Danish/Italian Garands and Electrostenciled bolt number

[stickhunter]

I've owned 10 or so Danish Garands built by Breda and Beretta, and each one had a very faint number stenciled on the top of the bolt, usually (if not always) 4 digits. I've never had a rifle where the receiver number matched the bolt number, and I always figured this was a result of the way the rifles were shipped and reassembled (i.e., bolts in a separate container and just thrown onto whichever receiver).

I just saw mention that the bolt number was a Danish unit number and *not* intended to match the receiver number. I've not heard about this before, so I'm hoping someone can confirm -- has anyone had a Beretta or Breda Garand where the number stenciled on the bolt matched the receiver?

Here's a picture showing the bolt number that I'm referring to (note: this one is more than 6 digits, so my assumption about 4 digits is incorrect):

It's been my experience that these numbers are often very faint, and you can see in this picture that it appears that the number was scrubbed:

As I was searching, I also came across some examples that are crudely done with an electro-pencil instead of a stencil:

This picture shows a bolt that appears to have been stamped and then stenciled:

http://4.bp.########.com/-Qpw6NmEYxBk/VKBohQ1sNYI/AAAAAAAARMk/v0hhwBMcJEw/s1600/DSCN6271.JPG

I wonder if the unit designation is a valid meaning for that number --- here's a sight cover showing the Danish Navy anchor and a 4 digit number -- I can't imagine the sight cover would be numbered to match the receiver:

 

[purple]

The Breda and Beretta rifles were originally produced with the bolts numbered to the s/n of the rifle. In service overhauls there was considerable bolt swapping and many bolts were re-numbered in electro-pencil to match the s/n of the new rifle that they were installed in. This practice applied to both US and Italian made Garands in Danish service.

A friend was involved in processing the Danish rifles when they were received by Lever Arms. He said that the reason why you don't find rifles with bolt numbers matching the rifle s/ns is because rifles and bolts were shipped separately by the Danes as a security precaution. He spent many hours installing bolts in rifles and it was a matter of selecting any bolt that headspaced properly with no regard to matching them to the s/n.

The anchor and number marking on the rear sight cover is believed to be a Danish navy inventory control number which seems redundant, given that the rifles themselves were serial numbered. I've owned several with the anchor and number and the number never matched the receiver s/n.

 

[Beretta Armorer]

Spoke to a danish guy who was looking at my garands at a gun show and asked him about the navy markings and he said same thing navy stock#

The Breda and Beretta rifles were originally produced with the bolts numbered to the s/n of the rifle. In service overhauls there was considerable bolt swapping and many bolts were re-numbered in electro-pencil to match the s/n of the new rifle that they were installed in. This practice applied to both US and Italian made Garands in Danish service.

A friend was involved in processing the Danish rifles when they were received by Lever Arms. He said that the reason why you don't find rifles with bolt numbers matching the rifle s/ns is because rifles and bolts were shipped separately by the Danes as a security precaution. He spent many hours installing bolts in rifles and it was a matter of selecting any bolt that headspaced properly with no regard to matching them to the s/n.

The anchor and number marking on the rear sight cover is believed to be a Danish navy inventory control number which seems redundant, given that the rifles themselves were serial numbered. I've owned several with the anchor and number and the number never matched the receiver s/n.

 

[stickhunter]

Just a follow up as I saw a Beretta Garand for sale on the EE a couple of days that, for the first time for me, had a matching electro-stenciled bolt:

Coincidence? Now I'm not sure what to think!

 

[purple]

I've owned a number of Breda bolts, none of which matched any of the receivers that I had. I did locate a Breda bolt having 3 numbers which were the same as the last 3 numbers of a 4 digit Breda receiver. It headspaced fine and now sits in that rifle which is assembled with all Breda parts. Its the closest I've owned to an all parts matching Breda rifle.

 

[Hitzy]

Just a follow up as I saw a Beretta Garand for sale on the EE a couple of days that, for the first time for me, had a matching electro-stenciled bolt:

Coincidence? Now I'm not sure what to think!

Tradex sold a bunch of low numbered stripped receivers, they still have a bunch.
My guess is that one was built with one of those, and the bolt etched by the builder.

 

[can14]

In the 1960s the US National Guard stored bolts separate from the rifles. M1 and m14 bolts were numbered
to the rifles. When the rifles were issued, the bolts were put in the guns. This practice was followed by other
militaries who were issued these rifles