Question about Israeli FN Mauser

[Calamity Jane]

My husband and I got an old Israeli FN Mauser as a fixer upper. He's got it looking great, and it shoots great, too.

Our question is this: there is a small dove carved into the buttstock (at least, it looks like a dove - it's definitely *some* sort of bird). We have heard that this has been found on other Israeli Mausers. Does anyone know the significance of this bird?

Thanks!

[Calamity Jane]

Still hopin' someone knows! :)

[fal308]

Don't know of anything like that. Does it look professionally done or does it look like someone was just passing the time of day with a pocketknife?
I should imagine it was an individual that decorated their rifle. It happens fairly often.

[Calamity Jane]

It looks casually done to the point that hubby and I thought the same thing as you, that it was an individual soldier who had carved the image into the stock.

However, a buddy of ours said he heard that other Isreali Mausers were decorated in a similar fashion (with the same image) - and that got us wondering about the background of doing so, if anyone might have heard of this or about a story behind it, etc.

Oh, if only old guns could talk! Thanks for the feedback! :)