Hi,
The apparatus you describe indeed is a takedown protection or 'sear safety' spring. With the sideplate removed, the spring will push down on the sear bar, preventing it from moving inwards.
The luger has a serious design flaw: A round can be fired only using the barrel/receiver/toggle combination, without the frame, trigger or sideplate in place.
This led to accidents when unexperienced (police)men dismantled guns for cleaning. The sear safety was added as an extra safety measure by the German police in the early 1930s.
|