1937 s/42 p08

[Clint1911]

Hi,

I’m new to this forum, having recently purchased a refinished 1937 Mauser P08. The weapon is a shooter and is in overall fine shape, but jams relatively often with 115 gr ammo (Winchester and Mag Tech). Compared to other guns, magazines seems to fit loosely, not as snug as I would expect. I have both new and “vintage” magazines, and both types jam. Could the magazine fit cause jamming ? Would replacing the mag latch help ? Or should I switch to a hotter load (e.g. 124 gr) ?

I really enjoy shooting this pistol, so hope I can find a fix. I’ll post pictures once the moderator approves my account.

Thanks for any advice !

Chuck Mosher

[mrerick]

It all depends on how the pistol is jamming.

Are you experiencing stovepipes? Ejection problems? Extraction problems? In what way is the magazine loose?

While some Lugers are ammo sensitive, they are all a rather precision balanced action. Timing depends on proper operation of many parts including the magazine follower spring, it's latched position in the magazine well, the cleanliness of the extraction well, the ejector and extractor not being chipped, the correct recoil spring and general lubrication and wear.

These are not as forgiving as other later pistol designs.

Addressing these issues sometimes takes a gunsmith with experience in operation and balancing of the Luger's action.

[Clint1911]

Thanks for the thoughts! Unless there is an obvious fix, I will send it off to a gunsmith. Jams are mainly extraction or ejection problems, with the casing becoming pinned by the slide. When magazines are inserted, you can move the magazine up and down a fraction of a mm, noticeable compared to other tolerances for this pistol.

It is indeed a precision balanced machine, compared to some of my other pieces from the same era!

I attach a picture of my 1940 Enfield No 2 Mk 1* for comparison, which is obviously British in construction. It was purchased for the fashion statement referenced in the second photo.

Chuck

[gunnertwo]

The only thing good about that movie was the Webley-Fosbery.

G2

[rolandtg]

Originally Posted by gunnertwo

The only thing good about that movie was the Webley-Fosbery.

G2

It also takes place in 2293, not 2019.

But back on topic, you mention you have new magazines.
What brand are they?
The Mec-Gar brand are recommended.

[mrerick]

Not many gunsmiths are familiar with the Luger mechanism. We have a member here, Luger Doc, who has this background. I would suggest you consult him.

[DonVoigt]

Chuck,
welcome to the board.
By all means try the 124 gr ammo, and another brand or two of 115 also.

Describe or show a picture of the "jam"- jams have several reasons for being and how they jam is a clue.

Be sure the pistol is well oiled and you are using a "stiff" hold.

And don't waste your time or money sending it to a "gunsmith". As noted above there are only one or two guys that can "fix" a luger in the US- JMHO. Anyone else is likely to do as much harm as good and cost you plenty to boot.

You can sort it out yourself.

Poor Sean Connery, I'll bet he tried to buy up all the pictures and copies of that film.
But everyone has to earn and start somewhere.

[4 Scale]

Your pistol looks very nice and WWII era Mauser Lugers like yours can make excellent shooters. I would second Don's comments, gunsmiths simply do not know Lugers well enough to fix issues like 'jams'.

I would suggest you take the pistol to the range, fire say 25 or 50 rounds through it, and take notes on exactly how many times and in what way it malfunctions. If you can take photos of the jams, and the cases that jam, that is also very valuable in diagnosing. They can be ammo sensitive so I'd suggest you try 124 gr. target loads (never put genuinely 'hot' ammo through a Luger).

The good news is Lugers can almost always be fixed so as to be reliable. And once fixed they tend to stay fixed. The more challenging ('bad'?) news is that it is a balanced system, with a basic design well over 100 years old, and there are lots of issues that can develop. So we need really detailed information on what is going on.

[Clint1911]

Great answers !

This forum appears to be a good one - helpful answers and an active community.

I will take your advice and do some documentation next time I am at the range. I enjoy sorting these things out myself, so I look forward to your help !

Chuck

[John Sabato]

It is possible that the magazine catch is worn and consequently holds the magazine a little lower than necessary for good reliable feeding. One way to test is to rest the gun in your off-hand for shooting and while doing so, exert some pressure upwards to make sure that the magazine sits as high as possible. If you find that you get reliable functioning shooting this way, try replacing the magazine catch. Or, the more expensive alternative would be to ship it to one of the competent Lugersmiths, like LugerDoc, or G.T. (who is the magazine expert... he can make your magazines better than new)… and have them tune your Luger to the magazines you own.