Are the large rifle and large pistol primers the same size? If so, maybe the primer was not aligned the first time the OP tried to insert them. I have mikes in the shop but the primers are in the work room by the house so I can not check them now.
I have 2 kinds of primer tools and with both you can occasionally try to put a primer in and it does not go till you figure out what is wrong.
Others have already mentioned the danger of using pistol primers in a rifle and those dangers are real. A blown primer may not run a rifle but it is hard on the bolt and could ruin your eyes.