trigger travel
 

Hi again

I need some advice.
I would like to shorten the trigger travel a bit on my p-08.
A way to do it seems to be by putting a little strip of thin
metal betwen the frame and the Trigger bar. Se photo.
Is this a smart way to do it?

Grateful for your ideas

Kaj

I'm no gunsmith, but it seems to me by doing that you are setting the rear of the sear bar out from the frame. That effectively reduces the depth of the sear that engages the firing pin. That would appear to me to create a less positive engagement which could result in the firing pin not being caught causing a slam fire (not sure that would happen since I don't think the firing pin has enough inertia to detonate the primer) or it might cause the firing pin to slip the sear without pulling the trigger and possibly lead to the gun going full auto.

There is an article by Mike Gorman in the "Shooting Times" edition of May 1974 that shows how to "tune" a Luger trigger by polishing the sear and using set screws to take up the creep and backlash in the trigger. This does modify the trigger so probably should be done with a spare trigger to preserve the original matching part.

I have three .jpg files of the article that are around 240 Kb in size. I do not know enough about copyright laws to know if it is legal to post them here on the forum but I could email them to you if you are interested. Just email me at rwood1@elp.rr.com and I can send them to you. This is for information purposes only and I assume no liability for any use of the information to alter a Luger.

Another possible solution to your question...I have had a similar problem with a matching luger some years ago, but modification of the sear is not the answer. Not wishing to modify the pistol I solved the problem by using some aluminum shim stock bent into an "L" shape with a good set of pliers that fit into the slot in the trigger where the sideplate trigger lever fits.

The short length of the L should be size to be a press fit into the bottom of the slot and the long end should be the same size as the length of the slot so it passes over the sideplate trigger lever.

once the correct size shim is determined it should eliminate the overtravel in your trigger... without modifying your pistol. The shim floats above the sideplate lever when the gun is assembled but does not interfere with its operation. Just be sure if you remove the sideplate that you don't lose your shim once you make it.

Does anyone know, what was the original manufacturer or field armorer solution to this problem?

--Dwight

I doubt that anyone back then even thought there was a problem. You do not encounter a match trigger on a combat weapon very often (except maybe for sniper rifles).

The field fix was whacking the L-shape or the side plate with a large wooden mallet, probably.

And as Ron said, not really an issue when the other half of the world is not on your friends list.

GvV, I don't recomment trying to bend the L shaped trigger lever, as an original will break, before it will bend. Replacing this lever with one having a more open angle, with produce a "quicker" firing pin release, but too much of an angle will prevent the disconnector from reengaging between shots. The shim between the trigger slot and the lever, will yeild similar results, as would finding a trigger with a narrower slot. TH

So what would the difference be

a. put a shim between the trigger slot and the lever or
b. put a shim between the frame and the trigger bar or


kaj

b. changes the relationship between the sear and the cocked firing pin... a dangerous/hazardous change in my opinion.