Great pics Jeff. The ones I have are like the factory on the inside. I guess "nub" would have been a better word for it, rather than "hook"
A pic would explain it better. I am at work right now, but I will post a pic later when I get home tonight. They aren't really re-pops for our truck, but are very similar and are from another make/model vehicle. I saw a pair like them on Ebay a while back and posted a pic here, and it was discovered that they were not the original ones for our trucks (IIRC, you also contributed to that thread). I got my hands on a set just like them, and I was very impressed with the quality and the way they held the buckle securely.
I was going to get a set of the re-pops like you have pictured, and contemplated doing the same thing to make the indentation. I also came to the same conclusion that you did, and realized that it would just wear through and ruin them.