Trigger not dropping hammer...

crotter · 02-08-2008, 04:14 AM

Greetings,

today I picked up my first luger (1918 Erfurt). It was working perfectly when I got it home, (cycling a round in the chamber, and going "click" when the trigger was pulled.

After browsing tutorial videos on how to strip it down I took the gun apart with no problems, oiled and cleaned it up, and then put it back together.

It seems fine, except when I squeeze the trigger now it will not actuate the hammer and make it go "click". The only way to make it work is if I squeeze the frame by the side plate as I squeeze the trigger.

It seems like when the trigger actuates the little swivel it is not pressing down on the mechanism hard enough to let it go...

Sorry for the poor description, but I am new to lugers and dont really know the proper names/ terms yet...

Anyways, I am a bit concerned as to why my Luger is acting up...

I have spent about 2 hours taking it apart and reassembling it step by step but I just cannot figure this out! I'm afraid its going to have to go back to the shop I bought it from... what a bummer as I really wanted to take it to the range this weekend!

Anyways, has anyone ever experienced this? Maybe I just screwed something up...

thanks,

CHRIS

Heinz · 02-08-2008, 06:27 AM

You may have put the trigger lever pin in the sideplate upside down. The dogleg in the pin goes to the up side.

StarOfTheWest · 02-08-2008, 07:45 AM

Lugers should never be dry fired.
Hopefully nothing is broken.

Lugerdoc · 02-08-2008, 09:44 AM

Chances are that you reinstalled the side plate incorrectly. Make sure that the ridge at the rear fits INTO the slot in the frame. I figure that you are new to lugers, as their is no hammer in there. TH

John Sabato · 02-08-2008, 10:05 AM

TAC... In the past I have found specific weapons where it was possible to close the takedown lever on an incorrectly installed sideplate. It usually happens with an abused takedown lever that has been prodded by a well intentioned screwdriver to try and get it open without raising the toggle.

Crotter, with the top half of the luger assembled and not attached to the grip frame you should be able to work the toggle and then release the striker (firing pin) by pressing on the front of the sear bar in the same place that the L-shaped trigger lever in the sideplate does. If you can do this consistently, then the top half should be okay.

Next thing to try is assembly of the side plate on the lower grip frame without the upper assembly installed. In this way you can watch the movement of the L-shaped lever. Is the lever or the sideplate loose when it is installed without the top half of the gun installed? If it is loose, this can contribute to your problem.

Try these things and report back your findings and we will guide you through to a resolution of your problem if at all possible without the gun being in a trained luger gunsmiths hands.

crotter · 02-08-2008, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by John Sabato
TAC... In the past I have found specific weapons where it was possible to close the takedown lever on an incorrectly installed sideplate. It usually happens with an abused takedown lever that has been prodded by a well intentioned screwdriver to try and get it open without raising the toggle.

Crotter, with the top half of the luger assembled and not attached to the grip frame you should be able to work the toggle and then release the striker (firing pin) by pressing on the front of the sear bar in the same place that the L-shaped trigger lever in the sideplate does. If you can do this consistently, then the top half should be okay.

Next thing to try is assembly of the side plate on the lower grip frame without the upper assembly installed. In this way you can watch the movement of the L-shaped lever. Is the lever or the sideplate loose when it is installed without the top half of the gun installed? If it is loose, this can contribute to your problem.

Try these things and report back your findings and we will guide you through to a resolution of your problem if at all possible without the gun being in a trained luger gunsmiths hands.

Thank you all for the support!
I'm sorry for sounding foolish, I do not know what I was thinking when I said "hammer" lol
I guess its just cause I had been fiddling with the luger for a couple hours past my bedtime when I made the original post!

Anyways, I can say that following Johns advice, I know that the top half is ok, because whenever I press the sear bar the striker will release consistently without trouble.

It seems like whenever the trigger is pulled, the "L shaped lever" just isn't pushing the sear bar enough to release the striker. Strangely enough if i apply just a light amount of pressure on the side of the frame near the sideplate while squeezing the trigger it works fine. (hope that makes sense)

Unfortunately I'm at work now, without the Luger in front of me, so I cannot really do anything with it until this evening...

I will report with further info tonight when I'm home!

Just wanted to say one more time thankyou very much, I really appreciate the communities support for a new enthusiast!

CHRISTIAN

paradox998 · 02-08-2008, 05:24 PM

HI:

I had a similar problem last week at the range. I cleaned my 1918 DWM and put in a non-matching firing pin in order to avoid the chance of breaking the matching firing pin. Everything seemed fine until I tried to fire it. The trigger would not release the firing pin. I finally traced it back to the new firing pin. Apparently the sear did not clear the rear of the firing pin to allow it to slide forward and strike the primer. I put the old firing pin back in and it functions fine. Visually both pins look identical, but apparently even a very small difference in the length of the "hold back" on top of the firing pin is enough to hinder operation. Check your firing pin and see if it is original. If you can find another firing pin, try replacing the existing one and see if that helps. Good Luck

crotter · 02-09-2008, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by paradox998
HI:

I had a similar problem last week at the range. I cleaned my 1918 DWM and put in a non-matching firing pin in order to avoid the chance of breaking the matching firing pin. Everything seemed fine until I tried to fire it. The trigger would not release the firing pin. I finally traced it back to the new firing pin. Apparently the sear did not clear the rear of the firing pin to allow it to slide forward and strike the primer. I put the old firing pin back in and it functions fine. Visually both pins look identical, but apparently even a very small difference in the length of the "hold back" on top of the firing pin is enough to hinder operation. Check your firing pin and see if it is original. If you can find another firing pin, try replacing the existing one and see if that helps. Good Luck

Interesting... My firing pin (striker?) is un-numbered, as far as I can tell it only has the crown stamp...

