luger

[milltownhunter]

how well do luger shoot?is there anyway can you adjust the sights i found on one sight a luger 8'' for $1495 in very good condition is a good price not a artillary

[John F.]

I got to shoot a friend's 3.75" barreled 1920 Commercial Luger in .30 Luger (7.65mm), that was in excellent shape. Despite the not-exactly-target grade sights, this one AVERAGED 1.25" for several 5-shot groups off sandbags at 25 yards, using Winchester factory ball ammo. It had a very good trigger, for a Luger -- ~3 lbs and long, smooth pull -- not creepy. I also got to shoot his custom, 6" .30 Luger which averaged just under 1.5" at 25 with his handloads. I don't know if the 9mm's will shoot with the .30's, but the 2 .30's I tried were great!

The elevation can be adjusted by either shortening the front sight or installing a taller one if needed -- Brownells sells a replacement sight IIRC . (I think it is the same as their replacement, taller Mauser front sight). It is possible to adjust windage also, using the front sight. You can't do much with the rear sight except open the rear notch to a more open, "U" notch profile that makes getting a good sight picture easier, if you don't mind hurting the collector's value. Artillery Lugers have a tangent rear sight like a military rifle located on the barrel, forward of the receiver which allows step-wise elevation adjustments for range.

Depending on when made, either the front sight, rear sight blade, or both, on Artilleries may have the "fine adjustment" feature -- a small screw to adjust windage/elevation which was meant for armorer-use only. It has no slot -- it uses two small holes and requires a special spanner wrench to turn. They make repro tools (which aren't cheap) but I understand they tend to be soft and break easily. If you get one of these to shoot and need to use the fine-adjust feature, plan on making your own wrench.

Lugers are finely-built pistols, if they haven't been messed with by the unknowing. Magazines are critical. Mec-gar magazines usually work well from what I understand, and are much cheaper than originals. If your magazine doesn't work well, you'll probably want to replace it. They can also be sensitive to ammo -- in .30, the Fiocchi ammo is considered too mild to function some Lugers. In 9mm, Winchester White Box (Walmart type) FMJ reportedly functions well, but the accuracy of this ammo isn't the greatest. With good hollowpoint ammo, they should shoot pretty well. I did get to shoot 2 magazines offhand through my collector buddy's 9mm 1914 DWM in very near mint condition, which grouped pretty well at 25 using Winchester HP's, and fed them just fine.

The technique we found that worked best for accuracy testing off sandbags was to put the hands firmly on the sandbags, with ONLY the front of the frame at the trigger-guard/barrel junction touching the bags, lightly. No other part of the pistol touched the bags or bench. This prevented vertical fliers from the butt touching, and also seemed to reduce left/right error as the front of the frame touching the bags stabilized the pistol. It took some time to develop this technique, but we did get some sub-inch 5-shot groups with the 3.75" .30 Luger/Win. 93 gr. FMJ factory ammo doing it this way at 25 yards.

They are lots of fun -- if you want one and it's in really good condition (having matching numbered major parts, including side plate, helps a lot!), I'd say "goferit!"

Hope this helps!
John

[Le Loup Solitaire]

+1 to John F. for an interesting and informative post. A lot of good info for working with the Luger. I have an S42 with all matching numbers and really didn't want to change anything around so I worked on trying to develop loads that would group decently. I use Lyman #356242 and RCBS #82027 both in the 120-125 grain weight using WW and sized to .356. I prefer to keep the MV in the 900-1000 fps range to avoid beating the gun. There is a wide variety of other cast bullet choices as well many powders to choose from. I worked with several of them and had good results with Unique and 700X, but settled on 4.7-4.8 grains of IMR 4756 It gave good loading density and pretty well filled the case which also served as a backup to any chance that the bullet might seat deeper and raise the pressure. It grouped the best for me at 25 meters with hits mainly in the 8 and nine rings (also some tens) in an eight inch bull target. There has never been an issue with recycling or reliable feeding; fired casings go straight up (and once in a while down my collar). The rear and front sight combo aren't the best for paper punching and the trigger pull, at least on mine, is no help either, but with a lot of practice, affordable by casting one's own, one can get used to things, make small adjustments and the shooting becomes acceptable and enjoyable. LLS

[kingstrider]

I had a '39 Mauser that was one of the most accurate handguns I've ever owned. Sadly I let it go but it was fund while I had it.

