Advice Needed

[Castle]

I have ordered a box of Fiocchi .30 Luger SJSP shells for trial. The idea from dju about supporting the magazine while shooting also seems to me to have promise; there is noticeable play in the magazine as it seats in the frame. So I'll try attending to that. Have run out of ammo for the present, so can't test today. If anything interesting develops, I'll report. Meantime, thanks again to all......CF

[rhuff]

Some members here have had real good luck with the Fiocchi JSP ammo. My experience with that ammo in MY 30 Luger handguns has been dismal to say the least. The Fiocchi 92gr FMJRN has functioned wonderfully for me and my guns. These rascals can be/are ammo sensitive. Your mainspring/recoil spring may be the culprit, but the ammo test with the Fiocchi will help with the diagnosis.

[Sergio Natali]

Castle

I think by now you've already obtained all the necessary advices, one more thing, never use old wooden base mags, buy a modern Mec Gar mag surely you'll find a not expensive one that will last you for yonks.

Best


Sergio

[tomaustin]

sergio, what is your unit of measure for a yonk ??

[Castle]

I am back, having tried various members' suggestions and controlled for various factors. Have to report no progress. I tried Fiocchi .30 Luger SJSP ammo: no improvement in function in my pistol: it continued to fail to load, smokestacked the extracted round, and jammed at the breech. Tried making sure the mag. was fully seated: no improvement. Tried loading one or two rounds only and firing; fired okay but usually failed to lock back. Loading two or three rounds: no improvement. At this point, I guess I will get a new recoil spring and try that. Any further suggestions much appreciated. Thanks to all.....CF

[G.T.]

Hi CF, I have had and tuned Lugers that would ONLY work with Winchester .30 ammo?.... and absolutely not work at all with any Fiocchi ammo.... Take the firing pin assembly out and cycle rounds thru by hand? If they cycle thru, it's not the clip.. it's the ammo, (under power or short OAL) or mainspring... I do ALL my testing with Winchester, even though it's expensive! .... Good luck, best to all, til...lat'r....GT

[rhuff]

Wolff Springs offer three(3) different mainspring weights(I am pretty sure) for the P08 Luger. They are not expensive to purchase. I suggest that you purchase all three weights so that you can "tune" your luger to the ammo that you plan to use. A P08 Luger is a balancing act of springs, mags, and ammo for the most part. Hang in there, and don't give up. Lugers can be made to work.....trust me, I have been down this path more than once.

[mrerick]

You will likely want to use the lowest weight recoil spring. There were a number of different springs used in various models of Lugers. All this is involved in the balance of the action as it cycles.

Also double check to make sure that your extractor and the ejector are both clean and undamaged.

Marc

[DonVoigt]

The Germans, DWM and all had trouble deciding what spring to use.
This chart will give you some idea.

Though counter-intuitive, the .30 luger did not always use a "lighter" spring than the 9mm chambering; in fact the opposite is true in the
1906 American Eagle data. The 1920 and '23 models are shown as the same.

So, weaker may not be "better" in this case.

Be also sure your chamber is immaculately clean, just to confirm it is not a rough chamber, try a little oil on a couple rounds and see how that goes.

[Castle]

Pretty interesting results. I put a drop of oil on each round and another drop in the chamber. Had trouble loading the first round from the mag by drawing back the toggle and releasing; that first round got hung up at the chamber. I dropped the mag, and the round went into battery. After that: function was flawless: no trouble loading successive rounds, no jams, no trouble with extraction or ejection, and action locked open after last round. Not sure what this might mean, but it's a big step forward. I guess I'll try some Winchester .30 Luger, too, though if this pistol demands that ammo., I won't be able to afford to shoot it. Thanks to all......CF

[lugerholsterrepair]

Historically excess oil on ammunition, chambers and bores is or can be dangerous. Try to keep it to a minimum to be on the safe side.

[Sergio Natali]

I agree with Jerry, be careful you are not supposed to oil rounds and chambers, then oil in the chamber/barrel can generate high and dangerous pressures.
Shoot safe!


Sergio

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by luger.parabellum

I agree with Jerry, be careful you are not supposed to oil rounds and chambers, then oil in the chamber/barrel can generate high and dangerous pressures.
Shoot safe!


Sergio

Jerry and Sergio,

This was advised for a "two round" test!

For pete's sake, everyone knows- or should know not to oil rounds routinely!

[Castle]

Okay, makes sense. Many thanks. I will concentrate on making sure chamber is good and clean....CF

[lugerholsterrepair]

Don, Yes of course! Just cautionary advise..no harm no foul. A lot of people are not aware of too much oil as an obstruction in bores & chambers..Better safe than blowed up.

[rhuff]

As above, your chamber should be clean and smooth for proper chambering of rounds. I think that your results still point to a close, but incorrect, mainspring for YOUR Luger.....just saying.

[Castle]

Since my last post a month back, I have tried the three recoil springs in the Wolff pack, and tried Winchester .30 Luger ammo. No success. Luger still fails to load the next round, which jams at the breach almost as though the magazine spring weren't elevating it enough to position it for loading into the breech. This in spite of new MecGar mag, which seems to fit and work okay. When I load a single round, firing, extraction, ejection, and lockback are normal. Any members' thoughts most welcome. Thanks.....CF

[Sieger]

Originally Posted by Castle

Since my last post a month back, I have tried the three recoil springs in the Wolff pack, and tried Winchester .30 Luger ammo. No success. Luger still fails to load the next round, which jams at the breach almost as though the magazine spring weren't elevating it enough to position it for loading into the breech. This in spite of new MecGar mag, which seems to fit and work okay. When I load a single round, firing, extraction, ejection, and lockback are normal. Any members' thoughts most welcome. Thanks.....CF

Hi,

Short OAL sure sounds like your problem to me.

Please measure the OAL of your cartridges. A length of less than 1.173 inches is suspect.

Also, please read my Sticky, in the Reloading Section, on, "How to determine proper OAL".

Hope this helps.

Sieger

[rhuff]

Sorry to hear that you are still experiencing problems with your luger. Another thing that comes to my mind is the feed ramp. Take a good look at the frame ramp and the barrel ramp. I had a commercial luger that had it's feed ramps cut with a very dull tool/s. As a result, the tool/s left significant horizontal tool marks/ridges in both feed ramps. These ridges slowed down the feeding speed of the new cartridge and caused a jam. I know I may be reaching here, but it is worth taking a look at. You stated that your Luger functioned when you oiled the cartridges, and that leads me in this direction.

[DavidJayUden]

Couple of random ideas; try cupping your off hand on the bottom of the grip to manually press upwards on the magazine to physically raise the rounds up in the gun. Sometimes the mag. catch wears and allows the mag. to hang too low.
Also try loading just 2 rounds to see if it functions with only one in the magazine.
Of course grip the gun tightly.
Using FMJ bullet design?
dju