From this morning’s local paper, this headline: “Lugers take metal pressure in stride.”
Well, of course! This is not a surprise, given the vast array of different proof marks these fine weapons have sported over the years. Fact of the business, I see, on page 61 of my copy of The Luger Book, a reference to an experimental 11.35mm Parabellum cartridge in the Luger, shooting a 230-grain bullet at 729-790 fps. Don’t know what the pressure would have been, but that’s definitely a big cartridge compared to the 9mm. Lugers could definitely handle the big boys, that’s for sure!
An underrated gun design, the Luger… Oh wait, that’s “medal pressure.” The article seems to be about Olympic Luge. Nevermind.
“an experimental 11.35mm Parabellum cartridge in the Luger, shooting a 230-grain bullet at 729-790 fps” Sounds like your garden variety .45 ACP load, albiet a bit on the slow end. 790fps, which you mention as the top of the range, is about the bottom of the range for .45 ACP. Pressures involved are considerably less than developed by your average 9mm. Heck, the SAAMI spec for standard 9mm is considerably more than .45 ACP+P. Of course, you would need stiffer springs, and a larger barrel. I wouldnt be suprised if the experimental cartridge WAS .45ACP – 11.35mm=.446″ I dont know what the bore diameter for .45 ACP is (Bullet/groove size is .451″), but that has to be awful close.
I believe you may be right! According to the Luger Book, the U.S. Army’s 1907 trials required the guns to shoot the American .45 M1906 round. The 11.35mm Parabellum was what the Germans called this cartridge in their submission.
The .45 Luger beat out the Colt and S&W revolvers, and the Webley-Fosbery “automatic revolver,” lost out to — of course — the gun that eventually became the Model 1911. The Luger beat the 1911 in endurance, but lost out because it did not function as well in a dirty environment.