Ammo help with my Commercial Luger .30

[brianfede]

I recently purchased a 1918 Commercial Luger in .30. The gun has some cycling issues with the Fiochi ammo but cycles some of the hand loads someone let me test just fine. I tried lubing the gun right before shooting it and that did help the issue, that said I am thinking the Fiochi ammo is just underpowered. Is the the WWB a hotter load? Should I give that a try or is there an adjustment I can make to the gun that will allow for the cycling of underpowered ammo? I see a lot of talk about Wolff Spring, willing to try a spring replacement or another brand of ammo. Please advise. Thanks

[spartacus38]

First I would try a Mecgar,Code 122 or FXO mag.
Are you using Soft Point or FMJ Fiocchi?I have had better luck w the FMJ.
I am very pleased with the Fiocchi 30 Luger ammo.
Bob

[brianfede]

I tried the Mecgar mag, same issue and I am shooting Fiocchi FMJ. Trust me, I want the Fiocchi to work because its by far the least expensive ammo.

[spartacus38]

I do have some new 30 Luger Winchester Western FMJ for sale if you want to give it a try.
Bob

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by spartacus38

I do have some new 30 Luger Winchester Western FMJ for sale if you want to give it a try.
Bob

Bob,

I'd be interested in trying a little of the Winchester. What's the scoop on pricing, etc.? If one can find it listed anywhere, it's upwards of sixty bucks a box...


Brian,

If you're not planning on reloading, we were recently turned on to this link in another post: https://samcoglobal.com/Ammo-9mm-ball.html#L We were worried that it might be corrosive, but I just checked the specs and it says NC. Made, IIRC, in the 50's, with sealed projectiles and primers. It's "drawback" is that it is for Berdan primers, and one would need to modify it (a drag) to accept boxer primers. This stuff is even more economical than Fiocchi, so one might not feel too bad just shooting it. It cycled in my M1900, and I'm thinking of taking it and my other shooter to at least one IDPA shoot and not worrying too much about the brass. If I find it, fine, I'll have a separate stash to modify, just in case I'm overwhelmed with ambition sometime...

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/30-luger is a good place to check for it. Seems to have dropped its price from the stratosphere of the panic...

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=34480 is a fairly recent discussion of Fiocchi, but you'll find more in a search here.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by spartacus38

I do have some new 30 Luger Winchester Western FMJ for sale if you want to give it a try.
Bob

Bob,

I'd be interested in trying a little of the Winchester. What's the scoop on pricing, etc.? If one can find it listed anywhere, it's upwards of sixty bucks a box...


Brian,

If you're not planning on reloading, we were recently turned on to this link in another post: https://samcoglobal.com/Ammo-9mm-ball.html#L We were worried that it might be corrosive, but I just checked the specs and it says NC. Made, IIRC, in the 50's, with sealed projectiles and primers. It's "drawback" is that it is for Berdan primers, and one would need to modify it (a drag) to accept boxer primers. This stuff is even more economical than Fiocchi, so one might not feel too bad just shooting it. It cycled in my M1900, and I'm thinking of taking it and my other shooter to at least one IDPA shoot and not worrying too much about the brass. If I find it, fine, I'll have a separate stash to modify, just in case I'm overwhelmed with ambition sometime...

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/30-luger is a good place to check for it. Seems to have dropped its price from the stratosphere of the panic...

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=34480 is a fairly recent discussion of Fiocchi, but you'll find more in a search here.

[DonVoigt]

I recently sold a .30 commercial.

I shot it 21 times with 3 different magazines, and it worked perfectly with Fiocchi soft point ammo.

The guy I sold it to wrote me that he could not get it to function with Fiocchi fmj.
Always failed to eject.

Needless to say this made no sense at all.

Unless the ejector broke on the first shot, i cannot explain it.

He is a shooter and says he is not limp wristing the hold.

There is no "adjustment" to be made, unless you cut a coil from the mainspring.

Wolf offers three different "ratings" of main spring IIRC, 34,36,38 lbs.; they are a pain to change as you may know, but that would be where to start IMO.

