I was told by an older feller that in olden Daze, in the first year after introduction of the type, that if the 76 was a fixed wing, every one of them in the company would have been landed gear up due to gear extension problems. Don't know if that is true or not.
In the early 2000s we had a 76 that we flew with the gear pinned down for over a week while waiting for spare parts. Even flying with the draggy (if that is a real word) gear doors open we only seemed to loose about 4-5 knots with the same power settings.
Always made me wonder if a fixed gear with fairings would not have been just as efficient, but not as pretty, .also a considerable weight saving by getting rid of all that gear extending/retracting hardware plus a much simpler hydraulic system. I assume I am being simplistic.
Please understand I have a "bit of time" in the 76 and think it is a fine aircraft. Never had a gear problem with it.