What is the purpose of the flat surface of mausers under bolt handle

[HankC1]

K98 Mausers have that flat area on stock under bolt handle, what is it for? Easier to reach the bent bolt? Not all mausers have that flat area, what are the bent bolt Mausers have it or only German k98s? Is there a Mauser stock identification guide out there? I just bought this sporter Mauser stock out of eBay, maybe a sporterized military stock but don't really looks like so. Whoever did it, did a very good job.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LARGE-RING-98-MAUSER-SPORTER-STOCK-/221128432792?item=221128432792&ViewItem=&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:US:3160&nma=true&si=JZsdRTFrkmOFRwZ0dKHJmhmUfpY%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[James K]

It just allows more room to grasp the bolt handle. World wide, most Mausers probably had straight bolts, and not all those with bent bolts had the stock cut out.

A bolt modified for a sporting rifle will have to have a different type of bent bolt or welded on bolt handle to clear a scope sight; the curved K.98k bolt handle won't clear a low mounted scope.

I don't know of a Mauser stock identification guide per se; Ball's Mauser Military Rifles of the World is a good book on Mauser bolt rifles in general.

Jim

[F. Guffey]

Gloves, the German army was trained for severely cold winters, there was no advantage to the training, when winter came and the German found themselves in Russia, their winter clothes never arrived. But, JIC (JUST IN CASE) the big heavy gloves arrived, it was just as well the gloves did not arrive, the rifles with the big trigger guards for fat fingered gloves did not make it either.

F. Guffey

[PetahW]

I don't believe it to be a sporterized military stock.

http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/m/m08IgaKw2Seyt3vwS_Ow6ww/140.jpg


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[James K]

I think it is a worked over military stock, but not a K.98k, as I see no sign of the sling slot being filled in. Frankly, it could be for almost any '98 Mauser; the "flat area" could even have been put there to make it look like a K.98k stock.

Jim

[madcratebuilder]

Jim's right, a worked over military stock. The finger groove and no sling cutout could make it from a VZ24. Someone did a nice job with it.