Having been a SASS competitor since 2001 and fired many thousands of .38 specials in my dads 1894 Marlin using 158 RNL bullets. Thousands of other shooters seem to do the same with no issues either.....

I am unaware of any detonation in the tube of any other SASS shooters. There is so little recoil for one, the bullets are lead and not hard enough to actually ignite a primer.

There is much discussion not only on this forum but many others about the hardness of any given primer and that they don't reliably go when they are struck by a real firing pin with a real firing pin spring concentrating all of that spring energy in a very small area.

The frontal mass of a RNL bullet is far larger than the primer.

Maybe it has happened to someone, somewhere.....I would think that if it were such a huge problem that there would be blown up lever guns everywhere!
Seems like a large part of 30-30 Winchester ammo is a RN....much more recoil than a .38 spl or .357 mag......where are all of the blown up M94's and 336 Marlins?

I know full well that I will bring down the wrath of the gun gods for making such a statement.....Just MY experience.

Randy