Luger Artillery Pistol

rmc · 12-31-2009, 07:54 PM

A couple of weeks ago, I fired a 1918 DWM Luger artillery pistol (8" barrel) I inherited from my uncle. The first round fired without a hitch, but I could not fire any additional rounds. The first round's casing ejected fine and the second round was chambered, but would not fired. At the time, I was with my nephew and was using ammunition he brought along for his Sig P226 9 mm. My local gun dealer thinks that maybe I needed a higher grain cartridge because the Luger magazines are finicky and the gun was designed for higher pressure rounds. (His words, not mine.)

So, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm a newbie to the enjoyment of pistol shooting, so please don't feel as if you are over-explaining anything to me. I am very interested in any information you can provide.

Also, I've read many posts regarding whether, or not, one should shoot an old Luger. Some say shoot, wile others advise against doing so. I will say that unfortunately my pistol has matching serial numbers everywhere, except on the side plate. Again, my local gun dealer opined that he felt it was in 80% condition, and would have been worth around $2,000 if all numbers matched, but since the side plate didn't, the value was cut in half. So, if this was your pistol, would you shoot with it or clean it and tuck it away?

Many thanks. Ralph

12-31-2009, 07:54 PM	#1
rmc User Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern MA Posts: 16 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Luger Artillery Pistol A couple of weeks ago, I fired a 1918 DWM Luger artillery pistol (8" barrel) I inherited from my uncle. The first round fired without a hitch, but I could not fire any additional rounds. The first round's casing ejected fine and the second round was chambered, but would not fired. At the time, I was with my nephew and was using ammunition he brought along for his Sig P226 9 mm. My local gun dealer thinks that maybe I needed a higher grain cartridge because the Luger magazines are finicky and the gun was designed for higher pressure rounds. (His words, not mine.) So, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm a newbie to the enjoyment of pistol shooting, so please don't feel as if you are over-explaining anything to me. I am very interested in any information you can provide. Also, I've read many posts regarding whether, or not, one should shoot an old Luger. Some say shoot, wile others advise against doing so. I will say that unfortunately my pistol has matching serial numbers everywhere, except on the side plate. Again, my local gun dealer opined that he felt it was in 80% condition, and would have been worth around $2,000 if all numbers matched, but since the side plate didn't, the value was cut in half. So, if this was your pistol, would you shoot with it or clean it and tuck it away? Many thanks. Ralph