I would expect the hand pin to pass through a hole in the through bolt.

I would sacrifice the entire pad before drilling a 1/4" hole. That's going to look like crap, and it's not enough hole for the screw driver.

Is your stock loose? I thought this was all about access to the action internals for trigger adjustment.

Didn't notice the other screw hole at the toe which you mentioned. Yeah, it's had a few pad replacements. Not unusual. I did see the plugged hole just behind the sling swivel. But I seem to recall seeing it from the exterior photos you initially posted. This rifle has seen a lot of activity.

Curl