Anyone ever re-used primers?

Yep, it's not recommended, but I've done it. Only had one boo boo in 30 years of reloading where one did not go off. I only use them for practice ammo, never for the stuff I take to matches or hunting.

i will reuse my "mistake" primers for plinking ammo. i've never had one not work. if you get a FTF then your not out anymore than you would be if you just chucked the primer in the first place.

One more experience...

Mugsie--I too have had one occasion to remove primers from cases. Can't remember why it was necessary.

Experimentally, I used the removed primers for a set of reloads which I shot up for practice. There were about 30 rounds, IIRC. The primers seated more easily than usual--not surprisingly--but they all stayed in the pockets once seated. No FTF's, no malfunctions of any observable sort.

But as Cdrt pointed out, these rounds got used on the practice range. Would never use 'em when each shot counts, be it target for score, hunting, SD, or anything else.

Khyber pass gunsmiths often re-used and reloaded used primers. They knocked out the ding, made their own primer compound and reloaded it into the cartridge. I think they used powdered strike anywhere match heads mixed with crushed glass for primer and for powder they used chopped up movie film that was made on nitrocellulose film.

Novus: The match-head trick (minus glass) is listed in a US military field manual for improvised explosives. Certainly wouldn't want to try it myself, though. I'll stick to factory primers. Thanks.