[StarMetal]

I have a DWM 1920 commercial 30 Luger with six inch barrel. My two loads are 4.0 grains of Unique with either the Lee 100 grain roundnose or my 100 TC nose bullet that I made the mold for. I found the best way to shoot mine is with my hand resting on the sandbag and no part of the pistol touching it. I cast shoot about a 5/8ths group at 25 yards and 3/4 inch at 75 yards. Shooting pop cans at 50 to 75 yards is are real breeze with my Luger. Luckily my trigger isn't so bad.

I have have three other 30 Lugers...1911 Colt, Browning Hi Power, and Benelli B80. None of them shoot like the Luger, but the Benelli comes close.

I use Mec-gar magazines in my Luger and feel they are one of the finest magazines made.

Joe

[Char-Gar]

The Luger pistol is a true classic and a wonderful pistol to boot. 'Due to the fact the barrel is fixed and doesn't move, the accuracy is usually excellent. The trigger can be a mushy booger and the sights are crude at best. Even so, fine shooting can be done with these pistols.

There are a number of ways to handle the sight problems, but if your pistol has all matching parts you dont want to do any modifications. You can get a new and taller front sight and file it down for elevation and drift it for windage. Save the original sight. If you can't find a taller front sight, get a regular one and add a welding bead on top and go after it with a file.

My current (and last) Luger is a 1917 DWM that was a WWII war trophy and given to me by the fellow who brought it back, a retired Army Colonel. It has the best light crisp trigger on it, I have every felt on a Luger.

I have never owned on of those long barreled Lugers, but shot a few. Some fine shooting can be done with those pistols!

Best of luck with your great pistol. Every hangun man should have one.

[StarMetal]

The Luger pistol is a true classic and a wonderful pistol to boot. 'Due to the fact the barrel is fixed and doesn't move, the accuracy is usually excellent. The trigger can be a mushy booger and the sights are crude at best. Even so, fine shooting can be done with these pistols.

There are a number of ways to handle the sight problems, but if your pistol has all matching parts you dont want to do any modifications. You can get a new and taller front sight and file it down for elevation and drift it for windage. Save the original sight. If you can't find a taller front sight, get a regular one and add a welding bead on top and go after it with a file.

My current (and last) Luger is a 1917 DWM that was a WWII war trophy and given to me by the fellow who brought it back, a retired Army Colonel. It has the best light crisp trigger on it, I have every felt on a Luger.

I have never owned on of those long barreled Lugers, but shot a few. Some fine shooting can be done with those pistols!

Best of luck with your great pistol. Every hangun man should have one.

Chargar,

After owning the short barreled Lugers and I got the six 30 Luger was like I had a long tom 36 inch barreled shotgun! In a way it reminds me of a Ruger Mark I with the longer tapered standard barrel. It really lets the 30 caliber get it's full potential. I to am blessed with a very good trigger. I heard the horror stories from Jumptrap...he despises the Luger....mainly because of the trigger.

I can say this....Luger is a pistol to stay extra alert and safe around. They are down right dangerous if handled improperly. Now I know why in the movies those German Officers always carried them unchambered!!!

Joe

[G- Unit]

sounds like you found a "navy" model good for you if the rifling not worn out it should shoot good groups even at long range

[StarMetal]

sounds like you found a "navy" model good for you if the rifling not worn out it should shoot good groups even at long range

If you're speaking of mine, no it's not a Navy model. It's a 1920 commercial model that I put a brand new NOS DMW six inch barrel on myself.

Yes it does shoot extremely well. I've shot some 3/4 inch groups at 75 yards with it if you can hold it steady enough.

Joe