I have a 1940 42-code Mauser that I shoot regularly. I only shoot my own reloads through it and clean after every session, but a session will generally be 150-200 rounds. I have about 800 rounds through this Luger and have experienced only two stoppages, both failures to completely eject the old case. If you're going to shoot factory ammo you have to experiment a little. A friend of mine has a similar Luger (a 1941 42-code Mauser). His won't shoot an entire clip of the bulk Winchester ammo without jamming. However, it NEVER jams if he uses the CCI Blazer aluminum-cased stuff. Go figure. Generally speaking, if the pistol jams with the more common stuff on the market then it's probably best to select another Luger as a shooter. Don't overlook a defective magazine as the possible source of jams. Finally, stay away from the Wolf (and other Russian ammo) in vintage pistols. The steel cases won't expand and grip the chamber walls, collet-style, upon firing like brass or aluminum cases will. This means that more rearward thrust is generated to the bolt face. This is OK for modern pistols with modern steel, but can be catastrophic in older pistols. Blown out extractors occur if you're lucky; parts breakage and injury are more likely with steel-cased ammo. I think the best solution is to lower 9mm pressures and velocities by reloading. 5.0 grains of Unique or 4.5 grains of WW231 behind a 115 grain bullet yields about 1,000 fps and lowers the pressure to about 22,00 psi, down from a factory loading of over 30,000 psi. Either of these loads still provides enough oomph to cycle a Luger action, and doesn't beat the gun up to boot.
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