I'd say that was definitely shortened some time after it left the factory.
I would expect a brass bead, not aluminum, if the factory did it.

This may just be an artifact of camera angles, but it looks like the bead isn't centered on the top of the barrel. In your last picture, looking down the bore, it looks like the bead is just a bit past 12 o'clock. It appears the same in your third picture.
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