.30 Luger Ammo

Marcus · 05-12-2003, 10:00 AM

I am considering a 1920 commercial in 7.65 mm. A have a 9mm Luger that shoots well if I buy premium ammo. However, choices in .30 Luger ammo seem pretty limited. I can find Winchester and Fiocchi in my local shops. How reliable are the 7.65 mm guns as shooters with these brands of ammo? Anyone have other recommendation?
Thanks,
Marcus

Edward Tinker · 05-12-2003, 11:59 AM

Do a search on the forum for 7.65mm Lugers. There are many posts on 7.65 mm guns, reliability, shooting, loads etc.

I don't have one, will get one at some point, I believe that overall they are cheaper to buy because the ammo is so much more expensive than 9mm.

Ed

Sgt Art · 05-13-2003, 03:53 PM

I've only owned one Luger in 7.65mm and it worked fine using Fiocchi ammo. I also had some U.S. made stuff that worked ok. I bought reloading dies because I found the ammo to be a bit expensive. In the end, I traded it for something else.

Most people think of Lugers in terms of military pistols and they generally get more attention and higher prices. Military Lugers are almost always 9mm. 1920 Commercial Lugers are about the most common of Lugers and if I remember correctly, a lot of military reworks are dumped into that category even though they really aren't. Some were rebarrelled to .30 Luger because of the Treaty of Versailles which went so far as to mandate caliber and barrel size.

unspellable · 05-13-2003, 05:40 PM

Winchester 7.65 is a bit wimpy compared to the original DWM stuff. Fiocchi is wimpier still. I suspect remington/Peters is a bit hotter than Winchester but haven't run it over the chrono yet. the trick is to find Remington/Peters stuff on the shelf somewhere.

If you have an original DWM recoil spring it may prove to be a bit too stiff for the Winchester and Fiocchi ammo. In this case do not cut the spring, lay it aside for later and get a Wolff spring to cut down. (The Wolff spring will require cutting, but on the other hand it's the best spring for cutting and you really don't want to muck up an original.)

On the other hand, you are liable to find almost anything in it for a recoil spring. It may already be a cut down spring or a softer spring. Beware of too soft a spring.

The best answer is to have an original spec spring and handload the ammo to the proper level with the proper bullet.

Once you get it all correct, this cartridge will prove to be a bit addictive. Those of us who shoot it have taken to acquiring pistols other than the Parabellum chambered for it. There are a number of 7.65 chambered Rugers, Colts, Brownings, etc. lurking in the group here.

Jim Keenan · 05-14-2003, 10:39 PM

I like the 7.65 Luger, and have found that US commercial ammo works fine in mine.

I once bought a Colt Commander in 9mm, with the barrel marked ".30 Luger". Apparently Colt had an overrun of barrels for an export order and just rebored and re-chambered them to 9mm. I tried to get them to send me a .30 Luger barrel, but they said there was no such thing!

How do you spell Coltidiots?

Jim

unspellable · 05-15-2003, 08:30 AM

Jim, I have a Taurus Raging Bull chambered in 45 Colt. The friendly folks at Taurus claim there is no such animal.

Doubs · 07-04-2003, 05:51 PM

Jim, I have an Argentine 1927 .45 to which a Colt .38 Super slide has been fit. Among the barrels I have for it is one chambered for 7.63mm Mauser. I have no idea who made the barrel but they did an excellent job. Unlike the original Colt 9mm barrel that I also have, the diameter of the .30 Mauser barrel is full size all the way out. (The 9mm barrel has a reduced diameter except at the muzzle end.) I also have a .38 Super barrel, a .41 AE barrel and a .38/45 barrel... in addition to the original .45 ACP barrel. The Colt .38 Super slide has been fit with a Bomar adjustable rear sight to allow zeroing with the different calibers.

Steve Richards · 07-05-2003, 01:29 AM

I have 3 Lugers in .30cal. They do not work with Fiochi. I have not tried Winchester due to availabilty and price. I did find a loader who does the cartridge and it functions flawlessly in my 1906 and 1970's gun. I have not had the chance to try it in my stainless steel gun yet.

If you look in the shooting and reloading section of this forum, I have posted his name and contact information. He can ship via UPS. I have no connection to him except as a happy customer.

I like the cartridge! It has less recoil than the 9mm. Bullets are hard to find for reloading as I cannot get soft lead tips to feed up in the magazines of my guns and FMJ are hard to find in the needed weight range. If you can get around the suply problem, go for it!

