I have a Garand barrel with the following markings:
Right side: 1- S- A- 5-44
Top center: D35448-32-A 78 B 2
The Ordnance Department Crossed Cannons is poorly stamped to the right of the 7 in the 78, over that 8, and extends to the B. A large U appears to have been stamped over the last 2, like someone put it in a bucket.
It was supposed to be new and packed in cosmoline with some type of stiff green cloth/paper wrapped around it. I also bought what appears to be a new Op Rod wrapped in cosmoline and the same cloth/paper. When I got around to cleaning them up, I found that the barrel only had the cosmoline in the chamber and about 6-8" in from the muzzle. There was bad copper fouling on the lands only from the leade on up to the cosmoline that I still can't remove in the middle of the barrel. There isn't much left, but originally it looked like someone plated the lands, it was pretty thick.
The lands look like train tracks, very pronounced tooling marks. The grooves look smooth and the direction of any tooling marks is from leade to muzzle.
The barrel is finished in black parkerizing, and has very minor wear on both ends of the gas cylinder attaching points.
Here are my questions:
1. Is this how they stored new barrels, and maybe someone was lax in the cosmoline packing department that day?
2. Did they proof/shoot/test new barrels before storing them? Did they clean them, or was the cosmoline supposed to dissolve/absorb anything non-bore?
3. Is this bore supposed to be chrome lined, and how can I tell if it is?
4. Is this the color finish I should expect for this vintage barrel?
I do have the Poyer/Riesch M1 Garand book, but see nothing regarding my questions. Any answers or other comments are welcome.