Herb,
Crystalization or some such flaw probably played a role here. I wonder if there is a simple and practical way to see it coming before things come apart. Any metalurgists looking in?
I've always been very dubious about the oft heard stories of various sorts of pistol ammo loaded for sub-machine guns. It would create a nightmare for logistics and supply in any military organization, not to mention there would always be some fool who would mix the ammo.
A point of interest is that most service pistols are recoil operated, while most submachine guns are blow back operated. So the impulse is what counts in operating the pistol while the pressure curve is what counts for operating the sub-machine gun.
It is also interesting to note that a good sound C96 chambered for 7.63 Mauser will chamber and fire a 9 mm Parabellum cartridge without coming unglued. Imagine the overpressure you run up swaging a 9 mm bullet down to 7.63 mm! (This is a highly not recommended practice! I'd heard of it before, but when I came across an actual case, repeated firing of the 9 mm Parabellum in the 7.63 mm C96 had resulted in the appearance of cracks and an obviuosly dim future for the C96.)
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