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I've read reports of snap caps (or expended shells) left in the chamber of stored shotguns causing rust in the chamber. In these cases the guns had been cleaned before storage, and the expended shell or snap cap was used to relieve tension on the firing pin spring. I'm an old timer, and have been using shotguns all my life. Usually before storing a shotgun, I'll pull the trigger to relieve firing pin tension. Sometimes I don't. Never had any problem with the firing pin either way. The Remington 870's my department used were carried with the chamber empty, and the firing pin tension relieved. The guns were unloaded and reloaded at each shift change with this protocol. I have no personal knowledge of any firing pin breakage from this protocol. As I'm retired now, it is not convenient to check with the Department armorer for his experience. But this protocol would have had his approval since weapon reliability and safety would both be considerations in the protocol.
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