Change in direction!
 

Hi to all, just spent a couple of days on the range trying to make a Luger perform consistently... had both feeding and trigger issues... But, the point of this thread is... I get it! It is so much fun trying to problem solve a finicky luger, that I think injured shooters is where I'll spend the most time... And, I like mongrel dogs anyway.. So, it's a good fit...:)... And I totally agree and see Rick and Rich's point on the value and fun to be had, when trying to go to another level.. the challenge is just to strong....you have to try... So, it is miss-matched and problem lugers for me.. until I win the lottery.. :jumper:.... Best to all, til...lat'r....GT:cheers:

Where is postino these days.... I have not seen his post for long time....

Misfunctioning lugers
 

I would like to know the specifics of the feeding and trigger issues once you sort them out, G.T., since Luger functioning is still a mystery to me. I mean if I have a 1911 that starts having issues, I can usually come up with a pretty good idea why; but a Luger- not so much. Thanks, Bill :)

K.Wilhelm,

Get yourself the e-book by Gerard Henrotin, whose title is "Luger Mechanical Features" and it will teach you with great illustrations everything you ever wanted to know about how a Luger works, but were afraid to ask.

http://www.hlebooks.com/

The book is downloadable, and worth every penny of the $7.95 USD it costs... You can find it here with many other great firearms e-books that he has written, including our precious M1911.



Gerard's animated illustration of Luger operation graces the Luger Forum homepage here:

http://www.lugerforum.com

I agree totally. Gerard's first e-book will give you the mechanical insight to be more effective in trouble-shooting a cranky Luger. You'll be much better able to resolve various Luger mechanical issues with this understanding/info in your head.

(By the way, I offered to proofread/edit the text for this first e-book, as the English needed some polish to be less confusing, and M. Henrotin graciously worked out a deal with me to do it. I've been pimping these e-books ever since--easy to do because they are such informative tomes.)

nah, my mind doesn't work that way - I have no engineer aspirations, I can see how it works and I go, uh, yah....

issues sorted out!
 

Hi K. Wilhelm, I'd be happy to share my experience at the range with you... First, in the last few Lugers I've received, some of the repairs are evident and can be discovered and repaired right at the inspection bench... loose or bent hold open springs, deformed or excessively modified, sticky, or binding trigger levers, gummed up disconnector pins, missing or weak takedown levers, bent or loose sideplates, gummed up firing pins, etc. etc.
This last Luger suffered from a trigger pull where it would not always disconnect for the next shot... But, it had issues that I was not aware of, by just performing bench tests... so, off to the range we go... Now for this next part, I'm going to tell you the knot head part of my test, then the proper problem solving technique I arrived at after a disaster in the first go around... Now I think this pistol is going to work great! Well, that's not the way it went.. shooting Winchester 124? grain ball NATO (Big NO-NO!) ammo... I loaded up 8 rounds in a new upgraded MEC-GAR magazine and squeezed off the first round! Stove pipe failure to eject!!! second round ok, third round stove pipe jam, failure to load, 4th thu 8th ok....
2nd mag of 8, all went thru ok... third mag of eight, 4th round, loaded but trigger didn't disconnect, fifth round, stovepipe jam... sixth round, the freak'in firing pin breaks in middle, directly in half!!! ....:eek:.......Front part, forward, rear part all the way back.... big sad face on shooter guy??? Give that some thought before you take that minty all matching unit to the range guys!
Sooo, back home we went.. I had one constant that I was pretty sure of, and that was the mag, it had performed well in other Lugers, and although I was shaken, I still had faith... so the mag remained as my only constant.... Next I enlisted one of my friends to trade me 100 rounds of Winchester 115 gr. white box target, and when I received it, I measured a few, and they were on average .010" longer in OAL, then the ball NATO rounds... But, I still wasn't happy, I figured the hotter NATO ammo, when coupled with, perhaps, a tired mainspring would also be an issue, so it got a new original WW2 Mauser P.08 mainspring as well... New Mauser firing pin installed, and to completely cover my butt, I installed a new original Mauser P.08 extractor spring to complete my attempt to correct feeding issues...Now, on to the disconnector.. I noticed that the pin holding the trigger lever was deformed, and just by removing and reinstalling and testing, I was getting different results at the bench every time... so, I replace the trigger lever retainer and also slightly polished the small bevel lead in on the trigger lever edge, Back to the range we go! Three full mags with the 115grain load... not one bobble! All feed and functioned perfectly! Still had on failure to disconnect, but a little more polishing on the lever and we are golden there also.... :thumbup:... anyway, having a crap pot full of parts doesn't hurt.. then it's just inspector Clouseau tactics!:jumper::jumper:..best to all, til...lat'r....GT:cheers:

G.T.,

I've been doing that sort of thing for years. Hanging out in gun shops waiting for broken and malfunctioning guns to come in. I used to hit the buy and sell places checking for "parts guns", fire guns or anything that didn't function properly.

I've repaired and/or fixed a lot of $40 and $50 specials, often reselling, or trading them at a profit. Or just sticking them in the safe.

I only recall a couple of Lugers, one being a fairly nice 1906 which was in a paper bag in pieces, I got for a fixed-up .22 rifle and $100, and really regret re-selling. The other was one of the first bunch of Vopos that came to the country, with a sewer pipe bore and light surface pitting.

Ron

I agree 100% with you G.T. I have always been a "fixer" and fascinated with how things were put together, and how they worked. My 1921 Alphabet luger was a real challenge to get it to work correctly. It took me quite a while as I learned more and more about Lugers, and trial and error. FINALLY, I hit the correct setup of mag, springs, ammo,etc., and I was so pleased and proud.

So I purchased a barreled receiver in 9mm and started to make my DWM shoot both 7.65Para, and 9MM. It took some doing, but I finally figured it out. Now it is a sweetheart!!

I will openly admit that Lugers can really be frustrating at times, but when correct, they are great shooters.

Thanks for the details
 

G.T., thanks for your detailed description of the trials and tribulations of your latest shooter Luger project. I guess I'm just trying to get a better layman's understanding of the reasons for common malfunctions- not an engineer's or gunsmith's perspective (for I am neither and do not even play one on TV!). :)

BTW, G.T., I had an old Navy buddy originally from Chandler named Jim Napier unfortunately no longer with us. Bill

more than welcome!
 

Hi Bill, glad to share here... really like the whole shooter / shooting aspect of the Luger.. On Lugers, there is worn, (mostly springs and such) and then there is broken! (or not functioning) parts.... I think after a few different scenarios, you get a feel for what's good or bad... and, there's always the rare weird never before seen issue, that takes a little extra effort.... and perhaps one even needs some beer to effectively trouble shoot...:cheers:... best to all, til...lat'r....GT

GT, I see that the luger-tuning bug has bitten you too. It seems that the only time that I get to the range any more, is to test fire customer's lugers and Walthers. I'm really glad that I purchased all of Interarms Mauser and Walther PP & PPK parts when they went out of business, as it's getting harder to find any statches of of good WW2 & before parts any more or decent parts guns at an economical price. Lately, I had to resort to some repro parts for some repairs and find that the quality does vary quite a bit between manufacturers, so if you need advise where to purchase let me know and we can share our sources. TH