Hot 32 ACP ammo OK in old gun?

[PGO]

Hi all, former lurker, first time poster.

I have one of these Rheinmetall Sommerda 32 ACP pistols, which is a German Browning 1910 clone, built in the 20s. I think somebody in the family brought it home after WWII. It's in good shape, no slop, good rifling.

I haven't shot it but bought some Fiocchi 73 grain FMJ ammo to put it through its paces. I then read that it's a relatively hot round, so much so that Beretta advises against using it in its Tomcats (which have design issues, I know.)

Given this limited info, do you think you'd feel OK using this ammo in the gun? I wonder if I'm being overly cautious, but I'd obviously hate to lose a finger over a $15 box of ammo.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[tbob38]

I would suggest you buy some PMC ammunition. It's about a hundred fps slower than the Fiocchi. I use both in my Mauser HSc though.

 

[FL-NC]

I wouldn't. We put some hot loaded 32 ACP in a Czech scorpion SMG and broke it.

 

[Archie]

I collect .32 ACP pistols from the Art Deco period. Probably the oldest pistol I have fired is an FN 1900 pistol; the first .32 ACP/7.62mm Browning chambered pistol in commercial history. I also own and shoot a couple "Ortgies" or "Deutsche Werke" .32's. They ended production in 1924.

Mostly I shoot PPU factory stuff. No problems. Good function without - as far as I can tell - abuse to the arm.

My research indicates European handgun cartridges tend to run higher pressures than U. S. Also, I am not aware of any universal program to download the .32 ACP in pressure.

Therefore, without specific reason to suspect a certain pistol, I don't have any reason to suspect any particular of handgun and ammunition in this specific regard. On the other hand, caution is rarely dangerous.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

The tomcat is a known weak pistol so take that for what it's worth. Fiocchi is loaded to CIP pressures which is a little hotter than our ammo. Europeans tend to load their pistol ammo hotter anyway. I would not not be concerned about the gun assuming it's in good shape. No one's going to blame you for being cautious either, but it's not going to blow up your gun.

 

[tark]

Europeans tend to load their pistol ammo hotter anyway.

Amen to that. In WWII the Germans loaded their 7.63 Mauser ammo to 1575 FPS with the 85 gr. bullet. After the war, American companies loaded it to 1410 FPS .

 

[ArchAngelCD]

European ammo has always been a little hotter than American ammo from what I can tell. It seems to me guns that were manufactured in Europe would be completely capable if firing the ammo it was developed to fire.

Just my opinion, not telling anyone to do anything but I have a CZ27 brought back from Europe in 1945 and I fire Fiocchi and other foreign ammo without a problem. As a matter of fact, that's when the gun is reliable.

Welcome to the forum...

 

[Monac]

The Rheinmetall is a solid gun, made by a manufacturer that was first class in terms of steel. (Rheinmetall's main product was artillery.) It is mostly a copy of a fine design, the FN 1910 (as you note). I would not worry about firing any factory 32 ACP ammo in a decent example of it. I would worry about, say, the Steyr/Pieper 32s, because their underweight bolts, or the Warner Infallible, because it was junk from day 1, or even the Rheinmetall Dreyse, because it was just generally weird, but not the late Rheinmetalls.

And ArchAngelCD makes a good point, in that these European 32s were designed for hotter ammo, mainly, and may not work well without it.

PS - I am sorry to be nitpicky, but the Rheinmetall is not entirely an FN 1910 clone. The takedown method, which relies on unscrewing the whole back end of the slide, is different and perhaps unique.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Agree, its not going to blow up, but I would try some PPU or S&B first. If it runs fine, stick with those. If it short-strokes, then try the hot stuff.

Incidentally, the Tomcat frame will crack eventually no matter what ammo you use- its a wear issue, combined with a stress riser. The Tomcat's recoil spring is incredibly strong, so I don't think it has any issues "handling" hotter ammo- and the US made stainless guns have an even heavier (more mass) slide assembly which may actually have operational issues with light loads. Mine did.
Unfortunately, the frame issue is pretty much insurmountable. A shame, because its a really neat gun.

 

[PGO]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Yeah Archie, I've been reading some about Jazz Age mouse guns generally, and they're pretty neat, might have to add more to my collection in the future.

 

[RecoilRob]

Might not be a bad idea to freshen the recoil spring if you plan to shoot it. Considering its' age....it might be a tad weaker than when fresh and this isn't a good thing on a blow-back pistol. Gunpartscorp has 1910 Browning springs which 'should' work being as the Rheinmetall is a loose copy, and they're not expensive. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/browning/auto-pistols-brown/1910

 

[Archie]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Yeah Archie, I've been reading some about Jazz Age mouse guns generally, and they're pretty neat, might have to add more to my collection in the future.

Allow me to caution you, PGO, they are habit forming. (Like there are guns that aren't to some level or other.)

 

[Gordon]

The hottest .32 acp ammo I have come across was the old Geco Orange and blue box stuff. It has a polished silver Cupro Nickel bullet and a large looking staked primer with RWS on it. They are very warm but worked very well in everything I ever shot them in. In a Walther PP they roll Jack Rabbits at 50 yards.