[Mike Irwin]

"I don't see any damage that can be done other than the shell not firing or the round getting stuck in the bore."

How about a wrecked gun from high pressure gas venting directly into the action? And possibly a wrecked shooter?

Pistol primers generally have a thinner, weaker construction of the main priming cup, the part you see when the primer is seated in the round.

This is because pistol rounds generally don't generate the kind of pressures for the duration that rifle rounds do, and handguns generally don't have as strong a spring set to drive the firing pin or striker.

Using a pistol primer where a rifle primer should be used can result in the pressure rupturing the primer, allowing hot, high pressure gas right back into the action, which is normally right next to your face.

Not a good idea.