So I decided to consult the experts on this business of relieving the tension on gun springs. First, from Gerald Burrard, a British gun expert who wrote a 3-volume set devoted to the shotgun:
"Many sportsmen make a great point of snapping off the locks of their guns so as to release theh mainsprings; but they usually forget all about the ejector springs, which are left in a permanent state of compression. The truth of the matter is that it is really no more necessary to release the main or ejector springs of a gun than it is to release the springs of a watch. The loss in strength owing to compression is negligible, even after many years."
And again, from Robert Churchill, gunmaker and author of Churchill's Game Shooting:
"Many shooting men, when they dismount their guns, still believe that they rest the mainsprings by releasing the cocking levers. Don't do it. First of all, the action of a shotgun, unlike a rifle, can be severely damaged if you release the pins on an empty chamber. If you must do it, make sure that you have snap caps in the barrels. But, apart from that, releasing the mainsprings in a gun is quite unnecessary. Whatever you do, rhe mainsprings in a gun are always under tension and, in fact, the difference in the pressure on the springs between a gun cocked and uncocked is a matter of not more than a quarter of an inch. Put your gun away fully cocked. The springs won't mind and, further, when you come to mount the gun, it will come together that much more easily."
