It has been a while since I bought any factory ammo but do remember buying a couple of boxes of 30 Luger at 12 bucks a box, one was Fiocchi and the other was Winchester. Close outs at a local gunshow. Recent visits to gunshows seem to be ammo like gold; everyone has a collectable as well.
I might suggest the RCBS dies for the 30 Luger. Compare them to the Lee as to being able to move the case parameters around the way you want. I see on the internet, either is about 30 bucks.
I used to cast via the Lee moulds but the local indoor ranges put me out of that effort, no lead bullets allowed there anymore. Sierra and Hornady make some 0.308 bullets in jacketed version, but close to 20 bucks a hundred, unless you buy in bulk and get a little cut.
In the last decade, I have moved off the real 30 Luger because of your observations at the ranges, most of my brass is lost. On occasion I will bring out a nicer 30 Luger to shoot real 30 luger ammo in, perhaps on my birthday when the 357 automag stays in pocket.
In 30 caliber Lugers, I have two beaters that I have tuned, fussed with, cussed, and loved the most of all my Lugers. One is a 4 3/4 Swiss taper style and the other is a 14"(?) Swiss styled; both made from old 30-06 take off rifle barrels. There once was a thread here on a wildcat 30 cal for the Lugers, called the 7.65x19mm. This wildcat is simply the 30 Luger reamer run in short to allow the brass to be formed from the much cheaper 9mmx19. The neck length is the same as the real 30 Luger. RCBS dies cut off some(carbide cutter is necessary to get thru the surface hardening of the die) will allow the reloading of said wildcat.
As stated in other postings in this thread, the real cost driver for the real or wildcat 30 caliber cartridges is the bullet. With the wildcat and custom of a type barrel from an 06, the 0.308" offerings shoot pretty well.
Off hand with iron sights, the 0.308" bullets do ok in the larger vintage Luger bores.
Eyes here are getting bad, so my 14"(I think it is, but have cut it off a time or two) has a scope sight mount bonded to the left of the Luger frame, and sports a Leupold scope currently. It allows me to be almost competent at 25yds again. I have had so much fun with it, that I never got around to bluing the thing.
Obviously if staying with the real 30 Luger, the brass can be made from several sources of parent brass. If you do decide to go with the 223 chopped down and worked for 30 Luger, be sure to check the loaded diameter of your new brass, as you know, it is nice to be able to let go of the bullet during firing. Some folks use 9x23, 9x21, 38 super etc for working down to 30 Luger. 9x21 will require no trimming, but is a bit short after forming.
Rebarreling to the 9mmx19 is an option of course. The magazine will work, but might have to redo the main spring in the grip. Hugh or G.T. knows how to change barrels. Changing a Luger barrel takes tooling, and a little touch that comes with experience. The barrel vise is a barrel vise, but the action wrench is custom as far as I know.
Just pure opinion,
Rick W.
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