Time for this...again.

[Nate]

Every few years I check to see if anyone has discovered how a few M1873 rifles were marked with a large "Detriot Board of Commerce" cartouche. They turn up once in a while and since my family has one I've always wondered. Nate

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Jim K]

IIRC, the last time there was a lot of speculation, but no real answers. Good luck this time around!

Jim

[Greg O]

Nate,
I've got one of those Detroit B of C's too!

What I was told FWIW, was that these were used to arm the guards who stood watch at the waterworks park during WWI.

[Nate]

Thanks Greg, I've heard that too. I tried to document it by contacting various Detriot agencies including the Historical Society and Institute of Arts, and even though all were cooperative, no substantiation. Maybe it's just lost to time, but someone must know. Nate

[Hank Stone]

FAQs

This is one of the most often asked questions! A few such markings, such as DETROIT BOARD OF COMMERCE are relatively straightforward, but many combinations of initials have never been deciphered. The Regular Army did not so mark their weapons, however, a GREAT many trapdoors were used by State militias, National Guard units, volunteer troops, etc. during the war with Spain in 1898. Most of the markings which consist of a LOW number, over a letter, over a (usually) higher number, date from this period, and a marking such as 2/B/27 is generally construed to mean something like SECOND (fill in your choice of State) INFANTRY, Co B, RACK (rifle) #27. The problem comes in determining WHICH State, or group, is meant. This is a field ripe for research, but it will be a daunting task. One place to start, aside from OLD, well-proven, museum holdings, might be to attempt to contact the owners of SRS-lettered guns, where the number was attributed to a particular State, and see if any marking pattern can be established. Sadly, I suspect that, so long as the information itself was correct, different marking designs would have been permitted - even two companies of the same regiment may have had a different STYLE - there are many ways to mark 2/B/27, any of which would have satisfied the needs of the user.