>>2552534>can it still be used with no problemsNo, you will have problems, but that doesn't mean it won't be smokeable, it may even smoke "ok". Again, the stem going in all the way isn't really the problem, as long as the joint between them is airtight it's fine. There are highly regarded pipes that are designed like that. Pic related, it's a Peterson System Deluxe, a reasonably pricey pipe, with a similar gap between the stem and the shank. But notice how the wooden shank of the bowl comes up at a 45 degree angle that matches the bend in the plastic stem, so that when you hold it in your mouth the bowl still points straight up? Your pipe doesn't do that, and it means the bowl of your pipe will be tipped forward about 45 degrees. Again, there are pipes with tipped-forward bowls, but they were designed to be smoked tipped-forward, so the hole was drilled so it enters the bottom of the bowl in its tipped-forward orientation. Your pipe bowl would have been drilled so the hole enters the bowl in the upright orientation.
