1900 Ammo?

[pauly]

Quick question for the experts. Is the Fiocchi 93 grain FMJ safe to shoot in a 1900 DWM?
Thanks
Paul

[Vlim]

Nothing is safe to shoot in a 1900 DWM.

The leaf spring is fragile and not easy to replace.

[Doubs]

Agree with Vlim. It was also my first thought when I read your post. I wouldn't shoot any Luger that has a leaf recoil spring for exactly the reasons Vlim states.

[Joe in Colorado]

Great question and replies.
A follow on...in general-not any specific pistol-how about...
-good, tight German WW1 or WW2 era pistols, Swiss 06/24 and M29
-(my) Swiss o6/24 seems to have been modified for target shooting-the sear is white, the firing pin does not match, nice/scary light trigger pull, main spring feels light
If we go so far as to test fire, what would we look for?
Thank you, Joe

[Sergio Natali]

I don't want to seem disrespectful but I would be even wary using a more recent 1942 P08 after all.

These old warhorses are not to consider fragile, and is not as much that they are prone to cracking, which they do, but they were built about a century ago, and at the time the metallurgy was what it was.

[pauly]

Thanks for the replies. No disrespect taken. Was just wondering about that ammo.
I do have a few boxes of .30 for the 1900 just incase! I’ll stick to shooting the shooter Luger.

[Joe in Colorado]

Thank you, no disrespect taken, I'm asking, I value your opinion.
If other members have good/bad experiences or opinions that's why we're here.
Would you all really suggest not shooting even sound/tight WW2 German or Swiss M29s?
Best Wishes, Joe

[gunbugs]

The answers you will get will vary from, "Never shoot any matching luger", to "go ahead and shoot your luger, it's yours". I fall into the camp of, "I shoot my lugers, but I use replacement extractors and firing pins when I do so." That eliminates the chance of breaking them when I take the gun to the range. I know there are other parts that can fail, but I am willing to accept the risk. I make sure they are clean and well lubed when they go out.

[G.T.]

Range test, first shot! Inspect the brass for pierced or cratered primer. Note report and recoil if/as to being overly strong? Check brass case base for bulges... Load three rounds, note degree (violence and distance up or over) of ejection, ... If you have placed masking tape on the rear of the frame at the toggle stop area, check for imprints and see how much is deformed or the degree of recoil you are experiencing? The best loads for longevity, will just barely work the action to lock open on last shot... (like the piper cub is the safest airplane to fly, it will just barely kill you!...) Finally, general inspection, see that firing pin tip is rounded and not corroded, that pins are not excessively loose, and that there are no cracks in the rear toggle .... then shoot up the rest of your ammo, now $30.00 + bucks a box, and go home!... Best, til....lat'r....GT....

[DonVoigt]

I shoot my "shooter" lugers; one of which is a 1900.
I have made sure the leaf spring is not "weak" so it does not batter itself; in fact I added a third leaf for shooting and it improved the reliability of closure.

[lugerholsterrepair]

I have an 02 Luger carbine I shoot on a regular basis. Mostly special guests who have never even seen one much less shot one. It's a traveling time machine historically. IF/when it breaks I can worry about it then. So far it's survived quite well 200 rounds down range. I use mostly vintage Western .30 Luger. Seems to work fine. Have not had any issues yet with feeding, jamming, failure to fire or breakage. It just shoots. Sometime you get lucky or?