I am aware and understand this. Even wooden ramrods will wear crowns over time, especially when dirty. However, I would wager that many, maybe most, of today's inines are purchased by hunters wishing to extend their season, only used for a several week period and really aren't loaded and cleaned that many times during a typical year. These owners will probably never experience any problems from crown wear but this certainly doesn't mean that every owner should not try to practice good technique when loading and cleaning.