Thereason I was toldis because of the way the rifle is held when fired. You want the flat part of that wedge pin in contact with your hand/fingers. Some of the wedge pins are long and stick out some distance past the plates. If you're holding that rifle with the wedge backward and fire it. That part sticking out can kick through your fingers. If you ever hunted in bitter cold, you don't want anything hitting your cold fingers.

I was always told that they go in the other way too Corey. That was the reason they gave me. Now someone told me that on some rifles it does effect the manner the barrel is locked to the stock. But I have not run across that.