DWM Luger Failure to eject / chamber - Help please.

[erob3]

TL- I have loaded everything from 1-5 rounds in the mag and none work. I am shooting Fiocchi 93gr round nose FMJ ammo. When it does not feed it is in a "stove pipe" position. At times the empty casing is actually stove piped so the next round does not have the opportunity to load. I see nothing that would stop the round from properly chambering so maybe the magazine is the issue. After disassembling the pistol I completely removed the firing pin housing from the upper frame, I put a round in the firing pin housing to see if the ejector had enough strength to hold the round in place, it works fine so the ejector spring is not the issue. As I mentioned earlier I completely disassembled the pistol, cleaned it thoroughly, lubed it and put it back together. I did not fire it before cleaning and to my knowledge my Dad had never fired it.

Quentin@ - Thanks for the input - I did get your PM.

[Jim Watson]

While Lugers do not need "hot" loads to function - original 9mm was a 123 at either 1040 or 1090 fps, power factor 134; and .30 is specified at a 93 at 1250 fps, power factor 116 - they do need full power ammo.

I have READ that modern Fiocchi is considerably underloaded and the "seasonal production" Winchester nearly as much. The only route to full power seems to be handloading.

A stovepipe on the empty is likely due to low velocity. Nose up failures to feed are likely the magazine but may also be affected by short recoil that barely got the breechblock back far enough to pick up the top round in the magazine.

[erob3]

Thanks Jim. So that brings us to the point of A) replacing the magazine....if that doesn't work then B) replace the main spring with a reduced power spring if one exists. I guess I'm off to Wolff website to see what is available.

[CowTowner]

I have READ that modern Fiocchi is considerably underloaded

I can confirm this based on personal experience. I have an old Star 9mm that doesn't cycle correctly when using U.S. manufactured ammunition. That's why I keep a few boxes of the older "Made in Italy" 123 grain 9mm FMJ ammo around. You want the maroon colored box of Fiocchi, if you can find it.

[RickB]

This is where I got my mags:

Greg Cote
Greg Cote, LLC
Phone Hours:
Monday-Friday 9:00AM-6:00PM Eastern Time
Saturday 9:00AM-12:00PM Eastern Time
Phone 443-321-4676
Fax 443-321-4665
GregCoteLLC.com

[erob3]

Thanks for the feedback CowTowner - I looked into the maroon box Fiocchi ammo and it runs $50 a box. I think I will try a reduced power main spring before dropping that kind of money on bullets. If I can get the main spring where it works with current production Fiocchi it's all the same in the end. As long as the pistol cycles properly I'm good. But I appreciate you letting me know about the difference and there must be some truth to it, I must have the under powered ammo because my boxes are black which is the current and most available version.

Rick - I just checked Greg Cote website and they are sold out of the Luger mags. When I called Mec-Gar yesterday they said it would be May or June before they have some back in stock. Thank you for the info.

[Quentin2]

CDNN used to have Luger mags but not right now. Even on eBay new mags are scarce. Originals are very pricey!

[Jim Watson]

It is an interesting project.
I am not much subject to novelty calibers, I eliminated two from my collection and cut another down to where an occasional box of factory loads will be enough shooting to not have to tool up to handload it. Another will be down to the occasional box when I have loaded and shot what brass I have on hand.

That said, I could be tempted by a .30 Luger for some obscure reason. In a Luger or one of the other, less common guns made for it. Only thing that would interest me in a Browning, for example.

[tangolima]

At times the empty casing is actually stove piped so the next round does not have the opportunity to load.

This is indicative of short cycling. The bolt doesn't bring the empty to the rear enough for the ejector to kick it out. I wouldn't want to modify the main spring just for that as it is only a minor factor of the equation. The major factor is the mass of the mechanism, the barrel, the toggle link, the bolt etc. It requires adequate bullet momentum to complete cycling. It is more so especially for .30 cal as the barrel has thicker wall. A weaker spring may fix the empty stove piping, but I think the failure to feed will remain. It simply needs more energy to do the work. The correct way is the right kind of ammunition. Or you just do single shots.

Failure to lock back on last shot could be due to short cycling or the improper engagement between the latch and the bolt. Trying manually cycling the pistol as forcefully as you can with the magazine all the way up. If it locks back every time, it is likely short cycling.

When the failure to feed happens, has the tip of the bullet made its way into the chamber? Is the cartridge's body still held under the lips? Magazine tends to develop burrs at the wrong places after prolong use, which may catch the cartridge when being fed into the chamber.

-TL

[44 AMP]

If loaded rounds are popping up like a salmon jumping the rapids, its usually a magazine problem.

Also, it is possible the short cycling /stovepipe of fired rounds could be from the magazine as well, if it is allowing rounds to ride too high and drag.

[erob3]

Tango- The nose of the unfired round actually passes by the barrel entry and sticks up out of the pistol just like a stove pipe. After reading and getting feedback from everyone I'm simply starting to believe it is an ammo issue. When I pull the toggle back manually it takes a good amount of pull so I just think the Black Box Fiocchi is not hot enough to properly cycle the toggle. Wolff springs has a reduced power main spring; 36lbs. They state the 38lb spring is factory, I can't imagine a 2lb difference would be a large enough reduction in power to not properly chamber the next round after firing one. Then again, that's what I am asking everyone here on TFL.... so I can learn. I'm about to think it would be worth the $10 to get one and find out.

I GENTLY squeezed the lips of the mag together the last time out at the range in an effort to tune it some, but I can't swear that the mag is not worn out.

It's no wonder the Germans lost the war!!

[gyvel]

I can't believe the lady at MecGar told you that 9mm mags wouldn't work for7.65. They are one and the same magazine--no differences of any kind.

https://delta3outfitters.com/store/p...MM-8RD-BL.html $34.06.

[Quentin2]

Ah, nice link, gyvel. Not a bad price for Mec-Gars!

[gyvel]

Go for it! At that price, I may go for one myself.

[erob3]

Thanks Gyvel!! I just grabbed one, that plus the spring surely that will take care of the problem.

[tangolima]

This may help.

I have a DWM 9mm luger with original magazine. It has been functioning well with factory (FMJ) ammo and my own hand loads (SWC cast). I tried it with a new hand load yesterday and it started to stove pipe on feeding, if I put more than 4 rounds in the magazine.

The new load has the same SWC cast bullets with similar muzzle velocity as my previous loads. It is shorter, 1.065" versus 1.150". I noticed the top round in the magazine starts to have this nose-down attitude as the magazine is loaded, and its nose will even go below the mag body in front of it when there is more than 4 rounds in the mag. When the pistol is chambering the round, the nose of the bullet will hit the mag body in front of it and bounces up, and stove pipe. Luger's magazine is a bit different from modern designs that the rounds are not overlapping 100% over the each other, to fit the angle of the pistol grip. If the cartridges are too short, the overlapping will be further reduced, and the rounds' attitude may start to deviate from the follower.

Sure enough, when I switched back to the longer cartridges, the problem went away.

I can image this could be worse with .30 luger as it is necked.

-TL

[erob3]

I'll do the best I can to look at that Tango. Even though Delta Outfitters showed the MecGar magazines in stock they actually did not. Oh well, it looks like it will be a couple of months.