1917 Erfurt P08 not working
 

Hi,
New user here from Texas.
I inherited a 1917 Erfurt P08 from a friend and I have the impression the gun does not work.
1. The mag slides in then comes back about 1/8" so there's a gap between the wooden bottom piece of the mag and the frame.
2. The top part of the gun slides freely about 1/4" back and forth.
3. When I pull the trigger, nothing happens.
I have field-stripped the gun and everything seems to be in order, at least to my untrained eye.
There is a possibility that the previous owner has disassembled and wrongly reassembled are one or the other part could be missing.
Can someone advice what to do to get the gun into working condition?
Thanks,
Ed

It is either not assembled correctly, or missing some part.
Sounds like the S link is not attached to the rocker.

Check out Utube for luger assembly videos- there are many.

Welcome to the board.

Besides, at 102 years of age, it is old enough to be retired ( i.e. "not working"! :)

I'd start by searching for youtube videos on correct disassembly and reassembly. Nothing major, just field stripping level to be certain that the recoil spring is correctly hooked.
There should be a slight gap between the mag. and frame, but not 1/8". Could be a number of things.
The top assy. should move back about 1/4", and the toggle assembly should raise up until it can touch the back of the frame.
Photos may help, but it will take some back-and-forth to get you sorted out. You can always pack it up and send it to the Lugerdoc for some pro. fixin'.
Where do you live, just in case we have members nearby?
dju

Guys,
Thanks for the quick responses, very much appreciated.
Well, I have field-stripped while watching YouTube and everything seems to be in place.
I'll try that again.
Btw, because the gun is old I don't plan to ever actually shoot it but I'd like to have it in working order.
And there's another thing: I also have the original holster, which is pretty beat up, the leather is dried out and scuffed badly. Is it OK to treat it with saddle soap or is that a bad faux pas in collector circles?
I'm located in the Austin, TX area.
Thanks again, guys.
Ed

Saddle soap will turn what's left of the leather into a soft mess, so don't do that.

Jerry (LugerHolsterRepair) is our resident expert, and a quick search around the forum will find some of his earlier advice.

Welcome to the forum.

When properly assembled, parts will not have movement slop. The recoil spring will properly hold the cannon in place above the frame, receiver flush with the front of the frame. It's won't be loose.

You can assemble it improperly, especially where the recoil spring lever hooks and "S" shaped lever engage.

There are a large number of 102 year old lugers that are far from "retirement".

If you need help, you'll need to work with a gunsmith familiar with the Luger mechanism. There are not many of them. Members here that live near you may be willing to help, or you could contact "LugerDoc" in Missouri - an experienced Luger gunsmith.

Some pictures would be nice.

If not. For knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, if your pistol is one of those that even I, a confirned Luger shooter, would hesitate to shoot.

Well,
The gun was exchanged for an American gun on the Armistice day in France and has been in the same family ever since, never shot since Nov. 1918.
It's as genuine as it gets.

I still would like to see some pictures.

Guys,
I am a pretty stubborn guy (German!) so I have field-stripped and reassembled the gun half a dozen times until I finally got the hang of it and now everything seems to work fine.
Except that I haven't figured out that darn gap between the mag bottom and the grip. I can push the mag all the way in, it engages and then it pops out spring-driven like that 1/8".
The attached pics show the gap.
Thanks for all your help, guys.
Ed

Your magazine is supposed to have that slight space to move like that. Load it empty, pull back the hold open to engage it, and the mag should rise a little bit to cover that space while held open.

1/8" is a lot, 1/16" is not; if it works don't worry about it.
The notch in the mag may be worn, or the mag catch itself.

There must be a little gap to allow the mag to latch in.

Try another Magazine.

Called around to find dealer with a Luger or mag but no dice.
Thanks to y'all for the input.
It's appreciated.
Ed

Mecgar. Its all you need to know!

If you would put your generic location in your profile, there might be someone close enough to help.