If my understanding is correct, there is no real safety issue. Those pins fit into a recess in the hammer face to more or less "lock" the hammer between nipples and to keep the cylinder from accidently turning when being carried. Supposedly could carry with all 6 chambers loaded and capped that way. Personally I feel it is much safer just to load and cap 5 of the chambers and then carry with the hammer down on the EMPTY chamber. The 1860 Army will function just fine without those pins.