.30 luger Hi power FEG

anand · May 24, 2004, 12:37 PM

Greetings and glad that TFL is operational once more!!!

I had my gunsmith convert my FEG Hi power from 9mm to 7.65mmP/.30 Luger last March, so that I could export it back to India( I moved to India in April 2003)
As most might know the .30 Luger aftermarket barrels do not fit the 9mm slide as is. The .30 luger barrel is loose as the OD is smaller than the 9mm barrel, while all other dimensions(OD of chamber, the placement of locking lugs etc) are the same for both. This means either the barrel has to be sleeved on the outside or the slide/barrel bushing must be reduced for a proper fit. I made that latter choice since I would not be allowed to convert back to 9mm even if i wanted as its a prohibited caliber here.

And that was it, the only other thing was that the extractor was "polished" in order that the extraction was smooth with the .30 Luger ammo.

The recoil spring used was the standard factory 17 lb. No modifications to the main hammer spring, Slide or anything else for that matter. The pistol fires and functions flawlessly with Wincester 93 gr FMJs clocking in at about 1260 fps. In fact I had a S&W revolver rear sight added(additional weight) and its no problem.
As an aside, in India only .30 Mauser/7.62x25 Tokarev(mostly S&B 85 gr FMJ) ammo is available which I have to convert to .30 Luger. I use Lee reloading dies and a Lee hand press to move the shoulder back and then trim it with a Forster case trimmer, and start with a powder charge 20% to 25% below that of the .30 Mauser and work my way up, the same 85 gr bullets are used.

I test one round at a time and try to achieve "slide lock back", then increase the powder charge by about 2/10ths of a grain to achive reliability and negate any errors in powder weight, temperature differences etc. The loads are accurate and the recoil is extremely light. It would'nt be so bad except the ammo is like $2 a round and I have a limit of only 200 rounds a year.
(Darn I miss the good old U.S of A. ;-)).

All the above sure seems like a lot of work( and expensive) but my caliber choices in a firearm that I could take back was limited to .32, .30,.25 or .22.
I had to pick one among these that had the maximum stopping power( a S&W K Frame in .32 H&R Mag was one choice) and a firearm that had maximum cartridge capacity( that mean a revolver was out).

I have a great love for Hi powers and so it was a natural choice as compared to say a Luger P 08, Sig P220, Walther P 38, HK P7M8 or other .30 luger caliber pistols. All these are in fact low capacity(Less than 10 rounds) the only other Hi cap .30 luger that I could come up with was a Ruger P 85 which was hard to find as was a 1911 Commander in that caliber.

Regards,
Anand

Erich · May 24, 2004, 02:52 PM

Great post.

You know, wasn't there a whole ton of inexpensive surplus .30 Luger ammo on the market a year or so ago? Check Empire Arms . . . oh, wait, you'd have to import it to India. Never mind.

The .30 Luger is a really nifty round, though. All those bottlenecked rounds are super reliable, and the original Luger round is a decent little penetrator. I have to say, I think it's a more fun round for shooting than the 9x19. Keep enjoying your pistol!

RickB · June 2, 2004, 11:35 AM

So, a factory .30 Luger barrel dropped in, other than the muzzle OD issue? How tough would it be to re-line a 9mm barrel to .30, instead? I thought the factory .30 slide was extensively lightened, compared to the 9? All those isssues aside, I have a 1920 Commercial Luger, and my load development procedure was identical to yours; I loaded up until the gun functioned, then added enough for a safety margin. I found my gun, loaded with 85-90 grain bullets, would function erratically until velocities got to 1100fps, then it ran perfectly. The groove diameter is .3095", so I've been running lubed .311"-312" bullets (85gr. Hornady XTP is my favorite) through a Lee .309" sizing die, and getting a perfect Luger bullet.

Handy · June 2, 2004, 12:52 PM

Every other dual caliber pistol is made to switch from 9mm to .30 Luger with just a barrel change. The slide mass, mags, recoil spring and breech face are entirely compatible. It's surprising that FN made it so difficult.

The Sig 210 is a wonderful dual caliber gun, even more accurate in .30.

Another option for such laws is 9X21, which can be affected with just a chamber reamer.

jimmy · June 5, 2004, 10:34 PM

Yes, the slide on my .30 Luger BHP is contoured quite differently from the 9mm slide in order to lighten it. I guess some similar but opposite consideration went into making the slide heavier when the BHP went to .40. It'd be interesting to know the FN engineers' exact reason for doing the .30 slide that way.

