Need help identifying marks

[slayerz]

Hey all,
I'm new here. I've been tring to research these marks with no success. I've never owned a military rifle before and only found this site because the model number is on the rifle. In fact, I wouldn't own this one except the price seemed good. (She thought selling them was illegal). I know what it means when someone "bubba's" a stock. Is that what I have here?

Information

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[ordnanceguy]

S:

Welcome to the Forum.

Someone, not the military, has placed the insignia of the 32nd Infantry Division on your stock. Here is what it looks like:



The other marking says "Buna". This is an apparent reference to the bitter campaign at Buna, New Guinea which the 32nd participated in during late 1942.

I hope that information is helpful to you.

Regards,
Charlie Flick

[Calif-Steve]

Troops were not allowed to carve up their issue weapons. Ever heard of an Article 15? Done after the war.

[Dan Wilson]

Actually trench art was quite common in the two world wars, legally accepted or not.
Ernie Pyle did a piece on rebuilding rifles and talks about all the "art" on rifles coming in and even talks about a stock that had a woman's photo embedded in the stock on an M1 under Plexiglas.

I would bet that its some soldiers art on this rifle and not some bubba downtown that did it.

Dan

[slayerz]

Thank you, that is certainly more than I found out. I wouldn't think they would allowed anyone to destroy government property either. Do you think someone carved this as a tribute or personal association?
The price I paid and the circumstances wouldn't warrant any kind of monkey business. I actually had to ask (the same question I ask at every garage, estate and moving sale), "do you have any guns or guitars?" After I assured her it was not illegal to sell a gun, she went and got "dad's rifle", and said $100.00 firm. Cheapest 30-06 I ever bought.
BTW the serial# is 1,390,xxx and I can't find it anywhere.