I have one rifle that has an 'easy' cut off. It's all complete and original so I'm leaving it that way. On another I had to re-bend the plate's armature because it swung back and forth without any pressure. When a cut off is not engaging the magazine it's pretty way out there, enough to snag on clothing and equipment. I certainly wouldn't want to deal with it in a filthy trench with Huns all around me, especially if I had to throw one up the spout quick.

---------- Post added at 06:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:12 AM ----------

I was once told by a veteran that when on patrol in NML, a round would be chambered and the hammer put on half cock. It was just one click before you fired and you had 10 still in the mag. I'm pretty sure it's not safe to do, but there again crawling around Western Front wasn't exactly a walk in the park.