Posted: 11/18/2005 1:23:24 PM EDT
I have a friend at work who's husband owns a WWII Luger that jam after the first couple shots. They were told by an "expert" that there is a spring in the reciever that is failing, but he was an able to find a replacement...or something like that. I'm thinking that the spring in the magazine might be bad Does anybody have a clue about this or should I get more information from her? |
| Your "expert" has a point. It very well could be a weak main spring. These are available from Wolff in standard and extra power. They are a bitch to install and that's being nice! Mag spring tension is also critical. It should be strong enough that it takes alot of effort to operate the thumb stud on the mag. If they are using an original WWII mag I would suggest that they buy some good aftermarket Mec Gars or Triple K mags. Original mags are very pricey these days and some can now be damaged just using them. |
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You definitely need to get more information. It's very hard to make a remote diagnosis. There are a few things with Lugers that can create the jamming issue. First the gun has tight tolerances so if it has not been properly cleaned or maintained you can have a lot of jamming. As has been mentioned you might have a spring issue in either the gun itself or the mags. In addition to the springs, the ammo can cause the problem. The Luger was designed to shoot heavier 9mm loads than what most Americans use. While 115 grain 9mm loads are commonly used in the US, the gun typically functions much better with 124 grain loads. I know some people worry about the heavier loads, but they shouldn't. They're not too hard on the gun. The toggle action of the Luger comes from the Maxim machine machine gun and is very strong. I'm not saying for sure it's an ammo issue, but it could be. -For what it's worth, your friend probably needs to find a gunsmith who specifically has experience with Lugers to determine what the problem is. Good luck |
Not this again...  The original 9mm Parabellum load - for which the 9mm version was designed - was much milder than any modern commerial ammo. Barely 1000 fps for the 124gr bullet, whereas modern ammo is generally around 1150 fps for the same bullet. If the gun doesn't work properly, beating it into submission with heavy loads is not a healthy solution. Yes, the Maxim has a similar type of action. But that doesn't tell you anything about the Parabellum. The Maxim action is much more robust compared to the power of the cartridge. Magazines cause something like 90% of Parabellum jams. So getting a Mec-GAR one is a priority. Changing new springs in old wood-bottomed magazines is a bad idea, they often break as a result. And make sure the gun is clean and properly lubricated with for example Break-free CLP. |
Respectfully, you are incorrect. The German military 9mm load that was used in the Luger was stronger than the light 115 grain load typically encountered on the US commercial market. Using a heavier load is not about beating the gun into submission, it's about giving the action a chance to work. If you cycle light loads through a semi-auto you can create a lot of jamming issues. When I first owned a Luger, it just would not reliably cycle light 115 grain loads. After going to people who are Luger collectors, Luger shooters, and multiple gunsmiths who all said the same thing, I went to the 124 grain load and it worked fine. Of course, you are welcome to your opinion... |
Just as respectfully, I don't believe I'm incorrect. First you wrote: The Luger was designed to shoot heavier 9mm loads than what most Americans use. Then you wrote: The German military 9mm load that was used in the Luger was stronger than the light 115 grain load typically encountered on the US commercial market. These are two different things. When the 9mm Parabellum cartridge was developed, it was developed especially for the Parabellum pistol. At that point there of course was no "German military load" as neither the gun nor the cartridge had been accepted for service use. Later the German military accepted both the gun and the cartridge for service use, and a more powerful loading was at some time developed. But the 9mm Parabellum pistol version was not developed for this "German military load" but for a milder original load. Also the matter is slightly complicated by the fact that it seems you may be saying "heavier load" when you actually just mean "heavier bullet"? I'm not sure. Heavier load = more or faster powder leading to higher pressure and velocity for similar bullet etc. In this sense the modern ammo has heavier loads, in other words is more powerful, and stresses the gun more than the ammo it was originally designed for. So recommending especially heavy, or powerful loads, like +P or something, is not in my opinion a good idea. If you just wish to recommend 124gr bullets over 115gr ones, I don't have a problem with that as long as the load (powder charge) is not unusually heavy, or "powerful". I have used 115, 124 and 140gr bullets in my Parabellum and haven't noticed any difference in their reliability that could be attributed to the bullet weight. The shape of the bullet nose and the overall lenght of the bullet seem to be more important factors in my experience. During WW2 the German army mostly used 9mm ammo that had iron core bullets of 90-100 grains. These were not recommended for the Parabellum - not because of the bullet weight, that was not a problem - but because they had steel cases that stuck in the Parabellums chamber. I have handloaded ammo to the original mild spec and my gun works very well with that, as should any Parabellum in good condition. |