My personal belief is that the majority of these guns were "Shot Out" from pure neglect ie seldom if ever cleaned or lubed than from the actual shooting. Many were of course shot with far heavier loads than they were meant to use, but many were also played with over the years, being opened & closed many times without a drop of oil in the hinges. Dry metal rubbing against Dry metal will loosen a hinge joint far quicker than shooting it, even with excessive loads.The majority of the time the better guns which cost more money received better care.
