If there was a problem with the small shank Savages there would of of been a recall on them and never was, Any gun could blow up if pushed beyond its limits by improper hand loading, the small shank savages were tested above and beyond the pressure a wsm can produce. Also all the remingtons out there have the same size shanks as Savages small shanks. The only risk there would be is if the ammo was loaded incorrectly and thats the same with any gun out there.