGI stock? The buttplate is probably not USGI because I can't find any similar pictures. I'll post a picture later.

I bought the rifle to be a shooter, and the barrel gauges at 1.5 so I'm pretty happy with it so far. I'm just trying to figure out the history. Can anyone identify the cartouche?

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[Bill Hollinger]

That stock is American walnut and looks US. The stamp in the sling well is not US. For the life of me I can't remember which country that sling well stamp is for but I have no doubt an answer will be coming shortly

[Dgreifzu]

That stock is American walnut and looks US. The stamp in the sling well is not US. For the life of me I can't remember which country that sling well stamp is for but I have no doubt an answer will be coming shortly

I just found a link to a similar picture at ERMA Werke so it looks like it came in via West Germany. The recoil plate is a dark black blue with no markings, and the buttplate has very pronounced and distinct texture. The blueing on the buttplate looks like it's been around for awhile so it's probably not a recent replacement. I'll post a picture tonight to see if anyone has seen anything similar. If these guns could talk.....

[browningautorifle]

Is that not the Bavarian or German carbine stock mark? If that's been with the Detroit PD since WW2, it's had a colorful history including being in the streets during the riots of '68...dealing with looters.

[river rat]

West German issue mark from the 1950's a clear view of the mark on a issued German Air Force Hanhart 417 chronograph from the 1950's

[browningautorifle]

Way clearer mark...

[USGI]

I remember this mark coming up awhile back, so decided to search and found this thread, regarding a "Strange Stamp" -

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=47719

Hope it helps a bit. - Bob

[Dgreifzu]

Here are three additional pictures. The buttplate looks odd because it is not symmetrical. Notice on the right side how their is one more bump at the top and bottom of the outside margin than on the left side. Also, the bottom three dots are not centered. It is also a dark black blue.

I also added a picture of the handguard. It's marked RSG. Is this a Type 1 with the deep groove?

I added a picture of the inside of the stock. It looks pretty clean so I'm not sure if it's an old stock that been refurbished and sanded. Did the German's make replacement stocks? Is it walnut? The bottom of the stock is marked with 14056 which matches the numbers stamped into the left hand side of the receiver. I just checked the stock profile, and it looks like a pot belly without the cutout for the selector switch.

I've read on other sites that some of the "Bavarian" carbines went to the police departments. So is it possible that this was a rifle that went to the Germans, refurbed/ restocked at some point by the Germans, returned to the Army, and then sent to Detroit?

[USGI]

Your stock does have the M2 cut. - Bob

Your buttplate looks the same as the one in the thread link - post #7 above.

[Dgreifzu]

Your stock does have the M2 cut. - Bob

Your buttplate looks the same as the one in the thread link - post #7 above.

Now that I know what I'm looking at, I can see the cut. I missed your note that had the link to the other posting. So now we have two DPD carbines that apparently are from Bavaria with the odd looking buttplate. The finish on the stock looks almost like varnish. What is a good way to test if it's varnish without ruining it? Wouldn't a USGI stock be finished with just linseed or tung oil?