is there a Stoeger .22 LR s/n data base?

[HooPharted]

have this Stoeger Luger .22 LR , had it for maybe 4 or 5 years , its the earlier Aluminum frame variant not the cast metal (i think those were Die Cast?)

was just curious if there was a data base to date it available , i believe they started production in 69

i know people say they are jammomatics , thats not been my experience , in fact using CCI mini mags it runs as well as any .22 in both function and accuracy

i read these were manufactured in Europe where .22 LR is slightly longer allowing their .22 LR ammo to be a tad hotter so during development they were using Erropes hotter ammo but when entering the states people were trying to feed them the cheapest 22 LR ammo there is , this makes total sense to me at least having to have enough power to function the mech

i purchased it on a whim thinking it would be a neat addition to the couple war P08's and the several Walther P38's i own , im in no way disappointed , its a very fun pistol and a fan favorite when we get a shoot together

[ithacaartist]

Welcome to the forum, David.

My thing--aside from the Parabellum pistol--is Erma's toggle pistols. They're roughly contemporary with the Stoeger .22 Luger, although their manufacture stretched from the early 60s until the 90s. I never developed much of an interest in the Stoegers, mostly just because I think they're kinda ugly.

Both brands have a reputation for reliability issues and being picky about ammo. One hypothesis out there is that the European standards for chamber dimensions are just a little tighter than SAAMI specs in the U.S. With relatively "sticky" chambers, they both can suffer from extraction problems. I have no experience with the Stoeger, but the Erma .22s can also have a problem returning fully to battery when chambering a new round, which confirms the idea that their chambers are a hit too short (depending on ammo brand). Heavy polishing, or reaming the chambers with a "standard" chamber finishing reamer seems to take care of most of that.

There seems to be conflicting info about where they were actually manufactured. The tight chambers would support the notion that they were built somewhere in Europe and imported. This idea, however, contradicts how the frames said "made in USA" cast on their right sides, as well as Stoeger's ads and marketing points. The Stoeger name/brand was apparently involved with lots of holding companies e.g. those that dealt with Sega/Tikka and Beretta/Benelli. Gun designers and manufacturers are sort of incestuous, and individuals and gun models often swung from one side of the Atlantic to the other--and sometimes back again--so it is no wonder that specific info can be difficult to nail down.

There seems to be no data base of Stoeger Luger serial numbers/mfg. dates. Fortunately for Erma collectors, Holger Schlemier has written the definitive Erma book on its history and production. He spent around a decade compiling a serial number data base.

[HooPharted]

thanks for that info, i never heard the chamber being too tight , only that their ammo was a tad hotter , i have easy 1000 rds in somewhere around 5 years through it and it has never malfunctioned to the point it irritated me which we all been there with one fire arm or another , it really has bee a pleasure and a fun gun

like i said though i run CCI mini mags through it because i know it likes it , i believe allot of people buy a brick of Federal and think because it goes bang in a Model 60 its great ammo , mini mags for some reason is usually the answer to most finiky .22 LR problem child

ive had extremely low number of failure to eject , most malfunctions are usually failure to feed , i attributed this to possible a tired mag spring being lazy to get the round up in time , but even then its not a inordinate amount

i will post a pic , you can see the ole girl has seen some play and problem childs generally do not get worn like this because they do not get much play

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by HooPharted

like i said though i run CCI mini mags through it because i know it likes it , i believe allot of people buy a brick of Federal and think because it goes bang in a Model 60 its great ammo , mini mags for some reason is usually the answer to most finiky .22 LR problem child

If your failure to feed issue is of the "nose up" variety--either loaded stovepipe or the nose caught on the top, rear of the chamber--adjusting the mag's front feed lips to be a little tighter ought to fix it. Pretty successful remedy for Ermas that misbehave in that way...

When Mini-Mags are hard to find, Remington Thunderbolts will quite often also help. Same projectile weight, similar muzzle velocity...