I suppose so, though I guess keeping it would at least keep the rifle looking as it should externally, even if it doesn't actually do anything. Your call though. I guess that without the spring the ABT lever just flops about? And when the cocking lever's closed, you can't see it anyway. I take your point!

For those unfamiliar with these rifles, they're taploaders, so the absence of an ABT shouldn't be any more of a safety issue than on, say, a Webley Mk3.

Well I'm clearly wrong about the other end of the spring acting on a sear. I can see I'm going to have to take one of mine to bits again to work out what it actually does. Maybe it locks the trigger or something? Will report back for the sake of completeness when I've done so.