May 24, 2004, 12:37 PM	#1
anand Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 1999 Posts: 276	.30 luger Hi power FEG Greetings and glad that TFL is operational once more!!! I had my gunsmith convert my FEG Hi power from 9mm to 7.65mmP/.30 Luger last March, so that I could export it back to India( I moved to India in April 2003) As most might know the .30 Luger aftermarket barrels do not fit the 9mm slide as is. The .30 luger barrel is loose as the OD is smaller than the 9mm barrel, while all other dimensions(OD of chamber, the placement of locking lugs etc) are the same for both. This means either the barrel has to be sleeved on the outside or the slide/barrel bushing must be reduced for a proper fit. I made that latter choice since I would not be allowed to convert back to 9mm even if i wanted as its a prohibited caliber here. And that was it, the only other thing was that the extractor was "polished" in order that the extraction was smooth with the .30 Luger ammo. The recoil spring used was the standard factory 17 lb. No modifications to the main hammer spring, Slide or anything else for that matter. The pistol fires and functions flawlessly with Wincester 93 gr FMJs clocking in at about 1260 fps. In fact I had a S&W revolver rear sight added(additional weight) and its no problem. As an aside, in India only .30 Mauser/7.62x25 Tokarev(mostly S&B 85 gr FMJ) ammo is available which I have to convert to .30 Luger. I use Lee reloading dies and a Lee hand press to move the shoulder back and then trim it with a Forster case trimmer, and start with a powder charge 20% to 25% below that of the .30 Mauser and work my way up, the same 85 gr bullets are used. I test one round at a time and try to achieve "slide lock back", then increase the powder charge by about 2/10ths of a grain to achive reliability and negate any errors in powder weight, temperature differences etc. The loads are accurate and the recoil is extremely light. It would'nt be so bad except the ammo is like $2 a round and I have a limit of only 200 rounds a year. (Darn I miss the good old U.S of A. ;-)). All the above sure seems like a lot of work( and expensive) but my caliber choices in a firearm that I could take back was limited to .32, .30,.25 or .22. I had to pick one among these that had the maximum stopping power( a S&W K Frame in .32 H&R Mag was one choice) and a firearm that had maximum cartridge capacity( that mean a revolver was out). I have a great love for Hi powers and so it was a natural choice as compared to say a Luger P 08, Sig P220, Walther P 38, HK P7M8 or other .30 luger caliber pistols. All these are in fact low capacity(Less than 10 rounds) the only other Hi cap .30 luger that I could come up with was a Ruger P 85 which was hard to find as was a 1911 Commander in that caliber. Regards, Anand

May 24, 2004, 02:52 PM	#2
Erich Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 1999 Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA Posts: 2,543	Great post. You know, wasn't there a whole ton of inexpensive surplus .30 Luger ammo on the market a year or so ago? Check Empire Arms . . . oh, wait, you'd have to import it to India. Never mind. The .30 Luger is a really nifty round, though. All those bottlenecked rounds are super reliable, and the original Luger round is a decent little penetrator. I have to say, I think it's a more fun round for shooting than the 9x19. Keep enjoying your pistol!

June 2, 2004, 11:35 AM	#3
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	So, a factory .30 Luger barrel dropped in, other than the muzzle OD issue? How tough would it be to re-line a 9mm barrel to .30, instead? I thought the factory .30 slide was extensively lightened, compared to the 9? All those isssues aside, I have a 1920 Commercial Luger, and my load development procedure was identical to yours; I loaded up until the gun functioned, then added enough for a safety margin. I found my gun, loaded with 85-90 grain bullets, would function erratically until velocities got to 1100fps, then it ran perfectly. The groove diameter is .3095", so I've been running lubed .311"-312" bullets (85gr. Hornady XTP is my favorite) through a Lee .309" sizing die, and getting a perfect Luger bullet.

June 2, 2004, 12:52 PM	#4
Handy Junior member Join Date: August 31, 2001 Posts: 8,785	Every other dual caliber pistol is made to switch from 9mm to .30 Luger with just a barrel change. The slide mass, mags, recoil spring and breech face are entirely compatible. It's surprising that FN made it so difficult. The Sig 210 is a wonderful dual caliber gun, even more accurate in .30. Another option for such laws is 9X21, which can be affected with just a chamber reamer.

June 5, 2004, 10:34 PM	#5
jimmy Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 1999 Location: Texas Posts: 1,796	Yes, the slide on my .30 Luger BHP is contoured quite differently from the 9mm slide in order to lighten it. I guess some similar but opposite consideration went into making the slide heavier when the BHP went to .40. It'd be interesting to know the FN engineers' exact reason for doing the .30 slide that way.