Just when you think you have seen it all!

[G.T.]

I have a Luger in for re-barrel for one of our forum members, and this thing has really been a challenge!!!! First, the new barrel was chambered too deep from the manufacture... about .040" which is huge in chamber talk! .. Sooo, I had to set back the barrel flange, shorten the barrel tenon and send it to my Luger go to guy for a new extractor and ramp relief cuts.... Got it back, all the work very well done... and mounted and clocked the barrel properly, and hand cut the chamber to close perfectly on the go gauge.... all is going good so far, but, just at the bench test, I ended up replacing the extractor spring, and ejector just to work with dummy rounds... I noticed a welding repair to the end of the receiver fork on the left hand rear tine?? It caused a little drag but by and large all seemed well?... Off to the range... a couple of rounds no problem, then a smokestack jam??... cleared it and ran off three full mags, then the weird, for no reason jam?? Well, after quite a bit of inspection time, and together and apart drills.. I found that receiver fork was both slightly bent and twisted from the weld repair... This caused part of the lower receiver rail sometime to hit the frame rear center section causing a short recoil situation... hence a jam! Out came the receiver straightening tools.. a few hours later.. smooth as silk! Off to the range early next week to see if we have success..total success that is!! Best to all, til...lat'r....GT....

[RichSr]

I hope this isn't anyone I know

[G.T.]

Hi Rich, nawww, yours was a piece of cake compared to this thing.... ..... But, the fact remains, you learn by doing.. I don't consider the tough ones a problem, I feel as if they are a challenge! ... Been that way all my life... just never got it channeled correctly... ... Best to all, til..lat'r...GT

[G.T.]

Hi Rick, good to hear from you on this topic.. I have found head space to be fairly straight forward with new gauges and new sharp tools... All new Manson reamers... But, setting the shoulder back took some serious thought? I ended up using my barrel blocks and a four jaw chuck to zero out the barrel stub on my lathe.. I could then cut the flange, and test fit the receiver without having to dismount the barrel from the lathe.. I found that hand tight, extractor notch at about 10:00 or 11:00 O'clock works out fine as well.. Lot'sa little tricks and tooling acquired along the way... ....Lot'sa fun during the journey! ........ Best to you Rick! til...lat'r...GT...

[G.T.]

By the way! My machinist of old made me a "T" handle to tighten the receive onto the barrel,... every time I use it I almost burst out laughing, as it reminds me of the massive lock down handles they used on submarines and battleships!!! ....... I could re-barrel tiger tanks with this thing!! ( Now there's a thought!).... Best to all, til...lat'r...GT

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by G.T.

I have a Luger in from one of our forum members, and this thing has really been a challenge!!!! First, the barrel was chambered too deep ... about .040" which is huge in chamber talk! .. Sooo, I had to set back the barrel flange, shorten the barrel tenon and send it to my Luger go to guy for a new extractor and ramp relief cuts.... Got it back, all the work very well done... and mounted and clocked the barrel properly, and hand cut the chamber to close perfectly on the go gauge....GT....

GT,

This sounds very familiar to me....works wonderfully now!! Thanx again.

[G.T.]

Hi Richard! We got kinda lucky on yours! ..... when we fixed your luger all I knew for sure was, "Lefty Loosey, and righty tighty!" We've made some learning strides since then.. But, then as now, I'm not afraid of much,........ just need the tools!......... Your repair was most certainly a mid evil quest! And we came out with a win! Best to all, til...lat'r...GT

BTW Rick, I have had some recent barrel installations the snugged up at about 9 O'clock... had to tighten and loosen several times... just kept working them around... they've all come out tight & right, but I'm sure not much more can be done then the 9 to post 9 OC position, anything more, and I'll take a few off of the flange... Yes, my barrel blocks are 2" X 2" square and have a taper for the standard 4" barrel, it really works well....... Best to you, til..lat'r...GT

[G.T.]