Thor · 07-05-2003, 09:01 AM

If you get into reloading for this cartridge or buying reloaded ammo, I sugguest slugging each barrel as the the 1920 barrels will different in internal dimensions from some of the more modern ones. My 1920 had a groove diameter of .3115" which made .311-.312" bullet perfect for it. Hornady has a bunch of these for the 32 magnum. Any .312" can be swaged down (0.001" at a time, Hugh's trick) to fit what ever diameter you have.
The .308" bullets that Hornady sells work okay, but a bullet that fits the bore will shoot better.
I think UNSPELLABLE did quite a bit of work compiling a list of bore diameters from folks.

Doubs · 07-05-2003, 12:56 PM

As Thor says, the .312" bullets can easily be swaged down, something I've been doing for years using a Lyman Lubri-sizer and the appropriate dies.

The .30 Luger really is a treat to shoot and at this moment I have a half-dozen or so guns chambered for it. They include Lugers (at least 4), a Benelli B-80, a Browning Hi-Power and a P-38. I'd LOVE to find a .30 Luger barrel to fit the 1927 Argentine I spoke of above.

I've also mentioned before the rabid groundhog my brother shot with a .30 Luger. The first cartridge was ball and passed right through. The second was a soft-nose hollowpoint that I had loaded and it nearly turned the groundhog inside-out. It's a good cartridge for animals up to the 35 or 40 pound range.... maybe a bit more. That's with an expanding bullet...... the ball cartridge isn't much use for anything except targets and penetration.

Hugh · 07-06-2003, 01:05 AM

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" /> Yeah for the 30! At present I have 30 cal Lugers in 3", 4", 4 3/4", 6", 7" bbls. I also have a P38, Browning HP, Colt Commander, and Ruger P89 in 30 Luger. <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" />

05-12-2003, 10:00 AM	#1
Marcus User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	.30 Luger Ammo I am considering a 1920 commercial in 7.65 mm. A have a 9mm Luger that shoots well if I buy premium ammo. However, choices in .30 Luger ammo seem pretty limited. I can find Winchester and Fiocchi in my local shops. How reliable are the 7.65 mm guns as shooters with these brands of ammo? Anyone have other recommendation? Thanks, Marcus

05-12-2003, 11:59 AM	#2
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	Do a search on the forum for 7.65mm Lugers. There are many posts on 7.65 mm guns, reliability, shooting, loads etc. I don't have one, will get one at some point, I believe that overall they are cheaper to buy because the ammo is so much more expensive than 9mm. Ed __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

07-05-2003, 09:01 AM	#9
Thor User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Posts: 4,583 Thanks: 958 Thanked 970 Times in 276 Posts	If you get into reloading for this cartridge or buying reloaded ammo, I sugguest slugging each barrel as the the 1920 barrels will different in internal dimensions from some of the more modern ones. My 1920 had a groove diameter of .3115" which made .311-.312" bullet perfect for it. Hornady has a bunch of these for the 32 magnum. Any .312" can be swaged down (0.001" at a time, Hugh's trick) to fit what ever diameter you have. The .308" bullets that Hornady sells work okay, but a bullet that fits the bore will shoot better. I think UNSPELLABLE did quite a bit of work compiling a list of bore diameters from folks. __________________ Thor's Luger Clinic http://members.rennlist.com/lugerman/ Ted Green (Thor Yaller Boots) 725 Western Hills Dr SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 915-526-8925 Email thor340@aol.com ----------------------------------- John3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

07-06-2003, 01:05 AM	#11
Hugh RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Southeast Texas Swamp Posts: 2,460 Thanks: 2 Thanked 165 Times in 64 Posts	<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" /> Yeah for the 30! At present I have 30 cal Lugers in 3", 4", 4 3/4", 6", 7" bbls. I also have a P38, Browning HP, Colt Commander, and Ruger P89 in 30 Luger. <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" /> __________________ *TRUMP FOR PREZ IN '20!*

05-13-2003, 03:53 PM	#3
Sgt Art User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SC Posts: 58 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I've only owned one Luger in 7.65mm and it worked fine using Fiocchi ammo. I also had some U.S. made stuff that worked ok. I bought reloading dies because I found the ammo to be a bit expensive. In the end, I traded it for something else. Most people think of Lugers in terms of military pistols and they generally get more attention and higher prices. Military Lugers are almost always 9mm. 1920 Commercial Lugers are about the most common of Lugers and if I remember correctly, a lot of military reworks are dumped into that category even though they really aren't. Some were rebarrelled to .30 Luger because of the Treaty of Versailles which went so far as to mandate caliber and barrel size.

