I hate 'em. Finger slicing device. Great to look at on someone's heavily engraved, decked out, bespoke somethin or another. As to adding strength...show me the analysis. They look like camming devices to open the action in the event the barrels actually came to bear against them. But then you'd have bigger issues if the barrels spread enough to really bear against them. They are in the same catagory as "dollsheads" in my opinion.