I’m not sure what you mean by “loaner brass” but if you’re talking about the brass I sent you, it has been sized already and those are live primers, so just start by expanding them, then charging and finally seating and crimping the bullet.
The hammer style puller is loud. Using towels to dampen the noise also dampens the impact, so it doesn’t work as well. I’d go outside and bang it on some fairly smooth concrete. A short firm smack is better than a big windup.
If I plan to try to reuse pulled bullets I drop a bit of foam or a wad of paper towels inside the hammer to cushion the bullet when it comes flying out.