Little to no play on the triggers.

Last time I had the gun apart the locks were clean and I have not shot the gun enough for any appreciable amount of fouling to build up

There no visible cracks on the stock

"Cocking rods/arms could be worn" could be the problem, possibly aggravated by my tendency to baby the gun. I have not seen any drag marks on the primer, but I haven't really been looking too closely at the fired hulls.

Thanks everyone

I have become addicted to English hammered shotguns to the detriment of my wallet.