While on the subject of small-ring Mausers, it took me 40 years to understand absolutely why they added the extra diameter to the front ring on the 98. I finally saw an M93 or 96 that had blown up.
No, the large lugs weren't cracked off or damaged at all - but the front ring was split horizontally right through and peeled back like a banana. So, in the M98 the lugs seem to have got smaller and the front ring got a bit more girth. Marvellous what another three or four millimetres can do!