Does the fact that this was produced as a 'commercial' Luger before being sold to the police and then possibly used in the military diminish its value?
Not really. As a five-digit commercial Luger it is, not rare perhaps, but certainly much less common than a WWI or WWII military Luger. As a property-marked police Luger it falls within that particular variation. There are collectors of commercial Lugers who may not be interested in it because itis not purely a commercia example; there are collectors of Police Lugers who would be interested in it in its police aspect, who would not consider buying a plain commercial Luger at any price. De gustibus no est disputandum.
Besides the 7.62mm NATO ammo used in the M-14 and M-60 is there a 7.62mm that fits any handguns? I have seen the in G-A ads for 7.62mm Lugers discussed in other threads.
The original cartridge for the Luger pistol was cal. 7.65mm Parabellum. There are a number of 7.62mm pistol cartridges, either nominal or named; the Luger has not been chambered for them. Don't confuse these with rifle cartridges.
How do I release a cocked empty Luger to avoid dry-firing? Can or should it be un-cocked while 'geladen'?
A Luger should never be de-cocked with a round in the chamber!!
With the gun safely unloaded, pull back the toggle and slowly let it come back to battery. At some point, roughly 1/4 inch from closure, you will feel a 'catch' or an increase in resistance as the sear engages the striker and holds it in position to be cocked. At this point depress the trigger; the sear will come out of engagement and the firing pin will continue forward with the breechblock. The technique is a bit of a trick; the exact point, amount of resistance, and amount of trigger pull necessary varies a bit from gun to gun. Once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature.
The breechblock continues forward with the firing-pin tip protruding through the breech face; if there is a cartridge in the chamber it can be touched off.
What is the nature of the risk of breaking the striker when dry-firing? Is it similar to racing an engine in neutral, i.e. it needs a load to push against?
The short answer is, yes. Dry-firing is a solid metal-to-metal contact of the striker with the breechblock, a particularly egregious battering of two metal parts. Your Luger is more than 85 years old, much closer to the end of its operational lifetime than the beginnig. A broken numbered part will reduce the value of your Luger substantially.
Can or should the toggle be disassembled at the toggle grips? Clearly I need a special punch tool in order to remove the tiny extractor pin.
Removing the little pin which retains the certer toggle pin is tricky, and can result in bending or breaking it. If there is no pressing need for a repair, best not to mess with it.
--Dwight
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