I'll tell you why I convert ALL my C&B's (including Remingtons). First, what is the single most common problem reported on the various wires related to shooting C&B's? Broken hand springs. The Italian guns have soft hands and brittle springs so for durability both need to be addressed. If I drive 2000 miles to a shoot I go there with the intent of winning. If a better shooter beats me that doesn't bother me a bit. However, if I lose because of a gun malfunction I'm more than a bit irritated--with myself. Especially, if it was a problem I could have prevented. Fox Creek you said you have had two broken hand springs. You sort of answered your own question. If a gun has a known problem my goal is to fix that problem and make the gun more durable and/or reliable. I haven't had a flat tire in years, but I have a spare in the trunk. Also, time is money and the hand channel on the reproductions range from super smooth to looking like the surface of the moon. If the hand channel is rough it's a lot quicker to drill a hole and install a plunger and spring and polish the back of the hand than it is to flle/stone/hone the hand channel. As Coffinmaker noted IF the hand and spring are properly adjusted (which includes addressing any problem with the hand channel) then there is little difference in feel. (There is still the issue of long-term reliability, however.) However, if the hand channel is rough and the home gun tinker doesn't have the proper stones to hone the channel, the spring conversion gives an immediate improvement in feel.