Did you just make that up, or where did you read, see, or hear that from? Not trying to be a jerk, but it sounds a bit far fetched seeing that I've lost two sight hoods on my k98 already... They're actually somewhat simple to take off. There's two grooves in the sight block that allow a sight hood to be taken on and off.
I actually prefer the sight hood, as I feel it helps me focus on my target in game as in real life too. Now a G98, thats a different story...
If youve lost two sight hoods already youre probably buying/using reproduction hoods. Reproduction hoods are crap, theyre easy to take on and off, flimsy as hell. A real german ww2 hood is thick and strong, they simply DO NOT get "lost" and are NOT easy to take off, you need pliars to put the damn things on and off.
All you people claming the sight hood is an upgrade, and "it makes it easier to aim" are on drugs. The germans put them on their rifles starting in 1941 for one reason only, TO PROTECT THE FRONT SIGHT. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. They put them on to REPLACE THESE:
That front sight/muzzle protector was used on all K98s made from 1934 through 1940. These were put on/used in non combat situations, and had to be taken off before entering a combat situation. Well, sometimes a non combat situation would turn into a combat situation without warning, you had to take this protector OFF before you could engage the enemy. NOT A GOOD THING. Also when this protector was removed...it left the front side base/blade exposed to potential damage. SOOOOO...the site
HOOD was designed & Implimented along with the rubber muzzle cap to keep snow, dirt out of the barrels.
Why did they take the sight
HOODS off!? 2 reasons: The hood would compact with snow in winter enviroments in non combat situtations, but if that non combat situation turned into a combat situation suddenly they would be screwed...same negative effect as the muzzle/sight protector.
Second, personal preference. Some vets that learned to shoot without them didnt like them, some did. Some vets fought through Poland, France, North Africa, Italy, Russia without one, so some were not used to shooting with one.
Keep in mind the only time a vet that served before 1941 would have a K98 with a hood is if A) his pre 41 k98 was modified to have one if his rifle was turned in for repairs. B) he was issued a newer rifle due to loss, damage or unit change.
I quote text from
Backbone of the Wehrmacht the German K98k rifle 1934-1945 page 141:
Introduction of the Front Sight Hood
"In early December, 1939 the Heeres Verordnungsblatt announced the introduction of a front sight hood for the K98k. This device, along with an issue of four rubber muzzle caps per rifle, would replace the flip-up muzzle/front site cover then in use. Aside from being cheaper to produce, the new hood-and-cap combination offered several advantages over the earlier metal cover: the blade of the front sight was protected at all times, as it was visable even with the hood attached and the rifle could be fired with a muzzle cap in place, even though the cap would be distroyed in the process.
Although the procedure for cutting groobes in the sight base for mounting the hood was easily within the capabilities of company-level armourers, no such authorization was ever given. Rifles already manufactored and in the field were ordered machined only if and when they were turned in to base workshops for repairs, and consequencely K98ks without the front site hoods were in use right up untill the last days of the war."