I'm trying to hypothesize now about that cocking piece. Field expedient maintenance of a worn part from an older rifle being used as parts? By the troops or maintenance by a collector? What does normal wear of a cocking piece look like? Could the sear engagement have become so worn that somebody replaced it?
If only they could talk. My kids and I like playing a dinner game of inventing realistic sounding stories about my old milsurps. Their favorite, which I've posted here about, is a Longbranch No 4 Mk1*, which poor old "Doug" doodled his name upside down and outboard of the butt stock- he put crosses in the D, o, and g. Most stories involve a private Doug falling asleep, lonely on nightwatch in a hole with the rifle in his shoulder. He looks down and uses the tip of a round to doodle his name. Other marks in the stock show poor Doug may indeed have fallen asleep, awaken by surprise by a bayonet slash, which he tried to parry at port arms, leaving rounded gash across the upper handgaurd and forearm where the enemy's muzzle struck. Sorry - daydreaming of these old rifles is just as addictive as working with and shooting them.