Yes - if easing springs is the goal, but there is a suggestion that it's cycling springs, rather than keeping them under tension which weakens them over time; then again, I've got mainsprings in guns which I suspect are approaching 200 years old which remain tensioned even when eased, and they still move hammers well enough to go bang...

An easy alternative is to hold a block of hardwood flat against the breech face to cushion the firing pins.

Last edited by cadet; 08/04/12 03:10 AM.