Soo.. issue: Fires on action release
 

Happened to me twice. insert mag, ****/ release and POW.

Any advice here?

Hmmm..apparently I can’t say “C O C K” :D

Is the firing pin stuck sticking out?

Probably sear engagement problem; could be the sear tab on the striker, the sear bar, or the sear spring.

Or like Jim said, striker stuck.

Tell us more about your specific pistol, model? matching? First time out? Worked ok before?

Otherwise, we'll have to use the Ouija board. ;)

It’s a 1936 S/42- been chasing #33 parts for recently. Turns out the danged trigger don’t match either... so I’m giving up on that.

Pin is retracted.

I have recently repurchased the pistol, after about 3 years. I did not have the issue before. Was not shot a ton by the other owner...maybe 250 rounds he said.

did you take it apart and clean the firing pin and inside of breechblock?

Also, swapping in new parts, even numbered the same is still different parts than left the factory. Each part is liable to be hand-fitted at the factory, so even tho the same number, its not the same parts...

Rich,
Take the side plate off and put it back together.
UNLOADED, try the action as you describe- does it hold back the sear?

You can tell by pressing on the sear bar plunger with a stick or something, it should go snap.
While you are pressing, check to make sure the little plunger moves freely.

If the sear contact points are worn, it is more likely to be the sear bar itself in my experience.
Take the sear bar out and clean it and its recess well, could be some junk in there.

If not- keep digging; if so, might be the trigger or side plate/lever fit.

If you have another functioning luger, swap the upper to another frame and try it; and vice-versa.

If the striker is not stuck with the pin exposed in the breech, it's slipping off the sear bar.

This area is complex and hand fit.

Start by checking to see if the little plunger and it's spring at the front of the sear bar is functioning properly. No resistance to being pushed in and springing back out. This is the disconnector. If it's not pushing in properly it could be tripping the sear.

Check ot make sure that the trigger plate is being held flat and solidly against the side of the receiver and frame.

Make sure that the sear is properly seated.

Verify that the sear and the mating surface on the firing pin are sharp and true. Wear or an improper angle or someone's attempt at "improving" the trigger might have made it unsafe.

This work is an area for an experienced Luger gunsmith. Very few regular gunsmiths have ever dealt with the complexity of this trigger system.

And see if the sear return spring is not broken or missing.

I had this problem and found powder fouling on and in the breachblock caused it. I deliberately let the pistol get filthy to see how much it could stand. When it fired on closing I took it apart. It required about 400 rounds to reach this point. The firing pin and breachblock inside were coated in fouling and partially burned powder. The entire breachblock was sticky. Cleaning solved the problem.

Is the firing pin spring present and correct? Is the firing pin spring retainer locking correctly into the breachblock ?

But something is hitting the primer, at least when the breech closes. Is there a mark on the primer (I would think there must be) and does it match the firing pin tip?

If the firing pin is setting off the primer when the breech closes, then at least part of the problem is failure of the FP to reset. Testing with snap caps should confirm if the FP is reseting or not.

As an example of a reset issue, I once installed a new side plate and trigger lever and found the firing pin would not reset. The culprit was the trigger level was new, and did not have the correct bevel to engage the plunger properly. Filing a bevel on the trigger lever fixed the issue. My point is, you'll have to carefully investigate if the FP is resetting.

Firing on closing action
 

I have had this happen on two different Lugers. Both times swapping to a spare sear bar corrected the issue. Too bad on one of them because it had a beautiful trigger pull before correction, and a terrible one after! Better to be safe, though. WB :thumbup:

Interesting, I have to wonder if the nice trigger pull was due to the sear just barely engaging the firing pin tang, and then with a tiny bit more wear it failed to engage at all.

That you've had two do this makes me want to inspect my shooters to make sure nothing is about to wear away - I do not wish to experience a full auto Luger.

Yes,
that would be the primary reason; or gunk keeping the sear bar from returning to its rest position.

Baring a failure, a light trigger pull is a sign of limited sear engagement; so a good area to keep an eye on- but I would not expect significant wear in "normal" shooting. After all the sear surfaces are hardened, it is when someone gets busy with a file or stone and removes the hard surface that problems start. One will frequently see a used sear bar with the catch area rebuilt.

Well..it says something that it DID NOT go full auto tho, correct?

Sounds like I need a pro to be honest. I don’t want an unsafe weapon. And I’m not at all competent beyond basic firld stripping/cleaning. I will take ‘er down and have a look for “gunk"

And you know..this was a refinshed war prize... it came without a pin as I recall... Hmm...

I've had good luck sending Lugers off to our own LugerDoc for repairs. It's simple and easy, and don't tell him this, but inexpensive too.
Do not trust your local gunsmith to repair a Luger as very few have the experience required.
dju

Or the parts, Doc does.

If you are not mechanically inclined, and not comfortable diagnosing/treating your "sick Luger", then look to a Luger Specialist. You will be $ ahead.

Sage advice. Thor DID drop me a PM, but it sounds like he’s not doing alot of work any more.

