WWII Luger ammo
I have a 91 year old neighbor that brought back a Luger from Germany during the end of WWII. (Said he picked it out of a pile of confiscated weapons!) He's always wanted to shoot it, but didn't know ammo was available. I have offered to give him some ammo and help him shoot it. He's pretty excited about that.
I haven't seen it, so I don't know the condition. Assuming it is safe to shoot, do I need to be concerned about what ammo goes through it?
Even if it turns out to be a valuable piece, the guy needs to be able to shoot it after all these years and for what he went through fighting the SS in Germany.
I haven't seen it, so I don't know the condition. Assuming it is safe to shoot, do I need to be concerned about what ammo goes through it?
Even if it turns out to be a valuable piece, the guy needs to be able to shoot it after all these years and for what he went through fighting the SS in Germany.
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Assuming good condition and 9mm, then 9mm Parabellum (sp?). Not terrible powerful rounds even at their hottest. Hard ball will be best as hollow points tend to jam on occasion in some guns. 0 -
Wow what a story for a togle top. I think regular ball ammo would be fine but you need to make sure it up to the task first. Depends on what it is, could be worth a lot! 0 -
WW2 Luger ammo was corrosive, so, if it was fired & not cleaned.....it may not be safe to fire now. It should be field stripped, cleaned, oiled, & checked out carefully. Particular attention should be paid to the face of the breech block; this area could be cracked or corroded.
If you want to pay a gunsmith to check it out, it should not be expensive, & would give you piece of mind. "Original" parts are only available off of parts guns, & they may require fitting.
Neal0 -
Howdy farmer,
You did not say, but since asking question about ammo-- as always, never assume what it be chambered for...
If not aware, the P-08,(Luger), pistol was also chambered for the .30-Luger,(7.65), cartridge. So make sure. And agree with using hardball.
I've found European ammo is a bit hotter than U.S. manufacture, and have experienced stove-pipe jamming ejections at times using the latter ammo in 9mm P-08's.
Using older Fiochi in a .30-Luger, I never had a jam and it was more than acceptably accurate.
But I believe some of Fiochi ammo is now made in USA, and I don't know the specs of it?
Good on you helping your ol' timey friend.
P.S. If you could post it here later, would really like to hear how the shooting day went? And thank that gentleman vet for his service
45er0 -
Take the Luger apart and clean and oil all moving and sliding parts. See that the striker/firing pin is still there. On this old gun, I'd also remove the grips and oil the internal parts.
Lugers need stronger ammo to cycle properly. 124 grain bullets work more reliably in the Luger.
WW2 ammo of both sides will work but only the Canadian is non corrosive.
If you fire corrosive and Fiocci, unless it's marked non corrosive,
Scrub out the barrel and bolt with hot soapy water and reoil.
If he has the little screwdriver-loading tool, magazines will be easier to load.
If you are going to fire it you should learn how to field strip it.
Instructions have to be on line somewhere. It's not difficult.0 -
Agree with all the comments, the German standard 9mm load in WWII was used in a variety of pistols and in SMGs as well, so it was hotter than U.S. commercial ball. NATO ball should be very close. My .30 Luger shoots the W-W load just fine, haven't tried the Fiochi load. 0 -
The advice to take the Luger apart, clean and lubricate it is good advice. If you don't know how to disassemble the Luger, get someone who KNOWS how to show you. I have seen more than one Luger that bubba disassembled by using a screwdriver or other tool to force the takedown lever. Make sure you do it right or leave it alone. Please! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by nmyers
WW2 Luger ammo was corrosive, so, if it was fired & not cleaned.....it may not be safe to fire now. It should be field stripped, cleaned, oiled, & checked out carefully. Particular attention should be paid to the face of the breech block; this area could be cracked or corroded.
If you want to pay a gunsmith to check it out, it should not be expensive, & would give you piece of mind. "Original" parts are only available off of parts guns, & they may require fitting.
Neal
ditto what Neals says. Unless you have the knowledge, I suggest you take the pistol to a gunsmith and let him/her take it apart and check it out and give it a complete clean bill of health. I am surprised actually that he found the Luger on a "pile" as it was THE PRIZE our guys were after (check out Band of Brothers) and to find one on "pile" was either the greatest find of WWII or....it was on the "pile" for a reason. But let a gunsmith make sure for you before you risk your hand/eye with a piece of metal....that toggle flies back fast and you want it not coming at your eye!0 -
Yes indeed !
I must agree , if at all possible ? have it checked ???
and ,
Have him tell you the story (in detail) and write it down and have him sign and date it and it may help make the gun a little bit more collectable ???
Thanks !!!
d.a.stearns ............ a.k.a. ...... SKEEZIX ........................
Gunsmith / LEO
Athens , Tn
... www.allamericangunshop.com
... www.tnhandgunclasses.vpweb.com
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quote:the German standard 9mm load in WWII was used in a variety of pistols and in SMGs as well, so it was hotter than U.S. commercial ball. NATO ball should be very close. My .30 Luger shoots the W-W load just fine
This always drives me nuts.
We frequently hear that a 9mm Luger needs "hot" ammunition to function; yet the .30s with a much lower momentum round usually work just fine. And they are the same gun, a lot of WW I surplus 9mm guns were rebarrelled to .30 because of treaty restrictions.
A friend has one of those 1923 Finnish Lugers with its .30 DWM barrel replaced with a 9mm Tikka. It runs best on my IDPA subsonic load which is a long way from "hot" or NATO or CIP. But what it does have is a heavy 145 grain bullet. I want to try it with some 124s which was the original spec.0
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