I have never seen this before.

This photo, is from an old American Rifleman article (describing Pacific and Western/Redfield  'no-drill' Krag sights.

The "Pacific K-2" sight photo shows a discarded, model 1898 Krag, magazine cut-off lever, lying on the rifle stock.

There appears to be a 'flat spring' or piece of metal positioned on the back of the cut-off lever??? Ever seen one of these?

Possibly, it was an attached 'wedge', to prevent the lever from being moved and interrupting cartridge feed? .... or .... a small 'pry tool' that had been used to compress the cut-off lever (spring-loaded) detent, while removing the cut-off?

It's presence is odd and unexplained.

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About all it could do is prevent over rotation or make the cutoff work again on a receiver that someone had removed a bit of metal from.  Or, maybe it's a wedge meant to push the rim down slightly and prevent that dreaded 7 o'clock nose dive!  Hmm, wonder if it might?  No, that's not the answer, the lever has to moved quite a bit before it effects any change.

Possibly the spring was lost that held the cutoff lever in place and the "wedge" held the lever in place for smooth feeding?

I wonder if the odd bit of metal, hiding under the removed cut-off lever, was the "screw-driver" Pacific Gunsight Co. included in the sight packaging?

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Wouldn’t this cutoff lever be nonfunctional since it is somehow stuck to the outside of the stock? The oddness to me is why it was placed there in the first place; what would its purpose? Am I missing something here? Shame that it is covering the cartouche.

The 1931 "American Rifleman" photograph is a bit of a riddle.

What is Known:
1. The Pacific K1 & K2 (one pictured) sights required the removal of the magazine cut-off lever to mount them. These sights use the Receiver hole and machining for attachment.

2. A removed cut-off lever is lying loose on the Krag stock in the AR photo. (It no longer serves any function on the Krag).

3. There is an odd piece of metal (attached or loose) almost hidden under removed lever.

4. Pacific Gunsight Co. literature mentions that a "screw-driver" comes with the K1 & K2 receiver-sights for the Krag.

5. A tool of some nature (usually a small screw-driver) was necessary to  remove the cut-off lever and to tighten the mounting screw of the Pacific sight.

I do not know for sure and can only guess why the photographer showed the loose item(s) in the photograph? Possibly, there was some instructional intent? (Where and how he placed the items was unfortunate).

Few people are alive, now, who got to open a 'new' Pacific K1 or K2 sight, in its factory box, with all the original contents!

My WAG is that this piece of metal is loose. Maybe, it is the 'tool/scewdriver' that the Pacific Gunsight Co. included with their Krag sights ... or ... maybe it is an old gun-smith trick of making a small wedge to assist in removing the cut-off lever?

illustration showing cut-off removal:

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I must have had the photo scrolled up and did not see the installed sight. It is on the wrong side to be a wedge ( I just checked on my original Krag). I seem to see a groove down the length of the shaft. Is that an optical delusion, a user modification or another thing that was changed from early to later models.
If it was a home made sheet metal prying tool to remove the lever I doubt it would be that flat.

'FredC' - It looks to be a normal model 1898 cut-off lever, laying on a piece of metal.
It is probably just a light reflection that you are seeing along the shaft.

If the 'mystery' piece of metal is narrow, it could be gripped with Pliers and used to press the spring-loaded detent into the cut-off lever body. (The lever would have to be in the 'down' position on the receiver).

If pressure was maintained on the detent, the cut-off lever could be slowly rotated part way 'up' and the narrow piece of metal could be forced downward, thus sliding between the lever and receiver, and trapping the detent in the compressed position. The cut-off could then be driven reward off of the receiver.

Maybe this picture was used in a previous Rifleman Article that explained removing the cut-off and installing a 'no-drill' Pacific sight and the photo was simply re-used?

Just a theory.

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My guess (and it IS a guess) is that this picture was taken with the rifle laying on it's side, and the cutoff is simply laying on the stock to show how it would be removed to install the Pacifica sight.  It's probably just laying on a piece of metal so it would sit right for the picture.  The picture was then rotated to show the rifle upright.  I'm thinking it's nothing!

Just my $0.02