Hi all, 
As I’m sure like many others my stockpile of large rifle primers is dwindling and I’m considering what to do when I use them up besides pulling out my flintlocks.

I’m fortunate enough to have a lathe and have turned my own brass cases for a couple of my single shot rifles. Given that small rifle and pistol primers appear to be more readily in stock at many of the online suppliers (e.g Grafs) I’m considering cutting the pockets in my next set of cases for the small rifle/pistol primers. These would be cases like the 32-40 or 38-55. 

Just curious if anyone else has had experience using small primers in these types of cases and your experience. For smokeless powder would they both still be sufficient for reliable/consistent ignition? For black powder would a small pistol primer be preferred (analogous to using large pistol primers with BP loads).  Or should I just stick to my flintlocks until large rifle/pistol primers come back on the market at reasonable prices?

By bushing you’re suggesting soldering in a shim in the pocket to make the new dimension? Have you done that? Seems harder to ensure you get just the right dimensions. For me it’s be easier just to machine a new case with proper pocket size. 

Understood on the prices, but between high price small primers and not available large primers… there’s not much other choice. 

Edit: I guess I could also solder in a brass plug into the old pocket and machine a new small primer pocket in that. Anyone have experience with that? What would be the best type of solder to use? I don’t want to overheat the base (with the temp needed for silver solder) but not sure normal plumber solder would be strong enough.

I had some of the 30-30 small primer cases made into 30-30 x 1/5 inch and short 32-40's. They did not shoot as well for me as either Rem 2 1/2 or Large rifle primers.

I too have been successfully using LP primers in my .32-40's. Don't know that I would use them for "normal" .32-40 hunting loads of high(er) pressure though.

The silhouette crowd and other long range precision shooters have been switching to SR-primed high power brass for a short while now. Principally with such brass from Peterson. My comrade who shoots high power silhouette with a .260 Remington made the switch to Peterson .260 brass with SR primer pockets this year and gets the same, if not better, accuracy with the same loads ignited by LR primers - and mind you he loads them hot in order to reliably knock over 500 meter rams. 

Personally I wouldn't hesitate to switch to SR primers in .32-40 if there was a reliable source for the brass.

I have a few boxes of 30 American Cases that i'm going to try in my 33-47  Simply because I have so many more  small rifle primers compared to large size.