Hi Rick, I can't tell if, by design or just by chance, the threads are pulling into 100% contact, orrr, the barrel shoulder has some crush to it when mating up?? I have never (yet) spun one to destruction! ....... all I'm sure of with my massive tiger tank tool type wrench! Is that they are really tight when I finally stop twisting on it!!! I can tell the receiver, although not glass hard, does have some heat treat and the face of the receiver usually shows little or no scuffing from the tightening.. the barrels on the other hand, easily spin in all the way to the flange after one session in the blocks. Where'as they went only about halfway by hand previous to the first torqueing.. I've got lots to learn yet, and am getting some rather large doses of experience whether I feel it necessary or not!!!...... But, I have to say, for the first time in my life, I actually love my work! ... Best to all, til..lat'r...GT

[G.T.]

Hi To all! It's beginning to feel like the Rocky movie series! I don't know which movie he won in, but for me, it was range test III......... Gun was 100% reliable thru 5 complete mags! Snappier and snottier both, you could feel it and also see it? How do you do that you ask,....... Well, it's like this.. when the receiver drags anywhere on the frame, it absorbs, delays or sluffs off some of the recoil energy... sooo, it produces a short recoil jam, or failure to lock open.. but, just barely, you can momentarily see the vertical real toggle just like a subliminal picture? Ghost image? When all is well, you don't notice the rear toggle at all... ... anyway, another one for the notebook! ... Thanks to all for your interest in this repair journey! Til .....lat'r......next one....GT

[G.T.]

Hello to all! Well, everything was going good until my problem child .30 Luger reached home! I tested the gun on a diet of WW .30 Luger, probably from the 60's or 70's... and that what it finally was using when I thought the tuning was complete! Wellll, not so fast Kemosabe......... The owner is using Fiocche .30 luger and the gun failed to perform on almost every level??? Look like more learning to be done?? What say our resident .30 shooters? Is this un-usual?... I did measure the OAL and the Fiocchi round was approx. .020" shorter... That would certainly not help.. but I think the culprit is not enough power?... Opinions & experiences welcomed! ... best to all, til...lat'r...GT
THERE'S MORE!
Just got a note that when switched back to WW ammo, worked like a charm!!! ..... so, how do we make it work on both??... Stay tuned! ...

[hansfischer007]

Well...guess its time for me to fess up.....GT worked on the Luger in Question for me........it came in yesterday and the workmanship on it is nothing short of Fantastic....A Beautiful Shooter.....1916 DWM now with a 6" Barrel.....photos will be posted later today......when it came in....immeadiately loaded up 4 mags with Fiocchi 93 Gr. FMJ....went out back of my shop with plans to shoot some mole hills......well...it just flat would not either load..shoot..eject..the whole 9 yards....I came back in and sent GT a note....he answered me back within minutes and Bless him..told me not to worry as he stands by his work..and we will get it working...in his note he mentioned using Winchester ammo.....at our last Military Show...the Dealer set up next to me sold me two yellow box Winchester ammo....93 gr. fmj...so I loaded up 3 mags and went again out back.....only one mishap this time...otherwise they just ripped right out...and locked open after last shot....so now Im going to use nothing but Winchester ammo.......who woulda thunk it.?....well maybe the Germans just don't like the Italians...even when it comes to ammo......to Recap..its a Beautiful shooter.....Thanks again GT......You are a heck of a Good Gunsmith.....Hans Fischer

[rhuff]

Glad to hear that the mystery has been solved. My Lugers have been ammo sensitive from the get go. The Fiocchi 93gr JSP ammo is a jam-a-matic in my 30 cal Lugers....the 93gr FMJ do just fine. I don't shoot a lot of the Winchester-Western ammo due to it's cost and I only have a few boxes of it. If memory serves(always a big question), the muzzle velocities between the two brands are very similar. As GT noted, the OAL is different, and can be a cause of problems.

If you have a box of Fiocchi JSP you might try those. Some folks on this forum have had good results with it, I didn't. These old Lugers are a "challenge" to say the least.

I am a handloader so I can adjust the OAL, bullet profile, powder type and load, etc. to try an fine the correct combo that these old sweeties want.

[ithacaartist]

My .30 Luger shooter is one that works with the JSP. I'd ordered a bunch online a couple of years ago. When it arrived it turned out not to be the FMJ that I had ordered, but the JSP. I fired off a cranky email to the seller, who merely suggested I try it first...and it actually did just fine. These are mysterious ol' gals.