Toggle lock frame hold down thingy?
 

Trying to get an idea exactly how that thing in the frame actually is mounted and what it looks like. Looked at many pics showing the toggle lock but no clear pics of the frame portion. Looks like it was cut/dovetailed in. This is a pic of what I've made thus far for my Borchardt replica. Haven't made a spring yet. Any help? Bill

Hi, yes.

A channel has been milled from top to bottom in the frame. A small piece of metal with a catch at the top is dovetailed into that hole.

Bill,

Here are some excellent photos showing exactly what you need..

http://www.forgottenweapons.com/lore...tomatic-pistol

Bill,
The catch is actually fit into a "T" shaped slot in the frame rather than a dovetail, and silver soldered in place. I had a loose catch from a 1900 Luger that I wanted to photograph for you, but I can't find the darned thing among all my junk. I will keep looking, but don't hold your breath.
Ron

Thanks!
 

For the referenced pics/site, info, and maybe a 'lucky find', Ron. Making that little lever and machining the toggle was no small task for something that's relatively worthless.......but it's part of the gun. Those were some valuable pics, views I'd not seen before. Don't know how I missed that site, bookmarked now! I sure there is a good German word for that thing, vielleicht: Das Lugerborchardttogglemachininholdendowninfurnichts teil!

Please take pics as you go along, and do a step-by-step pictorial of it when you are finished... :)

The parts:
 

Pic of the progress thus far. I need to get a fininishing reamer for 30 Mauser to set the head space. I actually reamed it deep with a .30 Luger reamer, so I'll only need a few thou to finish. I will start testing with primed shells, move up slow with soft loads to get the mainspring tension.

Amazing project!!

Amazing! I'm surprised you're only making one. To go to all that skillful "trouble" I would think at least 2-3 "copies" should be made. I think you would have a market to sell one or two. Problem is, what price would you have to charge to defray the costs of time and material?

Thanks guys!
 

I'm not sure which has been the most difficult, collecting information, making patterns, or actual construction. Most of this is pure handwork. I guess one has to imagine the first few prototypes were hand made, I wonder how many to get it to work? Then, I presume, comes the tooling. Would have been much easier if I had one in my hands to work from. It has given me such an appreciation for the pure genius of these guys and the incredible craftsmanship that went into the work. One has to imagine how apprenticeships worked back then, I'm envisioning some 10 year old doing nothing but polishing grip screws all day. I have long felt Herr Borchardt has gotten kind of a footnote in History, compared to Herr Luger. I wish I had the resources to write a book strictly on the Borchardt. I recently built a wheellock which was very difficult to get to work.....500 year old technology! Probably a hundred assemblies, disassembly, file, fit, etc. Then one day, 'Bang'....nearly jumped off the ground!

Oh yea, Dr, I don't know what the cost would be. That little toggle assembly represents a good 8 hours!

Great project!!! I can't wait to see how it turns out!!! :thumbup:

I wish I had your talent & resources!!! :D

If you haven't bought/ordered your chambering reamer yet, 4-D has reamer rentals, and 30 Mauser is one of them -

http://www.4-dproducts.com/display.p...istol+Calibers

I've used their rentals, while waiting for my back-ordered reamer, and they are in excellent shape and reasonably priced. :)

I looked at their stuff last night! Wow, I can't believe the price of reamers now. I bought my .30 Luger reamer years ago when I built my Carbine.

I prefer Clymer reamers; but the Clymer family sold out to a corp and in turn, the corp contracted to sell only through Brownell's. So while Brownell's lists the complete line, they refer your order to Clymer's...Who then grind the reamer... :mad:

It took over a month to get it... :(

I suppose this is because I only want obscure reamers that no one will stock...but it still irks me no end... :grr:

The reamer I rented from 4-D looked brand new...and cut like a hot knife through butter... :D

Bill, Some years ago I had some of the frame mounted catches made for the M1900 luger toggle lock. If you can duplicate the slot, I have the catches @$25 each + $3 S&H. PS: Also have a few orig M1900 toggle lock parts @$100 each. TH

I love this project. I just wish we could see more of it.