Yes, "tight" is a term that most of us would associate with a gun being "on the face". It shouldn't be. Lets use a Purdey as an example. You can have a Purdey that is tight as a drum, take the springs out of it and it might rattle. Take a late 1870's hammergun with Jones screw grip, again..tight as a drum, but you can see light between the barrels and breech face...tight as a drum, but technically "off the face". LC Smith or A.H. Fox....gun locks up "tight", lever is in the center position, now take the forend off and the thing rattles around like a jar of marbles and light will show thru the breech face/barrel joint, so again, technically "off the face". Just looked a gun over for a friend, very nice W. Ford, best grade BLE, gun had recentley had the hook dovetailed and re-fitted, gun was tight to open and close, but a small, hardly detectable bit of light shown thru the breech face/barrel fit and when the gun was grabbed by the wrist (forend removed) and shaken side to side...you could feel the barrels wobble (just slightly).
I do think it makes a difference, because its just going to get worse the more you shoot a gun that is off the face, and normally it cost in the neighborhood of $350 to $700 to have a gun properly put back on the face. To some people, like me for example, thats not pocket change.
I have a Lancaster out right now getting put back on the face, it's going to cost me over $500 to have done right, thank goodness I don't have alot of money into the gun itself and I have room to play, not much room, but enough.
