So I finally got my new reloading setup so I'm ready to start cranking out the ammo again. I have a p08 that I'm going to start working up a load on and I would like a good starting point.

It will not feed 115 or 125gr domestic factory ammo reliably (many failures to feed) but it will reliably work with fiocchi 147gr, so I'm assuming that I need a near max pressure load with a slow powder so that the area under the pressure curve is sufficient to operate the mechanism. Loads I have seen to test p08 accuracy on gunsmith websites is 5.8gr of unique under a 115gr bullet, which is a max load in my Lyman manual.

I have a variety of alliant powders: bullseye, unique, power pistol, and 124gr RN berry's bullets. Any recommendations that you know worked well in a p08? I like 147gr but around here, 147gr bullets are hard to find.

The P08 was known for favoring warmer loads and even being sensitive to lubricants. Fiocchi is typically loaded hotter than domestic ammo you find at walmart.

I would suggest loading with power pistol and the Berry's 124 loaded out 1.125 COAL. Start loading at 5.0 grains and work your way to 6. Once you hit reliable function your are there.

You can order a sample pack from X treme bullets of 147's

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I've had good luck with 124 gr., 1.125" COAL FMJ @ 1200 FPS.
The P-08 wont cycle reliably with low/mid power ammo IME.

I'm no reloader, but I do keep a stash of Fiocchi 147gr just for my Lugers. It's by far the most reliable I've found.

Thanks for the suggestions, looks like the consensus is what I had estimated based on my experience.

I'll have to get some of the extreme 147s once I get a chance, they are hard enough to find that casting might be worth while here, but unfortunately I'm short on both time and money :/

nice luger ma.

A 124/125gr FMJ ball bullet over the max charge of W231 or better yet, max charges of either HS-6 or Longshot. As much as I like HS-6, in the 9mm I find Longshot to be a little more accurate. Depending upon what powders you have on hand any one of those 3 will probably do exactly what you need done.

There are probably a lot of other good choices but those 3 are the ones I know work well from personal experience. AA#5 will probably work very well as will Power Pistol.

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I have two P 08s that were made during WW2. Both will function with
moderate 115 gr FMJ factory ammo. I have read many times that
Lugers require hot ammo but mine don't. BTW a feeding problem
isn't really a pressure problem. Are you using FMJ or HP ammo? The
articles I've read on loading for Lugers say HPs just don't work.

Josh,

Shooter's carries Xtremes, although I don't know if they have that specific bullet in stock at the moment.

The downside to buying from them is that they mark them up pretty significantly-$10-15 per 500 in my experience. Of course, the other side of that is that you get them immediately rather than waiting for shipping.

BTW, how's the Rock Chucker working for you?

No I don't run hollow points in the P08, only RN. I have some ww2 9mm that I need to break down and look at it. Only the hotshot brand ammo works in 124gr, which I thought was pretty hot. From my readings it seems to vary gun to gun on what it prefers.

Ben: thanks let me know if you see any the next time you are there, I'm going to use up the berry I have first but if I can't get it to work I will move to 147gr. Without another 9, I need to use them up.

The rock chucker is godly, much better than resizing 303 with the hand press :/ Only downside is I have to figure out how to bolt down the workbench top so that it quits prying up, right now it's held down by about 400rds of 8mm mauser.

Feeding problems in a Luger,,,look first at the magazine,, it's spring and the follower. They are the cause of most of the malfunctions both in feeding and ejection in Luger pistols.

Stove piped loaded rounds half out of the mag,,the toggle recoiling far enough to eject but not pick up a fresh round, an ejected fired round and the toggle closed on an empty chamber,,these and other feeding/ejection problems are generally magazine problems and not necessarily the ammunition

Most all of mine feed/fire/eject off the shelf 115gr Rem-UMC FMJ with little or no faults once a 'good' magazine is matched up to the pistol. You can't simply tell by looking at it, slapping it in place and yanking the toggle back.

Make sure the holdopen spring has sufficient power to secure it in the 'down' position while firing. If weak, broken or missing completely (the gun will operate w/o the hold-open spring), the holdopen can bounch up into place and block the toggle in the open position with live rounds still available in the magazine.

It will appear as a fail-to-feed w/the toggle stuck open.
As the toggle is pulled back a touch,,the holdopen then falls back away and the breech is released, feeding the round sucessfully this time.

Check the firing pin spring and make sure a heavy weight replacement isn't installed to 'improve ignition'. It may do that, but it will also induce fail-to feed as the last motion of the closing breech block/toggle cocks the firing pin.
If that last 3/8" or so forward motion
of the breech block is held back by a extra strong spring, you'll get cartridges chambered but the breech not fully closed.
A reduced power or clipped main spring can do the same or add to it.

Meg-Gar replacement Luger magazines work well if an aftermarket replacement is needed. Another original Luger mag may do it,but it may also be worn or worked over (feed lips) or a weak spring.
The catch slot can be worn a bit too allowing the mag to sit low. That causes feeding problems too. It can also cause the holdopen not to engage all the time on the last shot.

High pressure loads aren't needed in a Luger any more than they are in any other semi auto pistol. What is needed is a load of sufficient energy (recoil) to operate the system. You don't necessarily need extremes in pressure to get to that level of recoil energy.
Light/minimum loads will generally not operate a Luger any more than they will most factory stock CF semiautos.

Work up a load with a round nose FMJ or cast bullet and you will generally find a load the feeds and ejects well in a Luger.
I like the 115gr, but I also use the 95gr cast RN bullets intended for the 380acp . (They were cheap!)
They've worked very nicely using RedDot in a couple of Lugers, a 1908 Commercial and a '41 Mauser. In the slightly heavier '17 DWM Artillery, no go.
But 115gr commercial & handloads works OK in the LP08.

Some tweaking of any load (OAL effects feeding alot in these), helps to
squeeze reliability from it.

Some will feed/fire/eject most anything,,others are stubbon and it takes some searching to find the right combination it seems.
But I've never found it necessary to go anywhere near Max loads in any Luger to achieve reliability.
They are anything but new pistols any longer. Some are 100y/o and more. Many are of unkn history and have been rebuilt any number of times.
Take it easy on them. They are great handguns, fun to shoot.
I'd rather accept a few FTF here and there rather than run the loads to the max+ in a search for a 100% reliability CCW round for one. They are expensive historical curiositys now.


Just my thoughts..

My four P-08s (pre-1940) feed and chamber everything I give them from 102gn Lee L-SWCS to 125gn .38 JHPs. Have never tried anything heavier.
Failure to feed can be magazine. You need to start with a couple of dummy rounds for each bullet, load to max COL, and keep seating the bullets until you find the longest COL that feeds and chambers. You can work to shorter COLs, if you want, to determine the range of COL that works in that gun with that bullet.
If the rounds are jamming against the feed-ramp/bottom of barrel, the COL is too long or the magazine is not releasing the round soon enough. If the rounds are jamming up at the top of the barrel, the rounds are too short or the magazine is releasing the rounds too soon. There are a LOT of bad magazined out there.
If the problem is failure to cycle, and you can pull back on the toggle and chamber the round, then you might want to have the gun looked at to determine why it isn't cycling with factory ammo. Do you feel any resistance when you cycle the toggle up and down? Can you remove the toggle pin easily? Is any part bent?

You've seen how my press is mounted-C clamps are your friend! Of course, I've also not been adverse to piling boxes of bullets or other heavy stuff as a counter-balance.

My pet load for the 9mm is : 5.0 grains of Power Pistol , under a 124 grain bullet, lead RN or copper plated RN . Works in all of my 9mm guns, very accurate and reliable