We must have spoken to the same guy. The man at Purdey's that I spoke to about it said that when the lump swings down into the action floor It was a sign of best craftsmanship that you could fit the lug so tightly there was almost an airtight surrounding of the barrel lump On closing.
If you think about the technology that was being used to produce the early best guns making that square box in the bottom of the action was quite a feat, and a real sign of craftsmanship.
But it's also one more of those best gun treats that you can't actually see either.
Definitely not a case of, "Hey dumbass, When you carve out that blind hole, don't cut all the way through." LOL!
