I don't know why I had not posted this before.
At a Walmart a few years ago I passed the gun counter and noticed the bolt rifles had no bolts. The dept manager said that he removes the bolts as an added security measure. He opened a drawer and showed me the mixed collection of bolts lying randomly in the drawer. I asked how he re-matched individual bolts to rifles and he seemed confused. I told him that they were individualized for headspace. More confusion. I suggested he have them gauged.
This might explain some problems people report with new rifles