There are two reasons why WW II guns are worth more if they're earlier manufacture.
1. They're built better because the infrastructure hadn't been bombed to hell, and there wasn't as much pressure for quantity over quality, until the war was in full swing.
2. They're rarer, since production was ramped up later on.
I'm not sure which is true of the M38; my guess is that it's a bit of both.
My 1943 is nice enogh, though.
Be advised: the guns are not light, and they kick.
More info than you need is here:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/
Here's a project someone did:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting2005/mosinscoutrifle/index.asp
You don't need the bent bolt. Not worth the effort, and might make the gun harder to cycle anyway.
Bear in mind that, once you've bought the stock, scope and mounts, you're into the thing for well over $300.
For $500, a local retailer sells a complete Weatherby Vanguard package, with mounted scope, hard case, and sling, guaranteed to group 1.5" at 100 yards, or better. It comes in standard American calibers, too, so you can get a broad variety of hunting ammo, even at Wal-Mart. 7.62x54R hunting ammo is available, but nothing like .30-06, .308 or .270.
A Mosin's accuracy is a crapshoot. Some will shoot really well, some won't. They also vary in the amount of wear, finish, rust, bore condition, varnish, fit of components (some bolts wiggle around freely in several directions, even when locked shut), etc. That's what Hand Select is good for.