05-13-2003, 05:40 PM	#4
unspellable User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Iowa Posts: 767 Thanks: 0 Thanked 18 Times in 10 Posts	Winchester 7.65 is a bit wimpy compared to the original DWM stuff. Fiocchi is wimpier still. I suspect remington/Peters is a bit hotter than Winchester but haven't run it over the chrono yet. the trick is to find Remington/Peters stuff on the shelf somewhere. If you have an original DWM recoil spring it may prove to be a bit too stiff for the Winchester and Fiocchi ammo. In this case do not cut the spring, lay it aside for later and get a Wolff spring to cut down. (The Wolff spring will require cutting, but on the other hand it's the best spring for cutting and you really don't want to muck up an original.) On the other hand, you are liable to find almost anything in it for a recoil spring. It may already be a cut down spring or a softer spring. Beware of too soft a spring. The best answer is to have an original spec spring and handload the ammo to the proper level with the proper bullet. Once you get it all correct, this cartridge will prove to be a bit addictive. Those of us who shoot it have taken to acquiring pistols other than the Parabellum chambered for it. There are a number of 7.65 chambered Rugers, Colts, Brownings, etc. lurking in the group here.

05-14-2003, 10:39 PM	#5
Jim Keenan User Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 184 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	I like the 7.65 Luger, and have found that US commercial ammo works fine in mine. I once bought a Colt Commander in 9mm, with the barrel marked ".30 Luger". Apparently Colt had an overrun of barrels for an export order and just rebored and re-chambered them to 9mm. I tried to get them to send me a .30 Luger barrel, but they said there was no such thing! How do you spell Coltidiots? Jim

05-15-2003, 08:30 AM	#6
unspellable User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Iowa Posts: 767 Thanks: 0 Thanked 18 Times in 10 Posts	Jim, I have a Taurus Raging Bull chambered in 45 Colt. The friendly folks at Taurus claim there is no such animal.

07-04-2003, 05:51 PM	#7
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,670 Thanks: 769 Thanked 1,611 Times in 525 Posts	Jim, I have an Argentine 1927 .45 to which a Colt .38 Super slide has been fit. Among the barrels I have for it is one chambered for 7.63mm Mauser. I have no idea who made the barrel but they did an excellent job. Unlike the original Colt 9mm barrel that I also have, the diameter of the .30 Mauser barrel is full size all the way out. (The 9mm barrel has a reduced diameter except at the muzzle end.) I also have a .38 Super barrel, a .41 AE barrel and a .38/45 barrel... in addition to the original .45 ACP barrel. The Colt .38 Super slide has been fit with a Bomar adjustable rear sight to allow zeroing with the different calibers.

07-05-2003, 01:29 AM	#8
Steve Richards User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Beaverton, Oregon Posts: 487 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have 3 Lugers in .30cal. They do not work with Fiochi. I have not tried Winchester due to availabilty and price. I did find a loader who does the cartridge and it functions flawlessly in my 1906 and 1970's gun. I have not had the chance to try it in my stainless steel gun yet. If you look in the shooting and reloading section of this forum, I have posted his name and contact information. He can ship via UPS. I have no connection to him except as a happy customer. I like the cartridge! It has less recoil than the 9mm. Bullets are hard to find for reloading as I cannot get soft lead tips to feed up in the magazines of my guns and FMJ are hard to find in the needed weight range. If you can get around the suply problem, go for it!

07-05-2003, 12:56 PM	#10
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,670 Thanks: 769 Thanked 1,611 Times in 525 Posts	As Thor says, the .312" bullets can easily be swaged down, something I've been doing for years using a Lyman Lubri-sizer and the appropriate dies. The .30 Luger really is a treat to shoot and at this moment I have a half-dozen or so guns chambered for it. They include Lugers (at least 4), a Benelli B-80, a Browning Hi-Power and a P-38. I'd LOVE to find a .30 Luger barrel to fit the 1927 Argentine I spoke of above. I've also mentioned before the rabid groundhog my brother shot with a .30 Luger. The first cartridge was ball and passed right through. The second was a soft-nose hollowpoint that I had loaded and it nearly turned the groundhog inside-out. It's a good cartridge for animals up to the 35 or 40 pound range.... maybe a bit more. That's with an expanding bullet...... the ball cartridge isn't much use for anything except targets and penetration.