Replace the mainspring?
 

Gentlemen,

I am a pretty good P.38 mechanic (the gun not the airplane) and want to take the plunge over to P.08's. I have recently bought 2 "shooters" and was wondering if changing the mainspring is SOP. When I get a "shooter" P.38 I change the recoil guide springs, when I shoot my 1911 too much I change the spring. What is recommended with Lugers?

I took the first shooter down the range on Sunday and it functioned flawlessly with American Eagle 124g and Winchester 115g bullets.

Can the gun get damaged by having a weak spring? After all, the spring was installed in 1938!

Mark

If it is a shooter and "functioned flawlessly", in my opinion if it ain't broke don't fix it. I think a weak spring will reveal itself with jams and stovepipes well before there is any danger of damage to the gun.

Ron,

Thanks for the advice!

I have another 1920 commercial gun in .30 which stovepipes and has failure to extract at times. I would think this mainspring might be weak?

What about the failure to extract? Do you think I need an extractor spring?

Mark

Mark -

I have exactly the same problem with a 7.65mm 1920 DWM.

I have been told that the available ammo is not hot enough to fully cycle the toggle. I would be interested in your solution if you find one.

Luke

Luke,

I noticed that Wolfe Springs has 36lb reduced power mainsprings. Has anyone ever used this to fix the problem?

Mark