Reproduction Snail Drum - progress

lugerholsterrepair · 03-21-2017, 11:35 PM

Phil, Shooting collectable Lugers and you are worried about bore wear? DWM Artillery's are prone to parts breakage..I have broken a half dozen DWM Lugers over the years but never wore out a bore. Shooting collector Lugers is like motorcycling. Not IF you are going to crash..when is the question. I have shooter guns, Artillery, Navy and regular 4 inch pistols. Replacing parts when they break is fairly simple but on a collector Luger? You should think about re adjusting priorities.

PhilOhio · 03-22-2017, 09:18 AM

You're absolutely right, and I couldn't agree with you more. I guess it was unclear what my priorities are.

I have not fired that artillery in about 30 years, and the drum never. I'm not convinced that the artilleries are especially prone to much breakage, but I don't intend to try to find out. I didn't buy the pistol to shoot tin cans with a snail drum magazine.

I set out to make a drum loader, stronger than the original, to see if it and the whole rig would work together one more time after 100 years. They did. I'm satisfied. Nothing broke. That's the end of that. Some might think that was a lot of work for not much. But I found out what I wanted to know, at a low risk which I was willing to take.

I have a very nice S/42 which I bought with a shot out bore, just for shooting. I replaced the barrel. I may test the drum a couple more times in that pistol, to test my theories about bullets and loads. And then it's unlikely that the drum will ever be wound again. I do think that original drum design has a lot of potential for breakage and user injury.

Bore wear is real. I know how to reduce even minimal wear to almost zero, with the added benefits of better accuracy, dramatically lower cost, better reliability, and better component availability in tight market times. I didn't read it on the Internet, but learned all those things over 57 years of loading for hundreds of guns for almost 50 cartridge variations. So my use of such ammo in the guns I most care about is very purposeful and, I think, well informed.

It's about fun, but I agree with your thoughts about that fun not having an unacceptable price tag.

I have another Luger which has taken part in some historical events, and has taken a toll in lives. I've owned it for 40 years and feel it should never be fired again, after what happened when the previous owner pulled the trigger the last time, long ago and far away...before presenting it to me on a very emotional occasion for both of us. It's about keeping things in perspective, and I try to.

Lugers never seem to stop increasing in value, and so does my appreciation of them. I bought the 1937 S/42 about 10 years ago specifically for shooting and barrel replacement, because I didn't consider it rare enough to not do that. Now my thinking even on that is evolving in a more conservative direction. Matching numbered parts do break, and I have no shortage of more common contemporary pistols for play time plinking.

PhilOhio · 03-22-2017, 09:28 AM

And Don, both you and Jerry are probably right about my misplaced concern regarding bore wear. But I am 100% certain that my hand loaded ammo does not cause wear or stress greater than the commercial stuff. So using it, at the least, makes me feel better...reducing my stress and bore pressure.

03-21-2017, 11:35 PM	#1
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,775 Thanks: 4,995 Thanked 3,133 Times in 1,439 Posts	Phil, Shooting collectable Lugers and you are worried about bore wear? DWM Artillery's are prone to parts breakage..I have broken a half dozen DWM Lugers over the years but never wore out a bore. Shooting collector Lugers is like motorcycling. Not IF you are going to crash..when is the question. I have shooter guns, Artillery, Navy and regular 4 inch pistols. Replacing parts when they break is fairly simple but on a collector Luger? You should think about re adjusting priorities. __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

03-22-2017, 09:18 AM	#2
PhilOhio User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 145 Thanks: 5 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts	Right On You're absolutely right, and I couldn't agree with you more. I guess it was unclear what my priorities are. I have not fired that artillery in about 30 years, and the drum never. I'm not convinced that the artilleries are especially prone to much breakage, but I don't intend to try to find out. I didn't buy the pistol to shoot tin cans with a snail drum magazine. I set out to make a drum loader, stronger than the original, to see if it and the whole rig would work together one more time after 100 years. They did. I'm satisfied. Nothing broke. That's the end of that. Some might think that was a lot of work for not much. But I found out what I wanted to know, at a low risk which I was willing to take. I have a very nice S/42 which I bought with a shot out bore, just for shooting. I replaced the barrel. I may test the drum a couple more times in that pistol, to test my theories about bullets and loads. And then it's unlikely that the drum will ever be wound again. I do think that original drum design has a lot of potential for breakage and user injury. Bore wear is real. I know how to reduce even minimal wear to almost zero, with the added benefits of better accuracy, dramatically lower cost, better reliability, and better component availability in tight market times. I didn't read it on the Internet, but learned all those things over 57 years of loading for hundreds of guns for almost 50 cartridge variations. So my use of such ammo in the guns I most care about is very purposeful and, I think, well informed. It's about fun, but I agree with your thoughts about that fun not having an unacceptable price tag. I have another Luger which has taken part in some historical events, and has taken a toll in lives. I've owned it for 40 years and feel it should never be fired again, after what happened when the previous owner pulled the trigger the last time, long ago and far away...before presenting it to me on a very emotional occasion for both of us. It's about keeping things in perspective, and I try to. Lugers never seem to stop increasing in value, and so does my appreciation of them. I bought the 1937 S/42 about 10 years ago specifically for shooting and barrel replacement, because I didn't consider it rare enough to not do that. Now my thinking even on that is evolving in a more conservative direction. Matching numbered parts do break, and I have no shortage of more common contemporary pistols for play time plinking.

03-22-2017, 09:28 AM	#3
PhilOhio User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 145 Thanks: 5 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts	Bore Wear And Don, both you and Jerry are probably right about my misplaced concern regarding bore wear. But I am 100% certain that my hand loaded ammo does not cause wear or stress greater than the commercial stuff. So using it, at the least, makes me feel better...reducing my stress and bore pressure.