[spartacus38]

Ithacaartist, 30 Luger ammo Winchester-Western 93 gr FMJ
I sent you a private message .
Bob

[Dwight Gruber]

Fiocci .30 Luger has been known in the past to be insufficiently powerful to operate a Luger. I have had that problem, then some showed up which operated adequately. Perhaps they have gone back to their previous spec.

--Dwight

[rhuff]

My 30 Luger guns do not like the Fiocchi JSP, but are quite happy with the FMJ stuff. Since you know nothing about your "new" Luger, there is no way of knowing exactly what mainspring it contains. If it is a 9mm mainspring that was installed, it will most likely short-stroke on the Fiocchi ammo. IF the reloads that you tried were loaded "hot", they could function with a 9mm mainspring. I went down this road a few years back when I was changing out uppers to change calibers, but maintaining a 9mm mainspring in the lower. It can be done, but would not be overly successful if trying to shoot only factory ammo.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

I recently sold a .30 commercial.

I shot it 21 times with 3 different magazines, and it worked perfectly with Fiocchi soft point ammo.

The guy I sold it to wrote me that he could not get it to function with Fiocchi fmj.
Always failed to eject.

Needless to say this made no sense at all.

Unless the ejector broke on the first shot, i cannot explain it.

He is a shooter and says he is not limp wristing the hold.

There is no "adjustment" to be made, unless you cut a coil from the mainspring.

Wolf offers three different "ratings" of main spring IIRC, 34,36,38 lbs.; they are a pain to change as you may know, but that would be where to start IMO.

Hi Don.I'm the guy and added info for anyone else with the same trouble.

New FMJ Fiocchi 93gr.Gun ejects perfectly 100% toggle snapped by hand.100% FTE otherwise.It needs a little less spring or a little more umfff in the ammo I guess.Gun clean and well lubed.Don was great to deal with during the sale by the way and has been very helpful trying to get me running.

[DonVoigt]

Thanks Al,
I really can't explain why it ran well in NC, and not for you.

A real puzzle to me.

Unless Fiocchi varies that much in velocity.

[Al Bundy]

I sent Don a pm but this is extra info for anyone else.

Don sent me some of his ammo which ran 100% perfect to my delight.

My previous ammo I did not get to run was brand new factory FMJ Fiocchi 93gr marked on the box as 1200fps.

[DonVoigt]

Hallejulhia!!!!!!!!!!

I knew I was not hallucinating when I fired it here!

Now you just need more of that lot!

[rhuff]

Al


If you are not a handloader, then you might want to look into some of the Finnish surplus 30 Luger ammo sold by SAMCO in Fla. It is non-corrosive, Berdan primed 93gr FMJ. I bought some, but have not taken it to the range as yet. Another fella that I converse with tried some of his out, and felt that it was equal to Winchester, and a bit hotter than Fiocchi. The price is right.....just a thought.

[ithacaartist]

I bought 250 rounds of the Samco stuff. It functions in the M1900 and '06 AE I've tried it in. The AE will be used in tomorrow's IDPA shoot, instead of the usual 1911. I've been practicing a bit with the ammo, and am down to enough for the 90 rounds needed, plus a reserve, most of which I'll use up tomorrow. I think my "groups" are a little tighter since I've been using it, but probably a big part was the more frequent practice--I have nowhere to go but up! I'm saving the brass with intent of converting its weird-o priming system. If some of these get lost in the grass at the match, they won't bother me so much. Economically, a good deal.

I hope someone contributes a more technically explicit review of its ballistic performance!

[Sergio Natali]

David

I used to shoot IDPA but I used my CZ SP01 and GLOCK 17.

I bet you won't find many people shooting IDPA with a Luger.
Safe shooting.


Sergio

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by luger.parabellum

David

I used to shoot IDPA but I used my CZ SP01 and GLOCK 17.

I bet you won't find many people shooting IDPA with a Luger.
Safe shooting.


Sergio

I began shooting IDPA a couple of years ago, and you are correct, I am the only one to have appeared there with a 100 year old gun!

[Curss]

And THAT is awesome by the way! I would love to see someone using a Luger in such matches!