Reloading help for the .30 cal.

cliffdropover1 · 08-17-2014, 08:51 PM

I went to the range today with .86 grain bullets loaded at 3.8 and 4.1 of Bullseye. OAL was 1.158 +/- . Since I don't have a chronograph, I go by feel. Recoil was much less than Fiocchi factory ammo. They would not feed properly as they short stroked. I am going to increase the OAL to match the Fiocchi bullet and gradually increase the powder. I will keep you posted. Also I went to a gun show yesterday and they had a great deal of the Fiocchi ammo, so I was able to get ammo that does work great in my Luger.

cliffdropover1 · 08-18-2014, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cliffdropover1

I went to the range today with .86 grain bullets loaded at 3.8 and 4.1 of Bullseye. OAL was 1.158 +/- . Since I don't have a chronograph, I go by feel. Recoil was much less than Fiocchi factory ammo. They would not feed properly as they short stroked. I am going to increase the OAL to match the Fiocchi bullet and gradually increase the powder. I will keep you posted. Also I went to a gun show yesterday and they had a great deal of the Fiocchi ammo, so I was able to get ammo that does work great in my Luger.

Perhaps a bit of explanation here might help. I did load this caliber about 50 years ago with Bullseye and worked up the load myself. No manuals existed then (at least for me) and the bullet was a .93 grain lead bullet used for plinking in a 30-30 or 30.06. There was only one person in the Cincinnati area that sold reloading equipment and he told me how to work up a safe load. That is long past and I got out of reloading for many years completely forgetting that load. I now have been reloading many years in many calibers but that Luger stumped me. I am loading for that same Luger I bought as a teenager (age 16)(with Mom's help) and this was my first handgun. (Mom could out shoot me with it)

More updates. Another trip to the range. My previous load of 4.1 of Bullseye did short stroke the toggle. I had three loads to try today 4.3-4.5 -4.7 of Bullseye. .86 grain bullet OAL of 1.118 +/- matching the factory Fiocchi OAL. Funny thing, the longer OAL bullet loaded with 4.1 did try to work the toggle. Today the shorter seated bullet matching factory OAL at 4.3 grains would not work the toggle at all. Surprise--when I went to the 4.5 load the gun worked perfectly as did the load of 4.7. Comparing the factory load to the 4.7, the 4.7 felt a bit stronger recoil wise and the 4.5 close behind the factory load in felt recoil. I will try 4.6 next and check all carefully for signs of excessive pressure. Again I thank all that have helped me here and am quite happy that I finally seem to have a working safe load.
(Actually the OAL was decreased to match factory OAL. Sorry for any confusion)

rhuff · 08-19-2014, 04:33 PM

So glad to hear that you have found a functioning load for your Luger. As has been stated so many times, each Luger is an individual, and it is different from others. As handloaders, we have to experiment with brass, primers, powders, bullets, OALs to find the correct combination we seek. A certain amount of pride is experienced once a base combo is found, and a smile seems to form on one's face. You now can work in both directions and with other components to see what works the best for you. This is the art of handloading to me.

When a slower powder becomes available to your area, you might just want to give it a try. I check daily for some 8# bottles of Unique, but nothing yet.

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08-17-2014, 08:51 PM	#1
cliffdropover1 User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Kentucky Posts: 65 Thanks: 1 Thanked 9 Times in 5 Posts	I went to the range today with .86 grain bullets loaded at 3.8 and 4.1 of Bullseye. OAL was 1.158 +/- . Since I don't have a chronograph, I go by feel. Recoil was much less than Fiocchi factory ammo. They would not feed properly as they short stroked. I am going to increase the OAL to match the Fiocchi bullet and gradually increase the powder. I will keep you posted. Also I went to a gun show yesterday and they had a great deal of the Fiocchi ammo, so I was able to get ammo that does work great in my Luger.

08-19-2014, 04:33 PM	#3
rhuff Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Az. Posts: 2,315 Thanks: 2,751 Thanked 999 Times in 734 Posts	So glad to hear that you have found a functioning load for your Luger. As has been stated so many times, each Luger is an individual, and it is different from others. As handloaders, we have to experiment with brass, primers, powders, bullets, OALs to find the correct combination we seek. A certain amount of pride is experienced once a base combo is found, and a smile seems to form on one's face. You now can work in both directions and with other components to see what works the best for you. This is the art of handloading to me. When a slower powder becomes available to your area, you might just want to give it a try. I check daily for some 8# bottles of Unique, but nothing yet.