AFRO408 - The photos were provided to me by the dealer as part of the explanation as to why the rifle stopped working. I must conclude that the screw slot was damaged while in the dealer's hands. Complain? Yes. My main concern was with function and that the rifle failed on the first morning of my DG hunt (thankfully, before we hit the field).

Alberta - The rifle was, in fact, not taken down during transport. I was using a Tuffpak and both rifles (the double and a back-up .375 H&H magazine rifle) were transported fully assembled, each in its own soft rifle case.

The idea that these screws are not supposed to unscrew on their own if the rifle is assembled was pointed out to me by the dealer. Apparently it isn't as "impossible" as popular wisdom might assume.

At any rate, this would appear to be one of those things that a person would do well to (1) know about and (2) check before heading out on any hunt. As this is my first double rifle, it was a bit of a surprise (and a learning experience).