Side plate and triger lever pin problem
 

I very excited to join the Luger forum. Last week I finally got my first Luger. It’s 1917 Erfurt I believe Russian capture with most parts matching except magazine, sear and safety bar. At LGS it was working good but was really dirty. After disassembling and cleaning I put it back and that where problem stated. At first the trigger lever pin won’t stay in place while function checking. It will get completely out of holes after couple triggers pull. I am not sure if the pin original or not. I am not sure if the pin reversible as mine will go into the place only from one side. Also after reassembling I have to push side plate to dry fire after first trigger pull. The side plate little loose and not matching number. Also trigger lever worn on the sear side, is that normal? How can I fix the problem? Will changing trigger spring and lever pin fix the problem or not. Sorry for the long first post and thank you for your help

Welcome to the forum, "nemra",

A side plate original to the gun would have been hand fitted at the factory. Swapping side plates around is a crap-shoot, some fit and function, some do not, and everything in between. In the meantime, a quick and dirty method for tightening up a wiggly side plate is to clamp it in a padded vise and very carefully nudge the tang on the front (the tab that the locking bolt swivels over) in a direction that moves it a bit farther away from the pistol's frame, also using a padded setup such as a crescent wrench snugged on, for good leverage and control. Go a little at a time, checking after each tweak by fitting it into place and securing with the locking bolt. With the pistol de-cocked, hold your finger at the juncture of the rear end of the side plate and the portion of the frame that allows it to tuck under, and you'll be able to feel any remaining motion when the trigger is flexed. The end result will be the same as holding the plate with your finger.

I'd like to see a more revealing, close-up of the area on the trigger lever that is worn. If too bad, replacement levers are likely available from lugerdoc, here on this forum. Smoothing contact areas with a hard Arkansas stone may also help. Potentially one might anneal, adjust, re-temper the lever to address excessive wear, but it would be way more involved. Let's see what others have to say...

It looks to me that most of the PO8s shown are DDR reworks. I find the E/su4 Simson assembled from left over WW1 Erfurt parts interesting. Your trigger lever problems are not uncommon on mismatched parts pistols. The loose trigger lever pin should be bent a bit downward so that it rubs against the inside of the side plate and has to be driven down with a punch to lock it in place. You'll find some more tips on the Forum, to adjusting your trigger lever, so that the disconnector plunger in the sear can move it out of the way to recock. If all else fails, you can alway sent it to me for a trigger job. TH

Before bending the pin, swap the ends around and see if it is loose & floppy one way and won't snap in the other way. The 'won't snap in end' is the one you want; drive it in like Doc says. :)

* I had my first Luger, a heavily buffed 30 Cal commercial, come in this way...Pin flopped all over the place...I flipped it around and snapped it in and it hasn't given me a bit of trouble since. ;)

Thank you all for the input. I really appreciate your advice. Thank you for the offer Thomas. I will try you suggestion first, and if that will not work I will send it to you to fix it.

I have a 40/42 black widow model and used to have the same problem. Because I wanted to be able to fire it and it be reliable, I took out the pin and made a new pin. My pin is peened over on one end and fits from the take down lever side of the hole and into the side plate body to pivot the trigger lever. This way it will not come out (when the take down lever is in its normal position), it is hardly noticed from the outside (I blued the 3/32 pin) and the gun is not modified. The pin comes out with no tools needed and has not given me any problems any time at the range.

Mike, interesting tip on correcting a problem. Welcome to the forum!