Luger reliability

LuckyLuke · 10-05-2003, 01:48 PM

If one reads about GP 35Ã?Â´s there is always that famous "legendary reliability". Also the P 38 has a good reputation.

All love 1911s, and usually they work fine, but nobody says he has NEVER seen a jam ...

Sig/Sauer and Glocks seem to have the best reputation nowadays.

How about Lugers? Given good mags ( Mec Gar? else ? ) and good ammo how long will a Luger shoot trouble free? At least one that is known as a good specimen?

I know people who insit that Lugers will start to jam after 50 rounds because of firing residue.

Please tell us your experiences.

Regards, Hermann

Dwight Gruber · 10-05-2003, 03:59 PM

Hermann,

I have three Lugers which I am willing to shoot--a 1936 S/42, a 1917 Artillery, and a made-up parts gun with a 5" barrel (the S/42 is the gun I shoot the most). I shoot between 400-700 rounds a month,depending on circumstances. I use several Mec-Gar magazines, an FXO (before I sold it) and the proper original magazine for the S/42. I shoot Winchester 115-grain FMJ bulk-pack from Wal-Mart, as well as the occasional box of CCI Blazer and Sellier&Bellot.

I do not experience malfunctions, and I have (*ahem*) been known occasionally to not clean my guns between sessions.

When I started shooting Lugers I performed a series of tests with all the different ammunition I could get my hands on, and all the magazines I had at hand. I found ammunition brands which consistently fed poorly regardless of the magazine they might be loaded in, and magazines (all of them original) which consistently caused malfunctions even with ammunition which fed properly from good magazines.

Proper ammunition, coupled with magazines in good condition, are the keys to trouble-free Luger shooting performance. (Other correspondents here may tell you about proper recoil spring tension, I have no experience with this topic and so cannot speak to it).

Hmmm, all this talk about shooting Lugers, I think I'm going to head for the range this afternoon...

--Dwight

Robert W. Simms · 10-05-2003, 05:54 PM

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.

Lonnie Zimmerman · 10-05-2003, 09:13 PM

Hermann; Dwight is right on the button. I shot with him for a couple of hours and neither of us had a jam. I shot an Artillery model with 6gr of Unique and a 115 gr Win Jhp and some of his factory Win. I can use WW 1 mags or FXO with no problems.
Lonnie
PS: I use tetra gun grease on all sliding parts.

Sgt Art · 10-05-2003, 10:56 PM

I found Norinco 124 grain FMJ as sold on gunbroker all the time be the most reliable ammo yet. I shoot it in a 1917 Artillery, and a 1916 DWM. The mags are standard issue. Also works well in a Bolo Mauser that was converted to 9mm.

Frank · 10-06-2003, 10:36 AM

Hermann, I shoot both a byf41 and a 1917 DWM and once I found a combination of ammunition and magazine (spring rate is important) they are extremely reliable. I doubt if I could make the same claim if I dropped either of them in the mud or sand, and I'll probably never find out either. My guess a 1911, would function after such an encounter!

Lugerdoc · 10-06-2003, 10:47 AM

Sgt Art, I believe that the proper ammo for reliable functioning of a luger will vary depending on the individual PO8. I once had to cut 2 coils off a customer's recoil spring to get it to function reliably with the weak Norinco 9mm ammo. TH

10-05-2003, 01:48 PM	#1
LuckyLuke Banned Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Middle Europe Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Luger reliability If one reads about GP 35Ã?Â´s there is always that famous "legendary reliability". Also the P 38 has a good reputation. All love 1911s, and usually they work fine, but nobody says he has NEVER seen a jam ... Sig/Sauer and Glocks seem to have the best reputation nowadays. How about Lugers? Given good mags ( Mec Gar? else ? ) and good ammo how long will a Luger shoot trouble free? At least one that is known as a good specimen? I know people who insit that Lugers will start to jam after 50 rounds because of firing residue. Please tell us your experiences. Regards, Hermann

10-05-2003, 09:13 PM	#4
Lonnie Zimmerman User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 523 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Hermann; Dwight is right on the button. I shot with him for a couple of hours and neither of us had a jam. I shot an Artillery model with 6gr of Unique and a 115 gr Win Jhp and some of his factory Win. I can use WW 1 mags or FXO with no problems. Lonnie PS: I use tetra gun grease on all sliding parts. __________________ Lonnie Zimmerman

10-06-2003, 10:47 AM	#7
Lugerdoc Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: POB 398 St.Charles,MO. 63302 Posts: 5,089 Thanks: 6 Thanked 737 Times in 484 Posts	Sgt Art, I believe that the proper ammo for reliable functioning of a luger will vary depending on the individual PO8. I once had to cut 2 coils off a customer's recoil spring to get it to function reliably with the weak Norinco 9mm ammo. TH __________________ Tom Heller POB 398 ST.Charles, MO. 63302 Tel 636-447-3006 lugerdoc@charter.net

10-05-2003, 03:59 PM	#2
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,908 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,330 Times in 435 Posts	Hermann, I have three Lugers which I am willing to shoot--a 1936 S/42, a 1917 Artillery, and a made-up parts gun with a 5" barrel (the S/42 is the gun I shoot the most). I shoot between 400-700 rounds a month,depending on circumstances. I use several Mec-Gar magazines, an FXO (before I sold it) and the proper original magazine for the S/42. I shoot Winchester 115-grain FMJ bulk-pack from Wal-Mart, as well as the occasional box of CCI Blazer and Sellier&Bellot. I do not experience malfunctions, and I have (ahem) been known occasionally to not clean my guns between sessions. When I started shooting Lugers I performed a series of tests with all the different ammunition I could get my hands on, and all the magazines I had at hand. I found ammunition brands which consistently fed poorly regardless of the magazine they might be loaded in, and magazines (all of them original) which consistently caused malfunctions even with ammunition which fed properly from good magazines. Proper ammunition, coupled with magazines in good condition, are the keys to trouble-free Luger shooting performance. (Other correspondents here may tell you about proper recoil spring tension, I have no experience with this topic and so cannot speak to it). Hmmm, all this talk about shooting Lugers, I think I'm going to head for the range this afternoon... --Dwight

10-05-2003, 05:54 PM	#3
Robert W. Simms User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Mount Juliet, TN Posts: 16 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	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.

10-05-2003, 10:56 PM	#5
Sgt Art User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SC Posts: 58 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I found Norinco 124 grain FMJ as sold on gunbroker all the time be the most reliable ammo yet. I shoot it in a 1917 Artillery, and a 1916 DWM. The mags are standard issue. Also works well in a Bolo Mauser that was converted to 9mm.

10-06-2003, 10:36 AM	#6
Frank RIP Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hot & Dry PHX, AZ Posts: 2,078 Thanks: 24 Thanked 164 Times in 87 Posts	Hermann, I shoot both a byf41 and a 1917 DWM and once I found a combination of ammunition and magazine (spring rate is important) they are extremely reliable. I doubt if I could make the same claim if I dropped either of them in the mud or sand, and I'll probably never find out either. My guess a 1911, would function after such an encounter!