S/42 G Problem , will not hold action open.
 

I am having problems with a Luger that I recently inherited. It is a Mauser S/42 G, manufactured in 1935. Overall, the gun is in excellent condition. I cannot tell if it has been reblued or not. The problem I am having is that it will not hold the action open after the last round. The original magazine was not in the greatest of shape. I tried using a new magazine with no luck. With the new magazine, if you manually retract the toggle, the action will lock open. But when firing, it will not. The only other change is that the gun has replacement grips. When I got the gun, it had no grips. Does anybody have any suggestions as to where to look next? I hate to take the gun to a gunsmith & have it disappear for a month or two if the problem is something minor that I can repair myself.
Thank you for your help. Steve

Look on the inside of the right grip panel and see if the mag follower button is rubbing against the grip groove near the top. It wouldn't take much delay of the button pushing up on the hold open for the action to return to battery. Also check the mag for any sign of friction of the follower and/or the follower button in the final upper part of the channel it rides in. The hold open itself may be dirty or have old grease on it that delays it's rise. There isn't much else to check for.

Sounds like you may have a broken/missing hold open spring. Take the reciever off and look just to the right of the magazine well, there will be a(should be) a lever about 1 1/2 long, on the forward end of it should be a flat spring. If it is missing this is your problem.

I have had this problem too, just like Doubs said, my grips simply rubbed in the wrong place. This happens with cheap-o grips, and of course I have a couple of those pair and it makes a heck of a difference.

BUT, as Herb said, I also have my gun catching, but I KNOW it's a broken hold open spring and this can be a problem.

(So, I need a hold-open / spring for a 1942 Banner {{hint, hint}}).

Actually, a missing or weak HO spring which presses down on the HO, has the opposite effect of allowing the HO to apply before the Magazine is empty or at any time just due to recoil. I do have a few original Mauser HO springs available @$25 each with do work with original HOs. Also have a few repros @$15 which only fit the repro HOs. TH

It is also possible that the breechblock is not recoiling far enough to catch the holdopen. This is usually cured by a change of ammunition.

If your holdopen spring is broken or missing and can't be immediately replaced, I recommend removing the holdopen completely. If it is left in place without the spring to keep it down, it will bounce in recoil and either be broken itself or chip out the notch on the bottom of the breechblock.

Jim

Mine rarely holds open, but that's because of the ammunition I use-Winchester 115gr ball, the Walmart 100 round Value Pack. Higher-powered ammunition allows the hold open device to work properly. I don't worry about it too much; I know that it works with appropriate ammunition.

I have to admit my '36 Mauser shooter that I bought about 1.5 years ago often didn't hold the toggle open after the last round when I first got it. Also, it would often fail to eject properly after 30-40 rounds after cleaning and lubing.

The gun had been reblued (no strawed parts) but it was all matching and done well. I did replace the grips (with Hugh's reworked grips), work on the trigger, and drift over the front sight (also widened the rear notch). I have now put about 1200 rounds through the gun and it has become a favorite. It does work 100% with Wallymart ammo for many rounds after cleaning. I think it just needed to be broken in. Again, I am speaking as a shooter; I don't do wall hangers or keepsakes, mine gotta shoot.

No Luger will malfunction unless it is messed with.
Who sold this PO8 to you?

Take your money back and buy from an Honest dealer.
John St.

I just realized it was inherited after my reply.
You inherited a situation beyond my previous reply.
I do not have the background information to respond here. I only know that Lugers are the best.
John St.

Hi, John St and guys,

"No Luger will malfunction unless it is messed with."

Touching faith, but not so. When Lugers were $20 or so and German ammo in the 16 round boxes was all over, I fired quite a few brand new Lugers with matching magazines or with original German GI issue magazines and German issue ammo. They certainly worked better than ones that have been now been "messed with", but they did malfunction. A few worked perfectly, but with others I could not get more than two magazines without some problem.

The Luger, much as we like it, was not a very reliable pistol, one of the reasons (other than cost) that the Germans went to the P.38, which is pretty reliable.

Jim