Hammerli Help

[Colin Doane]

I came home from a recent gun show with a Hammerli Model103 free pistol. I think it's fairly old as the receiver stampings lists only the London (1948) and Helsinki (1952) Olympics. I can't find any ammo that will chamber in it. I have tried CCI Green Tab, CCI Pistol Match and Winchester Target. None will chamber completely. I brushed the chamber to insure there was no fouling buildup, and I cleaned betwen the breech face and extractor to insure the extractor seated completely. Is this pistol set up for some specific type of ammunition, or do I have some other problem?

[ghostrip]

american specifications for .22lr are bigger than europe specs and because
free pistols usually have very tight chambers you should try european stuff
like sk, wolf, lapua, eley etc... before something more drastic like reaming

[slofyr]

... I can't find any ammo that will chamber in it.....

SK, Wolf Match Target, Federal Champion, and others should work--taste more flavors. The bullet's shoulder rim on CCI .22lr is a problem with some short chambers.

[conradin]

I came home from a recent gun show with a Hammerli Model103 free pistol. I think it's fairly old as the receiver stampings lists only the London (1948) and Helsinki (1952) Olympics. I can't find any ammo that will chamber in it. I have tried CCI Green Tab, CCI Pistol Match and Winchester Target. None will chamber completely. I brushed the chamber to insure there was no fouling buildup, and I cleaned betwen the breech face and extractor to insure the extractor seated completely. Is this pistol set up for some specific type of ammunition, or do I have some other problem?

If it only has the 1948 then it is an MP33, if it has the 52, then it is the 100-103. MP33 is exactly the same as 100, it changed name because a new ownership took over. 101 is just a sightly improved mry model, and then 102 is a luxury model, etc.

Try different type of higher grade .22lr., such as Eley or Lapua. Now most importantly you do have to make sure it is a rim fire. Use a dummy and see where it hits. There is a small chance that it is designed for .22s and .22l. The competition rule back then says .22 but with no specification of what type of .22 it is. It is not unusual for a person to use .22s back then. If you have a MP33 you may even need to test whether it is for 22cf.

Give a call to Rudy Marent and asked him about your pistol to see IF it is possible that you have a .22s or ,22l. He should know. If nothing works then ask if he can take it in and work on it. The waiting time can beask very long since he has health issue. Larry's takes just as much time but if you have to choose between the two, ask Mr. Marent first.

[Colin Doane]

Thanks, guys. the barrel is marked 22 long rifle. I tried a CCI 22 Short Target in it to see if the rim was the problem; the short chambered OK. Guess I"m going to have to find some Lapua or Eley, not easy to do in these times.

[joel]

My Steyr is rather picky but loves RWS. You might give that a try. I believe that CC has some in stock.

Good Luck,

Joel

[fc60]

Greetings,

I had the later 106 model. The cartridge would only chamber within 3/32" and I used a plastic toothbrush handle to seat it fully. The barrel was chambered such that the Lead portion of the bullet was seated into the lands.

Cheers,

Dave

[6string]

Hi Colin,

Your problem is not unusual. The CCI and probably the Winchester is a bit oversized. The chamber is cut so that the bullet of a fully inserted round is engraved into the rifling. You may notice the cleaning rod hole in the web area of the grip that passes through the rear of frame. A good number of people using these pistols have a short length of dowel with a handle to press a round fully into the chamber. This can save you a bit of wear and tear on the cocking lever.
But, it's probably best if you stick with Euro match ammo.
By the way, the only other alternate chambering for the Hammerli free pistol that I positively know of is the 22 extra long. It was loaded by Thun from the pre-war years until 1947 or 48 (excluding the war years, obviously). It is longer than the 22lr. It was often found loaded with 8gr. of black powder! But, since yours is marked 22lr that excludes the extra long.
The best way to date an old Hammerli free pistol is with the serial number. MP33s are all 3 digit. There are also many variations as they were largely hand made. There are even frames with different grip angles. (Later Hammerlis could be ordered with different grip angles, but this was accomplished with the wood only. The frames later on being more standardized.) Pre-war and post-war MP33s have many subtle differences, even little things like the shape of the mainspring and how it is screwed into the frame, etc. Generally, these MP33s are marked Schweiz rather than Switzerland. Very few were exported before the war. By the way, I wouldn't be surprised to find that there were as many pre-wars in 22 extra long as there were 22 lr, maybe even more!
Post war MP33s morphed into the 100, but there are still differences, and a little known transitional model referred to by the Hammerli factory as the 1951model. I have Hammerli factory literature that goes into great detail about this pistol! Most notable is the change from the 3 lever set trigger, which was similar to that used in their rifles, to the five lever set trigger. The model 100 serial numbers begin with #1001. If you want to post or pm your serial number, even if it's just the first few numbers (ie 143X, etc.) I might be able to help with the date.
But, don't get too hung up on the model numbers. The Hammerli factory had a practice of using up older parts as new models are introduced. So, it's possible to find 100 model parts on later models, etc. Period literature may simply refer to the "match pistol" vs. the "quick fire" pistol (AKA Olympia). In any case, there are lots of variations for the collector. It's still a largely unexplored field ripe for research. As a lefty, I am a big fan of these old Hammerlis. They are the only free pistol I know of that was made in true left hand configuration, with a special frame cut for the cocking lever on the right side, rather than just slapping a LH grip on a RH gun.

Well, have fun with your new Hammerli. They were made so nice back then! Hope I didn't bore you, or anyone else, with my long winded rambling!

Best Regards,
Jim

[spektr]

My Hammerli struggles mightily to chamber "American length" 22LR.
It LOVES Wolf Match Target. EleyTarget is tight and i need to press the round into the lands with my thumb
before I close the gun. CCI SV Paperbox is just too scary tight to even attempt to close.
CCI SV in plastic 100 boxes less so, but still not a good fit. RWS rifle match, no issues.
Dont ask me why I know Armscor fits.... Junk that it is...

Just buy good stuff and shoot it, WMT isnt that expensive compared to CCI SV anyway.

Scott

[slofyr]

....Dont ask me why I know Armscor fits.... Junk that it is...

Compared to 22lr that won't chamber in my FP60, the Armscor has a less abrupt bullet shoulder [more rounded edge]. It's quite reliable and accurate for "junk".