Hello to all. This weekend, I picked up an IHC M1 (4494510) that was originally sold through the CMP, I believe as a correct grade; the price from CMP back in 1999 was $750. At any rate, it's a nice all-correct rifle that appears to have seen a fair amount of use, and the various parts appear to have been together through all that use.
What prompted my question is the existence of two 1/16" holes approx. 1 inch apart on the base of the pistol grip, situated along the rifle's long axis, parallel with the bore. It's almost as if there was a brass rack number, or a rank insignia, or perhaps a unit distinctive attached there at some point. There are no other markings on the stock, other than the IHC crossed cannons, a circle P, and the julian date (OR 77 3) inside the barrel channel.
Has anybody else seen such a pair of holes, or might know what their significance might be?