Luger Ammunition

Vlim · 09-16-2007, 03:41 PM

Hi Eric,

There is some uncertainty, but some safe assumptions we can make:

-The 'mother' of the 9mm parabellum, the .30 Mauser and the .30 Luger was the Borchardt cartridge. His challenge was to design a functional pistol cartridge and to design a pistol around it.

Mauser had it easier, as they based their .30 Mauser on the Borchardt design, which was marketed 3 years before the C/96 was.

Luger, while redesigning the grip shape of the Borchardt, shortened the Borchardt round to what is now the .30 luger cartridge. Swiss army tests helped to bring that round to life.

The 9mm parabellum again is basically the .30 luger case without the crimped neck so a larger round could be produced, increasing 'stopping power', the main drawback of the .30 luger cartridge.

The problem with those early rounds is that they are not dated. That makes it difficult to correctly determine the age of the round. They would only be marked DWM -K- and the case number (401, 403, etc...) or DM -K- with the case number.

It's not made easier because of the fact that DWM's ammunition branch in Karlsruhe was formerly using the DM (Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik) abbreviation and kept using it well into WW1, besides using DWM as a marking.

Of all the variations, it's safe to say that the Borchardt and it's ammo hatched at the same time, as did the Borchardt/Luger and the .30 luger, and the 9mm Luger and it's ammo. Only the C/96 appears to have materialized after the cartridge.

The business of ammunition production in late 19th century Germany was complex. Following the Turkish contract for a large quantity of Mauser rifles and ammunition, the main contenders, Lorenz, Loewe, Mauser and the Rottweil-Hamburger Pulverfabriken decided to work together, rather than against each other.

Loewe and Duttenhofer (head of Rottweil) worked Mauser and Lorenz into a corner while obtaining large contracts for the Turkish and Prussian governments. Loewe and Duttenhofer took over Mauser and Lorenz, because although they got the contracts they knew very well they needed the experience from both Mauser and Lorenz to complete the contracts succesfully.

This led to a construction where the gun and ammunition branch of Loewe was merged with that of Lorenz to form DWM, of which both Loewe and Duttenhofer were major shareholders. Lorenz himself played no active role anymore.

Loewe and Duttenhofer dominated the local industry and their cartel meant they could divide large contracts between themselves, rather than compete. Basically, Ludwig Loewe & Cie. in Berlin supplied machinery, DWM in Karlsruhe made the cartridges and rounds and Duttenhofers powder companies supplied the powder.

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09-16-2007, 03:41 PM	#3
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,990 Times in 1,205 Posts	Hi Eric, There is some uncertainty, but some safe assumptions we can make: -The 'mother' of the 9mm parabellum, the .30 Mauser and the .30 Luger was the Borchardt cartridge. His challenge was to design a functional pistol cartridge and to design a pistol around it. Mauser had it easier, as they based their .30 Mauser on the Borchardt design, which was marketed 3 years before the C/96 was. Luger, while redesigning the grip shape of the Borchardt, shortened the Borchardt round to what is now the .30 luger cartridge. Swiss army tests helped to bring that round to life. The 9mm parabellum again is basically the .30 luger case without the crimped neck so a larger round could be produced, increasing 'stopping power', the main drawback of the .30 luger cartridge. The problem with those early rounds is that they are not dated. That makes it difficult to correctly determine the age of the round. They would only be marked DWM -K- and the case number (401, 403, etc...) or DM -K- with the case number. It's not made easier because of the fact that DWM's ammunition branch in Karlsruhe was formerly using the DM (Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik) abbreviation and kept using it well into WW1, besides using DWM as a marking. Of all the variations, it's safe to say that the Borchardt and it's ammo hatched at the same time, as did the Borchardt/Luger and the .30 luger, and the 9mm Luger and it's ammo. Only the C/96 appears to have materialized after the cartridge. The business of ammunition production in late 19th century Germany was complex. Following the Turkish contract for a large quantity of Mauser rifles and ammunition, the main contenders, Lorenz, Loewe, Mauser and the Rottweil-Hamburger Pulverfabriken decided to work together, rather than against each other. Loewe and Duttenhofer (head of Rottweil) worked Mauser and Lorenz into a corner while obtaining large contracts for the Turkish and Prussian governments. Loewe and Duttenhofer took over Mauser and Lorenz, because although they got the contracts they knew very well they needed the experience from both Mauser and Lorenz to complete the contracts succesfully. This led to a construction where the gun and ammunition branch of Loewe was merged with that of Lorenz to form DWM, of which both Loewe and Duttenhofer were major shareholders. Lorenz himself played no active role anymore. Loewe and Duttenhofer dominated the local industry and their cartel meant they could divide large contracts between themselves, rather than compete. Basically, Ludwig Loewe & Cie. in Berlin supplied machinery, DWM in Karlsruhe made the cartridges and rounds and Duttenhofers powder companies supplied the powder.