Steel case 9mm; a no-no ?

adlerauger · 12-07-2010, 01:36 AM

Gentlemen:

I just read a comment in the new collectors section that one should never shoot steel cased ammo ( 9mm ) in a Luger.
The brand in question is Wolf, 9 mm,115 gr copper FMJ. While I am not a lover of Wolf ammo, I've shot some of it in other of my weapons with no apparent ill effects. A friend gave me two boxes ( 100 rnds ) of it so I didn't waste any money on it either way.
I'm sure the reason why not to do so in a Luger is a darned good one, but just out of curiosity, why not ?

Thanks in advance,
Adler Auger

jonnyc · 12-07-2010, 06:07 AM

The Germans issued steel-cased 9mm ammo in both WWI and WWII, so plenty of Lugers have experienced it. In addition, we're talking about soft mild steel. I wouldn't worry about a small quantity of steel-cased ammo, especially with a "shooter" Luger.

Norme · 12-07-2010, 08:22 AM

Hi Adler, Steel cased ammo does not expand on firing and so does not seal the chamber as effectively as brass does. This results in combustion products leaking into the firing pin chamber, causing binding over time. This is why the fluted firing pin was introduced. If you do shoot steel ammo, you will need to clean your gun more frequently. Regards, Norm

adlerauger · 12-07-2010, 01:40 PM

Gentlemen:
Thanks for your input. Your knowledgeable opinions are what makes this such a valuable forum.
The complexities of the Luger would require years of research if not for this web-site.
Even though my Lugers are only "shooters", I don't wish to shorten their functioning life by using steel cased ammo, so there's another item for my next garage sale.
Thanks,
Adler Auger

Vlim · 12-07-2010, 02:28 PM

The problem was a combination of case material, the stepped chamber of the design, and also the lacquer coating used during WW2.

The German army knew very well that Lugers would experience feeding and extracting problems when used with steel cased ammunition and they placed warning labels on the ammunition crates.

Mauser was asked to develop a fix for this, which they actually presented to the army, but it was never used in large amounts: A reamer that would effectively remove the chamber step from the chamber, thus eliminating the main cause of the steel case jams.

IMHO collectors still don't check their chambers enough

The stepped chamber is one of the things that Mauser did not include in their post-war Parabellum design. So these should work well with steel cased ammunition, theoretically.

MikeP · 12-07-2010, 06:57 PM

"Member reading a discussion long ago on steel cass being hard on Luger extractors.

Seemed like good thinking at the time.

12-07-2010, 01:36 AM	#1
adlerauger User Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Santa Clarita, California Posts: 50 Thanks: 8 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Steel case 9mm; a no-no ? Gentlemen: I just read a comment in the new collectors section that one should never shoot steel cased ammo ( 9mm ) in a Luger. The brand in question is Wolf, 9 mm,115 gr copper FMJ. While I am not a lover of Wolf ammo, I've shot some of it in other of my weapons with no apparent ill effects. A friend gave me two boxes ( 100 rnds ) of it so I didn't waste any money on it either way. I'm sure the reason why not to do so in a Luger is a darned good one, but just out of curiosity, why not ? Thanks in advance, Adler Auger

12-07-2010, 06:07 AM	#2
jonnyc User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 425 Thanks: 2 Thanked 46 Times in 34 Posts	The Germans issued steel-cased 9mm ammo in both WWI and WWII, so plenty of Lugers have experienced it. In addition, we're talking about soft mild steel. I wouldn't worry about a small quantity of steel-cased ammo, especially with a "shooter" Luger.

12-07-2010, 08:22 AM	#3
Norme Always A Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,414 Thanks: 224 Thanked 2,591 Times in 930 Posts	Hi Adler, Steel cased ammo does not expand on firing and so does not seal the chamber as effectively as brass does. This results in combustion products leaking into the firing pin chamber, causing binding over time. This is why the fluted firing pin was introduced. If you do shoot steel ammo, you will need to clean your gun more frequently. Regards, Norm

12-07-2010, 01:40 PM	#4
adlerauger User Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Santa Clarita, California Posts: 50 Thanks: 8 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Gentlemen: Thanks for your input. Your knowledgeable opinions are what makes this such a valuable forum. The complexities of the Luger would require years of research if not for this web-site. Even though my Lugers are only "shooters", I don't wish to shorten their functioning life by using steel cased ammo, so there's another item for my next garage sale. Thanks, Adler Auger

12-07-2010, 02:28 PM	#5
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,032 Thanks: 1,018 Thanked 3,873 Times in 1,184 Posts	The problem was a combination of case material, the stepped chamber of the design, and also the lacquer coating used during WW2. The German army knew very well that Lugers would experience feeding and extracting problems when used with steel cased ammunition and they placed warning labels on the ammunition crates. Mauser was asked to develop a fix for this, which they actually presented to the army, but it was never used in large amounts: A reamer that would effectively remove the chamber step from the chamber, thus eliminating the main cause of the steel case jams. IMHO collectors still don't check their chambers enough The stepped chamber is one of the things that Mauser did not include in their post-war Parabellum design. So these should work well with steel cased ammunition, theoretically.

12-07-2010, 06:57 PM	#6
MikeP User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: ILL Posts: 686 Thanks: 36 Thanked 452 Times in 198 Posts	"Member reading a discussion long ago on steel cass being hard on Luger extractors. Seemed like good thinking at the time.