Kyrie, The corrosive primers over time tended to corrode the barrels. From what I've read, during this yearly maintenance barrels were sometimes freshened up, or honed out a bit. This is how we figured out that larger bores actually tend to produce better patterns. Plus, wealthy people back then wanted to make sure their guns would work flawlessly and were ready for the next season. High performance, high maintenance was the sentiment. I doubt if Englishmen take their guns in for yearly maintenance in this day and age. Maybe they will pipe in and let us know? Best, Buzz

Socialism is almost the worst.