Hold-Open Latch
 

I recently made my first post concerning a 30 Caliber Luger, magazines, and a holster. I have confirmed that the "Hold-Open Latch" is original (S/N "39" marked), but is missing the tab (broken off from rest of latch part) that is positioned over the magazine top. I am posting-up a photo showing the part.

My current questions are:
(1) Can someone confirm that gun is operational without the Hold-Open Latch?; and
(2) Does anyone have a Hold-Open Latch with the "39" marking? If so, can you contact me to let me know what the cost would be and the process for ordering it?

As mentioned in my initial posting, I am researching this gun for a friend and would like to let her know about possibility of replacing the Hold-Open Latch (cost). If price is reasonable, I would recommend to her that she buy the part. Your help is greatly appreciated. THANKS!

For point one.
The gun is operational without the hold-open latch. It just won't stay open on last round. As a curiosity the P.08 up to 1912 didn't have the hold-open latch, the frames weren't even milled for it, they were retrofitted after 1912 but a few escaped the conversion.

Is your hold open broken or is the spring missing on the end?

The short leg of the hold-open that actually captures the toggle is sheared off.

I've never seen a hold-open fail so catastrophically.

I did. Once, luckily not my p.08.

Appreciate your response and question. The only thing broken is the "tab" (looking at it from the top) which would be pointing leftward toward the center of the gun. The tab is at a right (left?) angle from the part with the spring (which is still in place). It appears that the tab sheared off at it's juncture with the rest of the part, possibly before our WWII Vet acquired it.

There definitely is a hollow depression where this tab would normally rest, so it is designed for a Hold-Open Latch. I hope this helps. If you need photos specifically of that part, I can provide. THANKS!

Jesse,

Either Luger Doc, (Tom Heller), G.T., (Gerald Tomic) or one of the other Luger smiths here on the site can provide you with a new holdopen.

Getting one with the matching "39" number may be a bit more challenging.

This saved me a lot of head scratching. I just bought a 1911 year Luger and was swearing a blue streak about the toggle not locking back. It does not have the "hold open" mechanism. It escaped conversion.

I have one like that as well. That conversion was more than likely not done on any commercial guns, so it's probably not super rare to find one without it.

Now an uneducated question: Weren't early Lugers equipped with the hold open? I think I recall reading that it was only omitted for a while to save some cost, and then re-introduced again?

The hold open is part of the original Luger design. There will be no commercials without it. Only the military P.08 didn't had one in the beginning (the army board thought it already had to many parts), later they thought it over and it was reintroduced in production. Those that started without it were to be sent to Erfurt arsenal to install one. As the menace of war grew many never had the chance to be retrofitted.

Make that twice. Another one last year, to make things worse the broken part got wedged between the frame and the breech block locking it open, it took some work to get it dislodged. Not good in competition. Still not my P.08. I acquired the habit of removing it when shooting.