Shit. This is just another bunch of bullshit brought about by lack of proper procedure, no common sense or plain unadulterated dumbassery.
Lock rim wheels are quite safe when disassembled and assembled correctly.
Problems arise when the airgun monkeys beat the hell out of them with hammers, bending them up trying to get them off. Then they don't fit properly, because they've been fucked up. If they are bent or damaged they should be trashed. Same with the rim seat. The lock ring and the seat should be cleaned with a wire brush to remove all the rust and dirt, or they won't seat right. The tire can be aired up to about 30 pounds, and the ring checked for correct seating and gently tapped with a small hammer to get it right if necessary. Once everything is OK, air on up.
Same trouble with spoke wheels. The morons slam them on with an air wrench, and then try to get the wheel straight with the same tool. You simply cannot do that. There is a definite procedure to ease the wheel on straight and snug it down so it runs dead true.
These old wheels are the only way a fella can fix his own flats out in the bush by himself, without the need for a whole fucking workshop staffed by monkeys.
Am I ever getting sick of this shit.