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Luger ammo

Farmer Brown
I have 2 WWII era German 08 Lugers. I took them out to the range yesterday so some of my fellow instructors could shoot them. I have yet to find a 9mm loading that will function reliably in them.

I have tried 115gr, 124gr and 147 grain factory ammo and they are still "jam-o-matics" as I told my buddies. I know 147 grain ammo didn't even exist when these guns were made. Do these guns need the hot submachinegun ammo to work right? Any ideas???
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7 comments

Date Votes
  • Farmer Brown
    I have a neighbor who brought back a Luger from Germany at the end of the war. I haven't seen it yet. He said he had never shot it beause he didn't know what ammo it needed. I told him I had plenty of 9mm Luger, and to come over and we would give it a go. Assuming the pistol is in good shape, are there any special concerns regarding ammo? Can we safely shoot "off the shelf" standard loaded ammo?

    Sadly, he made the comment that he hadn't looked at it for a long time, and it might be rusty[:(]
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  • nmyers
    A Luger in good condition can safely handle any 9mm Luger ammo available to us today. The only thing you must avoid is 9mm marked for "submachine gun use only", which is too powerful.

    If rusted or pitted, it should be checked out carefully, preferably by a gunsmith. Pay special attention to the breech face, as corrosive ammo will quickly eat away this surface to the point that firing the gun could cause catastrophic failure.

    Neal
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  • perry shooter
    Hello Farmer Brown . If this is a WW II Luger it would most likely be safe with off the shelve 9MM luger ammo "never hurts to let a gunsmith look at it". Be aware that an all matching luger even with improper storage MAY be worth a good amount of money. The big thing you want to be careful of is, NOT compounding the damage done by improper storage with anyone's improper attempt at cleaning. Do not use wire Brush any kind of sand paper or any steel wool. . If possible get some Kroil and a piece of BURLAP unscrew the grip screws and remove grips Then wrap the pistol in paper towels Wet the paper towels with Kroil "or other penetrating oil" then put pistol in zip lock bag let set 24-72 hours and then use Burlap to scrub the rust off. If need be use BRASS pot Scrubber if burlap does not get all the rust off.
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  • p3skyking
    Quite a bit of American ammo is underpowered for a Parabellum. Since no distinction was made by the German army between the ammo used in the MP38/40 series submachineguns and the Parabellum/P.38 Pistolen, it takes a little more ummmph to cycle the toggle.

    Unless the ammo is powerful enough, you will undoubtable have a lot of jams due to failure to eject properly.
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  • stankemp
    Also please be aware that there are some models that take 7.63 Luger not 9mm. Still OK to shoot ammo if marked this way.
    Per previous posts, a bring back can be worth a pot of gold because a lot of pistols from earlier mfg were pressed into service at the middle/end of the war. Don't touch the finish , Carefully oil is all.
    Stan
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  • givette
    Sellier & Bellot, PMC, or Fiocchi will most closely 'mimic' the BANG! of what the P-08 Luger (9mm), or the .30 cal. Luger was designed to function with. Best, Joe
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  • Wolf.
    9mm Ammo
    NATO specification 9mm Luger ammunition is loaded to a higher pressure (basically, European standards) than standard US commercial 9mm ammo. So, if you have issues with stanard US ammo cycling your pistol, look for this NATO spec stuff. I've seen the Winchester NATO spec 9mm from time to time at Walmart.
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