Either way, tomorrow my new Luger will be going back to the shop where the owner (a very competent Luger Tech) can help me sort it out. Thanks again everyone, I will come back to this thread and let everyone know what the issue was!

CHRISTIAN

crotter · 02-09-2008, 09:37 PM

update!

Well I took my Luger in, had the master check it out, and it is working as it should!

I guess he replaced a take-down lever spring with a stiffer one, and polished the face of the sear bar just enough to allow it to work consistently.

Anyways, this is work I definitely felt more comfortable letting an experienced Luger mechanic take care of (especially modifying the sear bar)

Thanks again for everyones input, hopefully this info can help another beginner enthusiast some day.

Good evening,

CHRISTIAN

02-08-2008, 04:14 AM	#1
crotter User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 14 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Trigger not dropping hammer... Greetings, today I picked up my first luger (1918 Erfurt). It was working perfectly when I got it home, (cycling a round in the chamber, and going "click" when the trigger was pulled. After browsing tutorial videos on how to strip it down I took the gun apart with no problems, oiled and cleaned it up, and then put it back together. It seems fine, except when I squeeze the trigger now it will not actuate the hammer and make it go "click". The only way to make it work is if I squeeze the frame by the side plate as I squeeze the trigger. It seems like when the trigger actuates the little swivel it is not pressing down on the mechanism hard enough to let it go... Sorry for the poor description, but I am new to lugers and dont really know the proper names/ terms yet... Anyways, I am a bit concerned as to why my Luger is acting up... I have spent about 2 hours taking it apart and reassembling it step by step but I just cannot figure this out! I'm afraid its going to have to go back to the shop I bought it from... what a bummer as I really wanted to take it to the range this weekend! Anyways, has anyone ever experienced this? Maybe I just screwed something up... thanks, CHRIS

02-08-2008, 07:45 AM	#3
StarOfTheWest User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Texas, CSA Posts: 208 Thanks: 81 Thanked 15 Times in 12 Posts	Lugers should never be dry fired. Hopefully nothing is broken. __________________ Sorry, I take that back. I have no problem with the horse you rode in on.

02-08-2008, 09:44 AM	#4
Lugerdoc Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: POB 398 St.Charles,MO. 63302 Posts: 5,089 Thanks: 6 Thanked 736 Times in 483 Posts	Chances are that you reinstalled the side plate incorrectly. Make sure that the ridge at the rear fits INTO the slot in the frame. I figure that you are new to lugers, as their is no hammer in there. TH __________________ Tom Heller POB 398 ST.Charles, MO. 63302 Tel 636-447-3006 lugerdoc@charter.net

02-08-2008, 10:05 AM	#5
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,152 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,304 Times in 1,096 Posts	unreliable striker release causes TAC... In the past I have found specific weapons where it was possible to close the takedown lever on an incorrectly installed sideplate. It usually happens with an abused takedown lever that has been prodded by a well intentioned screwdriver to try and get it open without raising the toggle. Crotter, with the top half of the luger assembled and not attached to the grip frame you should be able to work the toggle and then release the striker (firing pin) by pressing on the front of the sear bar in the same place that the L-shaped trigger lever in the sideplate does. If you can do this consistently, then the top half should be okay. Next thing to try is assembly of the side plate on the lower grip frame without the upper assembly installed. In this way you can watch the movement of the L-shaped lever. Is the lever or the sideplate loose when it is installed without the top half of the gun installed? If it is loose, this can contribute to your problem. Try these things and report back your findings and we will guide you through to a resolution of your problem if at all possible without the gun being in a trained luger gunsmiths hands. __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

02-08-2008, 06:27 AM	#2
Heinz User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Greenville SC Posts: 1,004 Thanks: 377 Thanked 410 Times in 180 Posts	You may have put the trigger lever pin in the sideplate upside down. The dogleg in the pin goes to the up side.

02-08-2008, 05:24 PM	#7
paradox998 User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: South Florida Posts: 105 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	HI: I had a similar problem last week at the range. I cleaned my 1918 DWM and put in a non-matching firing pin in order to avoid the chance of breaking the matching firing pin. Everything seemed fine until I tried to fire it. The trigger would not release the firing pin. I finally traced it back to the new firing pin. Apparently the sear did not clear the rear of the firing pin to allow it to slide forward and strike the primer. I put the old firing pin back in and it functions fine. Visually both pins look identical, but apparently even a very small difference in the length of the "hold back" on top of the firing pin is enough to hinder operation. Check your firing pin and see if it is original. If you can find another firing pin, try replacing the existing one and see if that helps. Good Luck

02-09-2008, 09:37 PM	#9
crotter User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 14 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	update! Well I took my Luger in, had the master check it out, and it is working as it should! I guess he replaced a take-down lever spring with a stiffer one, and polished the face of the sear bar just enough to allow it to work consistently. Anyways, this is work I definitely felt more comfortable letting an experienced Luger mechanic take care of (especially modifying the sear bar) Thanks again for everyones input, hopefully this info can help another beginner enthusiast some day. Good evening, CHRISTIAN