Ted;
My thinking is that when this design was developed some "Overthinking" was done. I mean if you get just .001" of clearance in the hinge when the gun is opened you can feel a bit of looseness. This forend was designed to prevent that looseness. It however does absolutely nothing to prevent that clearance but is much more apt to accelerate the wear of the joint due to the increased friction.
Yes I admit I have used guns with this type of fastener with no apparent problem. We were however speaking of our personal "Favorites". This one is on the absolute bottom of my Totem Pole of favorites.
