[Patrick]

A lot has been written about the best ammunition for the Luger and the choice of ammunition is often responsible for malfunction and damage. After all, the Luger was the first semi-automatic pistol to be accepted by the armed forces of a number of countries - and that was just under a hundred years ago.


Luger developed the ubiquitous 9 mm Para cartridge specifically for his Luger Parabellum P 08 pistol but specifications have changed since then and the latest NATO 9 mm round is not identical to the original.


Powerful ammunition can damage a Luger: Kenyon (Lugers at Random) shows a proof testing model Luger with damage where the toggles have hit against the cam ramps. Broken toggles and frames are quite common, especially on early DWM Lugers. Extractors and ejectors have always been regarded as replacement parts.


For self loaders, the aim has always been to keep the charge down to the limit ensuring that the action recycles every time. This depends on the strength of the spring. New calibrated replacement Luger recoil springs (and both types of magazine springs) are available from Wolff (http://www.gunsprings.com). With a bit of practise, you can change them yourself and experiment with the type that works best for your Luger. Springs are not numbered parts and can be replaced without impairing a fully numbered gun.


If your Luger is fully numbered, you would be well advised to consider that broken parts that have to be replaced will greatly diminish its value. You can either use unnumbered replacement parts from the outset or keep an unnumbered Luger for shooting purposes.

I hope this helps -Patrick