LugerDoc... I’m gonna clean it up very well and check it out. Will advise. Are you an FFL holder? That would make it easier, but of no consequence. I will of course cover any additional fees should it be required to send.

An update..a thorough cleaning seems to have stopped the issue. YEs..it WAS dang dirty deep down. And I’m pleased I now know the entire field strip procedure.

Lotta powder particles and general soot were removed.

as a sidebar... I think my repro mags..the feeder plate..causes jams. The angle appears higher than the original mag. Can one disassemble these? The 2 pins thru the base?

On edit they are Mec-gar mags, made in Italy.

The mags can be taken apart, but unless you whip up a jig that correctly supports the body when you're diddling with it, and apply a few other tricks of the trade in the process, it may cause more problems than it is likely to solve. Though not necessarily perfect, MecGar mags have an excellent reputation for function.

I've never heard of this as a solution to the problem, and without making some comparisons to other mags they've made, I have my doubts that this is indeed the cause. You might try swapping mags with someone who has a "proven" one that works fine in at least one other Luger. I'd do it, if you're prepared to cough up all the necessary postage... But first let's see what light other comments may shed upon the scene.

As the guy from Ithaca said- I doubt very much the Mec-gar mags are a problem.

Now you need to describe the "problem" that the mags appear to cause.

If you have a "marginally functional" magazine, send it to GT and he will make it better than new....

It takes special fixtures and mandrels to work on Luger magazines. G.T. is the best in the world on working on these, and is reasonable. Marc

Hmmm well..apparently I was mistaken. Just had the same malfunction with the orig. mag. Sigh... apparently this thing needs a thorough going over by a competent technician.

The mode of failure is the shell ends up “too high” and gets trapped at bout a 45 degree angle by the returning breech assembly.

Luger Doc..you interested in having a look? Please contact me... actually I’ll drop you a PM.

Thanks folks... I really love this firearm. Looks like as usual..love is gonna cost me more :D

Rich, it also could be a main spring that isn't quite up to snuff. This would come into play as the action moves forward. A weak main spring can make it seem as if the mag spring is too strong. The geometry of how the round is held in the mag changes as the round moves forward, and can impart a bit too much "rise" to the front end at about the point it encounters the feed ramp. The block does not ride over the rim in this case, just squeezes it because the front did not hit the chamber vertically centered enough to be guided in. The nose of the round can also catch on top of the chamber.

Changing main springs is not that bad a chore if you have one of Jim Solomon's tools, and have watched a YouTube or two to see how it is done.

You really need to start at the beginning, with full pictures and description of exactly what matches and what does not.

Where you got it , when it was last shot, if you know, what ammo are you using , just about anything is better than what we know now.

What a fascinating thread to follow. I am enjoying the detailed responses with potential solutions: a nice education for this rookie.

OP, please keep us posted with the requested photos and information, and your fixes with the results.

One free thing that you can try. Load 2-3 rounds in a good mag, work the toggle train to load a round into the chamber. If this goes o.k., then put a bit of upward pressure on the base of the mag each time you fire the Luger. This will slightly raise the mag/cartridge for feeding a new round in the cycling of the toggle train. It is another thing to check......just a thought.


Are you firing your Luger one handed or two? Just a question, not an accusation of anything.

I fire two handed typically. Now that you mention it the last time I can recall firing one handed is when it went off when the breech slammed home :D

I DO notice a bit of “play” in the mag. It will move up an eighth inch or so. Hmmm... I don’t know what that would tell someone but I’ll try that.

The mag catch could be worn if it works with your hand holding the mag to take up the slack. That's an un-numbered part and an easy fix, if so.

The troubleshooting section of Gortz & Sturgess discusses rounds jamming nose-high, and attributes it to the mainspring being too strong. I can also imagine a too-weak spring causing the issue as Ithacaarist suggests. Either way mainspring seems to be a possible culprit.

In .30 Luger I have found on some pistols this type of jam can be caused by the pistol wanting a slightly longer-length round. So you might consider trying various ammo types to see if there is any difference. Winchester White Box 115 gr. is recommended baseline.

Rich, I do have an FFL, but at the moment I have a few jobs to complete before I can get to yours. TH

I had exactly the same problem and followed ithacaartist's advice, got a new spring from Lugerdoc which solved the issue completely. Many,many thanks.

Sigh..OK Doc. I guess send a PM if you free up. I’ll get an email notification.

I’m not gonna mess with it... don’t feel confident enough. “A man’s got to know his limitations” :p

Umm Who is “GT” folks?

Gerald Tomek. A member of this forum under the name G.T.
He is, from what I gather, extremly knowledged in Luger magazines.

Look for the thread "Reproduction snail drum - progress".

’36 s/42
 

Has issues. Am not willing to wait on repairs, nor spend a few hundred on it. Not numbers matching, and unsafe to use at this point. Refinished, pretty..and an original mag... plus 2 repros.

having issues with it (admin added and moved)

http://forum.lugerforum.com/attachme...1&d=1485477162

PM Sent

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