Numbers on stock??

[ulfman]

On some of the ads in GunB , I see yellow numbers on the stock.
What is that?? I have seen numerous of them??
like this. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=96222389
Ciao Ulfman

[Doran]

Some arms rooms painted "rack numbers" on pistols for inventory purposes. Much easier to read the large painted numbers than the small serial numbers when weapons returned to the arms room. However, those numbers look a little too good and may be touched up.

[1saxman]

White paint most likely would have been used, and you can in fact see remains of some white paint around the orange numbers where presumably there was an authentic rack number at one time. The style and precision of the numbers doesn't look like anything done by a unit armorer in the U.S. Army. Since the rack numbers had to be removed before deployment, most armorers used a paint that could be removed with thinner that would not soften the composite grips. Consequently, the numbers didn't stand up to much handling. If the orange paint is someone's idea of aged, 'yellowed' white enamel, they really missed it badly. It would be better to not have a rack number than to have something like that. At least, that's what I think.