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06-10-2012, 08:18 PM | #1 |
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New member with a Luger project
Hello everyone,
I've been a military weapons collector for several years now and I just recently bought my first Luger. The pistol I purchased is the pretty neglected and ugly looking Erfurt Luger that is in the following photos. I'm trying to decide if it is worth fixing up to use as a shooter or if I should part out whats left of it. Here are a few photos of the pistol showing the condition and the remaining markings. This last photo shows a problem with the pistol that I have found. The upper receiver will only move back as far as the point shown in the photo so that the toggle can not be opened completely and I'm not sure exactly where it is binding up. If anyone knows how to fix this I would appreciate any information you can give me. |
06-10-2012, 08:54 PM | #2 |
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It is already a mismatched parts gun as the upper is commercial with at least a partial Erfurt toggle train. The lower may or may not be military, but might also be commercial.
The gun is basically in "relic" condition and not suitable for parting out due to the condition of the metal, (although I've seen Thor work with less). I also would not feel safe shooting this pistol due to the deterioration of the metal and the cost of bringing it back to shooting condition. I would buy a nice shadow box frame for it and hang it on the wall as a conversation piece. |
06-10-2012, 08:58 PM | #3 |
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I pretty much agree, and hopefully you didn't pay a lot for it.
Someone who has spare parts could put it together, as a talking point. I have the parts, as would Doc, but you are looking at $200-$300 to just get it 'correct"... But its pretty darn rough. Ed
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06-10-2012, 09:15 PM | #4 | |
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Thanks for the replies. I paid less than $150 including shipping for the pistol because I figured it must at least be worth that in parts. My gunsmith who has worked on many a Luger over the years didn't seem concerned about the pitting and seemed to think it would make a decent shooter after tracking down the parts.
Honestly the photos do make the pitting look worse than it is but I agree that there has been some serious damage done to the metal. Surprisingly the internals and the upper are actually very smooth and clean and it appears that the left side of the gun and the toggle got the worst of the damage. Quote:
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06-10-2012, 09:34 PM | #5 |
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Nathan, I have worked up several pistols into shooters worse than this one. One neat thing about restoring it to shooter condition will be the lessons learned..Nothing like taking a Luger down to the last pin and spring to familiarize yourself with one.
How is the bore? Usually the outside can look rough and the inside like new. There are quite a few$$ parts missing though! But since you don't have much in it.. I have one slight concern though and that is..it looks like it may have been in a fire? Maybe not
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06-10-2012, 09:41 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
If it won't, take the grips off and take more pics so we can see what the coupling link & recoil lever are doing...
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06-10-2012, 10:11 PM | #7 |
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Rich is correct...The "cannon" assembly should slide right off the frame, since there is nothing holding it on...
Push the toggle down and move the top cannon forward. The only snag you should run into is the toggle hook dragging accross the hold open. Just do it with care in case the holdopen is not into it's well as it should be. Both of the severly rusted Lugers I made into shooters had to be beaten apart with a wooden dowell and a sledge hammer.
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06-11-2012, 12:05 AM | #8 | |||
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Quote:
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06-11-2012, 12:07 AM | #9 | |
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Quote:
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06-11-2012, 08:27 PM | #10 |
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I'm extremely jealous of your $150 Luger. If it were mine, I would gladly spend the money on parts to complete it--if you don't find anything else wrong to prevent it from being a shooter.
I like fixing up other people's discarded broken toys. Marc |
06-11-2012, 10:51 PM | #11 |
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Nathan,
Something to consider... Do you know how it got into that condition? If it was in a fire, some of the metal could have structurally changed making it unsafe to shoot. Marc
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06-11-2012, 11:06 PM | #12 |
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Look what $100 bucks buys...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-ORIGINAL...item3cc72ca6eb Yours is mint! Marc |
06-12-2012, 01:34 AM | #13 |
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06-12-2012, 01:43 AM | #14 |
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You are raising your "Frankenluger" from the dead...good for you!
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06-12-2012, 09:21 AM | #15 | |
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Today I'm going to take a drive over to a gun parts store near me to pick up a few parts so we'll see what I come back with. |
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06-12-2012, 10:28 AM | #16 |
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looking good. steel wool and effort work wonders
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06-12-2012, 12:05 PM | #17 |
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Looking good! I have done several of these..I have a soft wire brush on a drill clamped onto a vice. Does a good job of knocking off rust. I have not tried it but I hear muriatic acid does a good job of getting into pits and crevices you can't get to any other way. Eats up bad metal but not good.
You should have fun with this project! Keep posting..Always interested to see how it's coming.
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06-12-2012, 12:22 PM | #18 |
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Welcome to the forum!
I really enjoy this kind of project. I'll be following your efforts closely. Keep posting! Douglas |
06-12-2012, 12:47 PM | #19 |
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Since you are going to refinish, I would suggest "gun kote" or other similar oven cured finish, which fills in uneven surfaces to an extent, giving a much smoother finish, (be careful of buildup on all bearing surfaces).
Another option would be to nickel! |
06-12-2012, 03:31 PM | #20 |
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Fix her up and get her running! Nothing a sear and spring set won't fix. I have a standard recoil spring here, and a striker spring for ya and striker if you need it. I have had pitting worse than that on my Spreewerke P-38 and it shot great. Get it up and running, you'll love it.
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