9mm or Parabellum?
 

Apologize for this dumb question. I finally decided to shoot my P38. Have never fired any of my Lugers. Have a box of 9mm. Do they have to be Parabellum? Thanks

Most 9mm *is* Parabellum, unless it is 9mm Largo, or some other obscure size.
Your standard 9mm that you would feed a Glock or a Browning HP is the same 9mm Parabellum that your P38 would like.
Just don't shoot +P or +P+.

Walmart carries Winchester 9mm in a 100 round box for about $12 that most Lugers digest very well.

Answer Appreciation
 

Thanks Star of the West and John Sabato.

9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum or 9x19 is the same stuff.

A case length of 19 mm and an OAL of some 29 mm.
OAL is important. Most modern US 9mm is a tad on the short side.

"Most modern US 9mm is a tad on the short side."

Oh Sure Gerben... bring that up!!

lol, Ron. :roflmao: :roflmao:

Yes, they say the length is unimportant, but, alas, it is :D

Just compensate by getting a bigger gun :cheers:

i took one of my ww2 german 1943 issue 9mm out of it,s box and put it on a level desk beside a walmart winchester 9mm and i see no diff. at all. "But i have no calibrated pme or lazer. all i have is a machinist steel rule. has any one here with better measure,ing instruments ever comparied an actual ww2 and walmart winchester?

It's not the case length that differs, but the over all length, important for feeding through the Luger magazine. This is because it's a tapered case. Not so important in other 9 mm pistols, partcularly double stackers where the double stacking compensates for the taper by toeing in the cartridges.

Yes,

We did some comparisons in the past.
I personally measured a modern S&B 124 grain round and a 1917 DWM made one. Difference was close to none.

1904 DWM drawings give an OAL of 2.92 cm (1.15 inch) (and a case length of 19mm)

1940 Winchester drawing states 1.169 inch.

NATO standard shows a case length of 19.5 mm and an OAL between 28.905mm and 29.623 (1.14 inch and 1.17 inch)

John:
The Winchester 9mm are almost $19.00 a hundred at our Walmart. Thanks for the comeback though.

Gerben,

What is the plus or minus tolerance specified on the DWM and other drawings. BTW, I would like to add that print to my p.08 Blueprint CD... are you reading it in a book? or do you have a print? or a scan of a print?

Thanks.

I doubt you will find that Winchester 115 gr. 9mm in the 100 rd. box any cheaper than walmart. Prices have certainly risen in the last two years. The last time I personally bought some was two years ago and paid. $11.00 a hundred.

Hi John,

The drawings can be found in 'The Dutch Luger' and in 'Die Pistole 08'.

O.A.L.
 

AMEN!!!

For round nose ammo, I've done extensive testing of original "vintage" ammo and have found 1.169 to 1.173 for the 9mm. 1.15 sounds like the truncated cone (flat nose) ammo length for the 9mm.

Sieger

A.O.L.
 

Hi:

It doesn't take a lot of difference in length to cause the jam problem. Precision is necessary.

I've also found the 124 gr. S&B an acceptable substitute for original German ammo, albeit a tad on the hot side.

Sieger