Loads for Luger
 

Hi all,
I'm new ti this forum and to Lugers but am a long time reloader and shooter. I recently acquired a 1918 Erfurt and have been developing some loads for it. I thought I'd share 3 of them here.

The first uses a Magnus cast 122 grain bullet over 4 grains of Bullseye. Primer is a CCI 500 sitting in TZZ brass, COL is 1.170. Function of this load was flawless which quite frankly surprised me given the blunt nose of the bullet.. Accuracy was excellent as well. Firing over 100 rounds showed no evidence of leading. This will end up being my general shooting load for this pistol due to it's accuracy and the economy of the cast bullet.

Second load is a Hornady 124 round nose encapsulated bullet over 5 grains of Unique. Again CCI 500 primers and TZZ brass. COL is1.143. Accuracy was again very good and function was flawless. This load is a little more stout than the above mentioned.

Lastly. a Winchester 115 gr FMJ over 5.7 grs of Unique, CCI primers and TZZ brass.. COL is 1.158. Very good accuracy and flawless function. This one has some thump to it. Normally I go to 6 grains with this powder/bullet weight but elected to stop here.

These 3 loads were excellent in my particular Luger using Mec Gar mags. I did learn during the course of load development that the 7 round Triple K mags blow, but you all probably know that.

Thanks for reading!

I don't particularly like the KKK mags myself, but they do perform in SOME Lugers... Lugers are very particular in pairing up with magazines... probably why each Luger was issued with two mags that were serially numbered to the pistol.

Thanks for sharing your loading info.

A typical 9mm luger pistol shouldn't have too much problems with flat nose rounds, as the original 9mm luger round was a trapezoid shape flat nose until around 1917, when the more familiar conical shape was introduced.

The KKK mags I was using were the 7 rounders. I could fully compress the mag spring by running the button down with my thumb. These springs were waaaaay weak.

Brownells is going to let me return them thank goodness.

Those loads sound about right . I use 4.2 grains of WST behind a 125gr conical lead bullet . It works well at arround 950 FPS .

I bought a case of PMC mil spec ball for when I'm feeling lazy , but won't buy anymore . While it is reliable enough I was alarmed at the variation in velocity I got when put over the chronograph . anything from 850 fps to 1300 fps . it was so bad I thought the chrono was faulty . but tests with other known ammo proved it to be the PMC , nothing else . At least I've saved the cases to be reloaded.

Ray, after I had a bad experience with PMC ammo some years ago, I posted about it on the net and a responder suggested it stood for "pretty much crap!"

yep seems to be the case . I bought some 6.5 x 55 swede too and can only get one or two reloads out of it before the brass cracks . I think the company has gone bust or been taken over now.

So far PMC brass has held up for me, but this is only their 3rd loading. I agree, their ammo is crap! Dirty, smokey powders and so, so accuracy with cycling problems galore! I have lead handloads that give off less smoke than the PMC FMJ loads. As you said atleast we can use the brass until it fails.

Anybody shoot Titegroup? That's what my other 9's like. I find Bullseye to be very dirty by comparison.

FN

Bulleye Dirty?
 

Hi:

I've never found Bullseye to be dirty in the 9mm. Unique, on the other hand was filthy, in its old configuration anyway!

Try 3.7 grains of Bullseye behind any 124 gr roundnose at 1.173 total OAL and tell me what your results are.

Sieger

This load info is valuable considering how short factory ammo is lately. Thanks!

Charlie

I'm loading Sierra 125gr, FMJ, over Titegroup 4.2gr. OAL 1.075 and a slight crimp to .378. Win brass and Win.SP primer. Good results, but a couple of stovepipes. Thinking I could add .1gr.

FN

Aol
 

You might try your AOL at 1.169 to 1.173.

You will be able to load and shoot 8 rounds without the typical Luger magazine jam, once you have found the correct powder charge for your given powder.

Sieger