Unit markings were done in the field, with dies supplied by the government for that purpose. Serial number stamps were for use, and I would speculate probably made, in-house. Therefore, there is every liklihood that the number styles will be different.
I think it is reasonable to conclude that the number was not stamped on this gun at the time of manufacture, but there is nothing that prohibits it (from the evidence at hand) from being contemporaneous.
--Dwight
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