Jammed Shell

mrerick · 07-24-2019, 09:52 AM

Most likely, there is nothing "wrong" with the Remington ammunition. It likely meets all SAAMI safety standards and specifications.

Understand that the Luger action is a very finely balanced mechanism. As the first widely adopted semi-automatic pistol, it was engineered without the modern instrumented tools and simulation that we have available today.

As an engineer, you understand that without factual measurements, the gunsmiths that designed the Luger mechanism and refined it (no doubt lead by Luger, who was not himself a machinist) were working blind and through simple experiments.

(Luger, BTW, was renown for stealing inventions from others - there is original documentation about his behavior when stealing Mauser's 3 lug rifle bolt action model from Oberndorf and patenting it in Berlin in his own name)...

I have not done the experiments with Remington ammunition myself, but would consider several possible causes for what you are experiencing.

Inadequate support of the pistol which softens and reduces it's ability to cycle driven by the recoil impulse
Unbalanced action because of selection of recoil spring, friction, fit, lubrication or wear considerations
The powder selection and load in Remington creates a recoil impulse that drives your Luger's action too fast or too slow. This can be related to the relative burning speed of the powder, the load and mass interaction driving the bullet out of the case and down the barrel

You can chase things like this for months as part of an analysis approach to shooting your Luger. - or - You can try other ammunition varying brand, bullet weight and shape.

Someone with experience working on Luger mechanisms may be able to look at your Luger (in hand - not in photos) and determine possible failure mechanisms. The sequence is, of course:

Problem Source Identification
Problem Determination

07-24-2019, 09:52 AM	#13
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,925 Thanks: 1,377 Thanked 3,139 Times in 1,520 Posts	Most likely, there is nothing "wrong" with the Remington ammunition. It likely meets all SAAMI safety standards and specifications. Understand that the Luger action is a very finely balanced mechanism. As the first widely adopted semi-automatic pistol, it was engineered without the modern instrumented tools and simulation that we have available today. As an engineer, you understand that without factual measurements, the gunsmiths that designed the Luger mechanism and refined it (no doubt lead by Luger, who was not himself a machinist) were working blind and through simple experiments. (Luger, BTW, was renown for stealing inventions from others - there is original documentation about his behavior when stealing Mauser's 3 lug rifle bolt action model from Oberndorf and patenting it in Berlin in his own name)... I have not done the experiments with Remington ammunition myself, but would consider several possible causes for what you are experiencing. Inadequate support of the pistol which softens and reduces it's ability to cycle driven by the recoil impulse Unbalanced action because of selection of recoil spring, friction, fit, lubrication or wear considerations The powder selection and load in Remington creates a recoil impulse that drives your Luger's action too fast or too slow. This can be related to the relative burning speed of the powder, the load and mass interaction driving the bullet out of the case and down the barrel You can chase things like this for months as part of an analysis approach to shooting your Luger. - or - You can try other ammunition varying brand, bullet weight and shape. Someone with experience working on Luger mechanisms may be able to look at your Luger (in hand - not in photos) and determine possible failure mechanisms. The sequence is, of course: Problem Source Identification Problem Determination __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.