I believe it's done deliberately in many cases.Sure is. Wish well enough could be left alone.
So this happens when it was first build or when it was refurbished?The scratched out number on the floor plate is factory done. Rather than fool with keeping matching number when rebuilding these rifles, they just used whatever part came out of the vats. They then re-numbered it to fit the gun. I think they called this “forced matching.” This could be done with non-critical parts, such as buttplates, sling swivels, floor plates, etc
The floor plate is what's called a "force match" It was done by an arsenal because one part was lost or damaged, and it was replaced with another part. The number of the receiver is stamped into that part for the soldiers and armorers to know that that piece goes with that gone.So this happens when it was first build or when it was refurbished?