Put it in a vise just like Padre's pics show. Then tighten a cresent wrench on the tang for leverage and bend it away from the frame. No tapping required. Much more control I think.

I think either way will work. I went with the tapping so as not to over do it. as far as i can tell it worked , i see little to no movement now. I think it will lend it's self well to an up coming engraving project. It loks good in the display case with the extra mags.

the grand poobah firing the ss american eagle. it worked this time and the side plate stayed tight. thanks to all for your help.

thanks, i think it once belonged to fred flintstone, or so i was told/lol.

I do not know how close the american eagle engraved on the stainless steel versions are , really have to be side by side to compare i guess.

Kinda sorta with out the detail. yours looks better, i did fire it about 50 times today without any problems. i did smooth the side plate and the trigger a bit and it feels betterto me. As quirky as these pictols can be, this one may have all the bugs worked out of it and makea good shooter yet.

not sure who made the case , it came with one of my dwm's. i use both the wooden bottom mags and the aluminum bottoms one with it as well , it has worked well with all of the mags.

haven't decided which case i like best to display it. yet. both look pretty good.

Hi To all! side plate issue!
 

I'm a bit late to the discussion on the loose sideplate, BUT, the correct way to tighten the sideplate is to GENTLY, with a cover shim or, a super clean flat faced hammer, supported on a clean steel block, to then tap on the flat side end of the sideplate arm where the radiused cutout area is, where it contacts the takedown lever.... Tapping on the arm end lengthens the arm, and sideplate as a whole...The TD lever has a cam machined into it right behind the lever, and the sideplate is held tight & firm by pushing it back against the frame, not forced in with the lever arm!!???... That is why you never see minty Factory Lugers scratched up in this area, and the sideplates are as tight as can be...:surr:. ...nothing is bent on a Luger by design, all is square, straight, and parallel....These guys were pretty darn smart when they made these, and the basic funamentals didn't escape them... "Nothing is ever as it seems" One of the GT rules of life....number 2 I think???... ;) .... til....lat'r....GT

You are thinking about the crest waaay too much! There is nothing wrong with it. Looks like you are stuck with a genuine 1900 AE.

As mentioned above, lock tang in padded vise and a couple of gentle taps on the inside rear of the side plate, should be enough to remove the gap when side plate is reinstalled. If you haven't fitted one before, I may take a few trys, but be gradual & gentle with the force you use. TH

wery true rick, but on the Stainless Steel lugers made in houston texas, we are not talking old world german craftsmen. They are not very well fited in most of the pistols they produced. I think their down fall was a combination of the metal being used and the lack of true craftsmanship to produce a quality pistol. As stated i have owned this one twice. The first time i just gave up trying to make it work, now with the help of the members of this forum, i now have what i think is a decent and a bit different shooter. This project is not finished yet, there maybe a bit ofksore surprises to come. thanks again to everyone for your help.

Dan,

Have you tried fitting an original or reproduction sideplate to the gun? If so, how far off is it from the SS factory sideplate?

I'm just speculating that if a hardened steel sideplate could be made to fit, then nickel plated............

no i havn't, the problem was solved by adjusting the tang on the side plate , so far it has worked and shot well and the side plate stayed tight,

rick ,could not agree more. Thats why i gave the ss another try and i am now glad i did. this time around it seems i have worked the quirks out of it, and it makes a good shooter. thanks for posting.

What model luger do you think the stainless lugers were copied from? I have wondered how close a copy they are and if they are as safe. I know it maybe hard to tell from a few pictures ,but i would like the members thoughts on this.

Dan, I would think a regular p08?
I have an old article buried somewhere that was published around the time these first came out. There was an interview of someone that was involved with the building of these if I remember, but I forgot what was said. When I get the time I can try to find it.

it looks close but not sure how close a copy it is , and to which maker or the model. I am guessing maybe early commercial.

I remember reading a very long time ago, that the stainless Lugers were copied from a 1942 Luger. The copy had some of the problems of the early 1942 models.
However, I cannot remember where or when I read that. Sorry.

thanks, i have found some old articles on them to , this one was made in 1993. alot of the articles on them raved on how good they were and how well made and they were exact copies and great shooters, well we know better now.