9mm Largo ammo cracking some Astra frames

[thr101]

There are reports of cracked frames from using 9mm Largo that was apparently made for sub machine guns or Destroyer Carbines. I have 3 types of 9mm Largo from Spain. One of the 3 is marked "para pistola o sub-fusil" which translates to pistol or automatic rifle. In Spanish is automatic rifle the term for a sub machine gun? The letter o in lower case is always "or" when used to indicate "both". The second is marked 9mm Largo para Pistola automatica, Carabina y Sub-susil. The 3rd is marked only 9mm Largo and made in 1981 non corrosive by Santa Barbara. Can anyone help us with this issue? It would be interesting to hear if anyone has see 9mm Largo marked for "Automatic Rifle only". Thank you.

 

[barnbwt]

All I know is the crap I tried running though my Steyr Hahn (it's the same cartridge, whatever) was the second worst duddiest, hang-firiest junk I've ever shot (vintage 30 Mauser ammo with a 20% success rate has that honor). I'm convinced one of the duds got an extra bullet instead of powder, too, since it did nothing when fired, and when ejected was noticeably heavier. Good thing the primers were so bad.

This was military-marked Franco ammo from the '60's, btw.

TCB

 

[jonnyc]

Technically, 9mm Bergman/Largo is different than 9mm Steyr. Lots of guys do use them interchangeably, but they are a bit different.
I have been collecting military ammo (including those above) for about 40 years, and I have never heard of or seen any pistol or SMG-specific 9mm Largo...........it is all "para pistola o sub-fusil".

 

[Jim K]

I am not familiar with the term "sub-fusil" but my dictionary translates it as carbine or machine carbine (a lot of help, there). The usual Spanish term for SMG translates as machine pistol. In any event ammunition marked as for pistol, carbine AND ("y") machine carbine would be OK for pistols. Some folks say that ammunition can become more dangerous over time as powder deteriorates; that has not been my experience, but it may be the case, at least with some powders.

I will again say that no government deliberately issues ammunition that will blow up its own guns; deterioration or accidental overloads are certainly possible, but it is absurd to think that an army will knowingly produce and issue ammunition that will blow up its own guns and injure its own soldiers.

Jim