Shot a Luger last night.......ooooooooh......

[blfuller]

Stephen T,
I haven't had the problems described by TK73. As long as the heavy 124 and up bullets are used mine is quite reliable and accurate. I have heard the problems that TK73 mentions with the Mitchells which may have been an early variant. Stoeger Lugers came after the Mitchells and maybe they worked the bugs out of them.

 

[Johnny C. Kitchens]

Mitchell vs Stoeger & Lugers OK...

Mitchell tried to maintain compatibilty with the older Lugers, to the point of having parts interchangeablity. Stoeger had many things re-done, to improve the gun. Many parts no longer are interchangeable, example the magazine. I have a post Stoeger from Aimco. The same as the Stoeger, but lacking all of the Stoeger specific markings. I haven't shot it yet. I do have a byf 42 Luger from the final World War II Mauser run of the Luger. Had I have gone by my initial experience with the gun, I would have sold it and never bothered with them again. It functioned awfully. Getting it to shot two shots in a row was a great string of shots. Then I read about getting a newer magazine, plus cleaning it out, which their was a lot of stuff in it that didn't belong. After doing those two things the gun turned into a shooter!!! No wonder the German army kept it in production for 35 years!!! Accuracy was there, but I needed to try different brands. It loves some of the latest stuff on the market. I have some outstanding groups from reloads, but that required testing to find the right combination. I see people saying it needs heavy bullets, but the first ammo I deiscovered to shoot reliably and accurately, was a Winchester load with a 95gr bullet, no longer made. I recently sent a magazine to Robar and had them coat it with NP3, reduces friction, and anextra strong spring put in by GT Specialties. The magazine is the key to keeping the gun shooting, and this one makes everything I feed it reliable...

 

[unspellable]

Luger reliability

There is a myth that the Luger needs hot ammo to work. It just ain't so! The problems are as follows:

1. Magazine. Any magazine will go bad if droped on its head once too often and these have been around for a while. After market magazines vary widely in quality. An incorrect magazine spring will cause trouble.

2. Cartridge OAL. The SAAMI max OAL for the 9 mm Luger is the original DWM MINIMUM length! All of today's factory loaded ammo is too short to meet spec. The Luger magazine works like a 22 LR magazine i nthat the bullet nose must ride on the front of the magazine to feed at the correct angle.

3. The 30 Luger. All factory ammo is not only too short but underloaded. A hand load that meets the original specs will work. Today's 9 mm factory loads are loaded to the correct level even if the OAL is too short.

4. recoil spring. In a misguided effor to correct the above problems many shooter grade Lugers have been fitted with a modified original or an aftermarket recoil spring that is incorrect. Open 12 shooter grade Lugers and you will see 11 different recoil springs.

5. Accuracy. The Luger is the most accurate service pistol ever made with the posible exception ot the Broomhandle. (Don't have info on the broomhandle's accuracy.) The typical military issue Luger will shoot a 2 or 3 inch group at 50 meters if it's in decent shape. You just about need a machine rest to see this.

6. Reliability when all is right. The Germans didn't have a reputation for machinery that doesn't work. The Swiss even less so. In the first round of US Army trials the Luger beat the Colt for reliability. (The same Colt that went on to become the 1911.)

7. Where to go wrong with hot loads. The Luger will take some ferocious pressures. The way you break it is with a load that has too high an impulse (recoil effect.) and produces too high a slide velocity. This will tend to do things like knock the toggles off.

8. Safety. If it's a shooter you should install a post 1936 style firing pin. This will handle the gas better if you have a punctured or blown primer. (Check to make sure there are no sharp corners on the pin nose.) Beware a malfunction in which a fresh cartridge chambers but the action does not quite close and lock down. The Luger can be fired in this condition. Firing it with an action that is not locked does not bear thinking about. This condition is usually caused by a recoil spring that is not up to spec.

 

[emc]

I used to own an Erfurt made artillery model Luger, vintage 1918. Here are some impressions and experiences of the time that I owned it:

1. Never jammed or malfunctioned with any load.
2. Great ergonomics! Grip shape, angle, and placement of the mag release are awfully nice.
3. Pretty accurate. I tried out the toggle sights (calibrated to 800 meters!) at 100 yards, using some 124 grain handloads, and there was no problem hitting the target. The ammo was probably not hot enough, since it shot a little low.
4. Loading the magazines was horrible without the loading tool. The knurling on the magazine knob gets a mite uncomfortable after you've run through 8 or 9 mags worth.
5. There are few guns with the coolness factor that these have.
6. It pays to be knowledgable about them BEFORE you buy one. I found out after the fact that this specimen was a post-WWI parts gun with British proofs, so that factored into my decision to sell it, sad to say.

FWIW,

emc

 

[cratz2]

I like them... Not likely to ever carry one and my financial priorities won't allow for one even in the distant future, but they are very comfortable in the hand and my friend has one that is every bit the equilavent of a semi custom 1911 in the $1,500 range... Very smooth. I'd proudly own one at some point.

P38s by comparison almost feel like comparing a Rock River or Baer to a Glock. Sure the Glock will go bang, and it will likely serve you very well, but far from anything to get excited over.

 

[hillbilly]

So, how much are those Orimar or Aimco Lugers?

How much cash are we talking here?

Thanks,

hillbilly

 

[Dr.Rob]

Be sure you get a loading tool.. that 8th round is a bear to put in the magazine with out it.