Well here goes! I have thought about this questions for years now and read all the arguments on both sides. It was only when I dealt with it on what I felt, was a common sense approach that I was able to resolve it for myself. I am almost 57 years old and grew up in a gun store and a hunting/shooting/reloading, crazy town in North Georgia in the 1960's. I have reasoned it this way for me and me alone:
1.) I have never known of anyone or even heard of anyone that had a Springfield "let go" and this was during the day when many shot compressed loads of 4895 in their 1903's, many of which were LN's. I now have a small ranch in Montana and the number of LN 03's still being shot there on a DAILY basis would astound you and when I talk to people about their LN's, they shake their heads and say..."never been a problem...so and so has one too and his shoots better than mine" I have never heard of a failure.
2.Since the handloading excesses of the 1960's I like to think handloaders have not only become more responsible, they have decreased in numbers due to superior factory ammo and still no catastrophic failure incidents, that I am aware of. If one had occurred, the news would spread quicker than the flu among old ladies at a church social.
3.Last but not least...ALL OF US ARE GOING TO HAVE BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO US! Some will get Alzheimer, die in an automobile wreck[my mother at age 78], shot in a robbery, choke on a piece of steak, and I bet some of you while reading this has and ol' cancer stick burning in the ashtray next to the computer. My point is, life is full of risk and we take them everyday; the biggest of which is getting dressed, leaving the house and cranking up the ol' Tin Lizzie! I know someone will say WHY take the risk of shooting a LN? Well if you collect original Military, I can see your point to a degree, however if you own a rifle it is natural to WANT TO SHOOT IT!!!!!!! If however you collect Pre war Custom 1903 Sporters such as Michael Petrov, IDARED ,myself et.al. then there is no other gun to shoot like it...just that one...LN or not!
I am not a particularly religious man even after serving two combat tours in Vietnam and being wounded, but when shooting my LN's I am reminded of a quote from THOMAS R.R. "STONEWALL" JACKSON.
When asked how he could be so unafraid in battle he replied...
"I feel as safe on the battlefield as I do in my own bed, as GOD has ordained the time of my death, if all men felt the same way...they would all be equally as brave"
Jerry
