No, not a breast feeding problem! (cabbage leaves are the remedy for that though, believe it or not!)
 
A college of mine has informed me that the Monkey Tail pistols, bought by Portugal, had the "nipples & ears" blocked - his words - when purchased. Also that he viewed an example that was still in this state. They were drilled out by the unit armourer once issued.  
 
I have heard of repro flintlocks being sold like this in modern times (to temporarily circumvent firearms laws) but haven't come across any comtemporary accounts of this & am intrigued as to why this may have (if the report is accurate) occurred, or if anyone else has heard of a similar practice - �any thoughts anyone? �Thanks for your time, Adrian.

Thanks Bill, thats a good point. I can't think of any reason why the pistols would have been purchased "blocked". It would have made proving difficult as well.  I think you may be correct. Adrian.

Thought so !