It is out of round on the end which lends credence to it being bent. It just looks like it was made that way examining it in person. No stretch marks I can see. Bending it back may be problematic as it's pretty heavy steel in that area. I simply can't see how it will work with the bayonet lug as is and from what I can see they are all made about the same with just different methods of latching them in place. I still can't find my third book.