spring issues

[wglowrey]

I have a 9mm luger that jams on every round. The toggle moves back far enough to eject the spent round but catches the next round in the middle before it can even be chambered.

I have read that taking some coils off the main spring (might be wrong) can do the trick for a .30 cal luger, but have no clue if that will work for a 9mm. As of right now the main spring has 22 coils on it.

Any help would be appreciated and thank you for taking time to read this.

[Mauser720]

wglowry -

I personally do not think it is a good idea to start cutting coils off of the main spring, although someone may disagree.

Many failure to feed issues can be corrected with a good magazine. Try using a modern Mec Gar brand magazine. You can get them from Luger Doc on this Forum.

Although you did not mention it, another issue can be the ammo you are using. Everyone seems to have good luck using Winchester "white box" ammo.

Perhaps one or both of these suggestions will help.

[newluger]

I had a similar problem with a P-38. It had two magazines, one was O.K., the other jamed as you described. It turned out that the walls of the second magazine were caved in a little. A little rework, and everything worked fine. As far as your Luger, I would try a Mec Gar from Luger Doc. as suggested, befor performing any surgery. I'm sure you can always use an extra magazine and they are not that expensive.

Newluger

[wglowrey]

The magazine I am using is a modern mec gar with an over powered wolff spring in it. I originally thought the problem was the mag spring was too weak, but it appears it is more than that.

As for ammo I have tried S&B, Winchester Whitebox, Remington, American Eagle, and Independence. Various grains of most of those brands too. The results are always the same.

[mrerick]

I had a similar "stovepipe" problem with my 1917 Erfurt.

I did replace springs with new Wolff springs, but the real fix was to shift to lower power ammo.

It stovepiped with commercial 115gn, but started to run just fine with reduced power reloads (4.0gn of Titegroup behind a 115gn FMJ instead of 4.7gn).

Marc

[markbritt]

wglowrey:

I too have had feed issues with some of my lugers (esp the longer barrels) and have a solution that has worked for me. First, I replace the coil spring with a new Wolff spring and give it a shot - it will probably do the same thing. Then, I remove one coil of the spring and try it. By doing this, you will tune that spring in to work every time. For example, I have a 16" barrel luger/stock combo and it always jammed. I ended up taking 4 coils off before I noticed it was starting to improve. I remove 1 more (total of 5) and the gun functions absolutely flawlessly. Now, I do reload 9mm, so my rounds are always consistant. If I used a different make of ammo, I could not say that this long barrel would react the same. Anyway, for what it is worth, it worked for me.

Hope this helps
Mark

[wglowrey]

markbritt:

What is your set-up for reloading 9mm. And I know that question is awkwardly worded. But I'm asking what grain bullet, how much powder, do you cast your own bullets or buy them, and what is the OAL?

I think I am going to start reloading to see if it helps any to make a bullet to perfectly fit my luger and any advice you could give me would help a lot.

[JD]

I have had similar problems with a Finnish M23 luger, and found that the problem was not too strong of mainspring, but rather too weak of a mainspring. Your luger is cycling so fast that the magazine does not have sufficient time to get the next round in place before the bolt over-rides it, causing the jams you are seeing. I too tried good mags with very strong springs (Interarms Mauser mags), but that did not solve the problem.

There are two solutions for you. The first is to switch to a lower powered ammo. I have some old S&B ammo that fires a 115 grain bullet at a chronographed 1000 fps, and it functioned perfectly in my gun. The lower power ammo caused the action to cycle slower, allowing the magazine time to push the next round up in time for the bolt to pick it up.

The other solution is the one that I chose to allow me to use my standard 9mm P handload, which was to replace the mainspring with a new Wolfe mainspring. The new mainspring is noticeably stronger than the original mainspring. Before replacing the mainspring, my Finnish would jam as you described with Winchester white box, and most other standard ammo. After replacing the mainspring it functions fine with the same ammo. Apparently, the stronger mainspring slows down the functioning cycle enough to allow the next cartridge to get into the correct position before the bolt closes on it...

These are just my experiences, but they may be a help for you.

JD

[MFC]

Will,
Put a piece of freezer tape on the back of the frame, where the rear toggle hits it. Fire one round and check the tape. When it is functioning correctly, the tape should have a dent in it. If the tape is smashed and torn through, the mainspring is too weak. If the tape is very slightly dented or not dented at all, the mainspring is to strong. This will give you a starting point, so you'll know which direction to go.

[markbritt]

Sent you a PM

Mark

[wglowrey]

That tape trick is an amazing idea. Kudos for posting it!

Apparently the spring is way too weak, the tape was destroyed.

Thanks to all who posted and helped me figure this out!

[Mauser720]

wglowrey -

In the General Information section of this Forum there are instructions posted by Thor on how to remove the mainspring if you are not already aware of the procedure.

[coto129]

I have the same problem .. my luger, every 5 0 6 shots, does not load well the following bullet . That is, new spring of Wolff?
M.C's checking .... I do not understand it ... does someone help me?

Thanks
Antonio

[MFC]

Antonio,
I'm sorry I don't speak Spanish. I hope someone can translate it for you.
PS. the tape trick also works when trying to find the correct loaded bullet for your Luger.

[Mauser720]

Antonio -

This is a computer translation (English to Spanish) of the post by MFC - Mike C. above. Please see if this helps.

Un trozo del congelador cinta sobre la espalda del marco, donde la parte trasera toggle hits. Fuego una vuelta y comprobar la cinta. Cuando está funcionando correctamente, la cinta deberá tener una mella en él. Si la cinta es destrozado y desgarrado mediante, el principal motor es demasiado débil. Si la cinta es muy ligeramente mellado o no mellado en todos, el motor es fuerte. Esto le dará un punto de partida, así podrás saber qué dirección a ir.

[coto129]

Thank you for your effort Mauser 720 ... I believe that my translator is a bit mad.


Regards

[alanint]

Antonio,

Lo que pasa es que al usar el termino "cinta de congelador" se confundio todo.
La sugerencia es la siguiente:
Colocar una cinta adhesiva, (no tiene que ser "de congelador") horizontalmente en la parte trasera del ensamble superior de la pistola. Justo arriba del alambre usado para la correa de retencion de la pistola. En este sitio, al recorrer el carrete, marcara esta cinta, rompiendola cuando el tiro tenga demasiada potencia y dejandola sin marca cuando el tiro sea demasiado debil. Idealmente el carrete dejara una leve impresion en la cinta. Asi uno sabe que el tiro es el ideal para esa arma en particular.

[coto129]

Gracias alanint .... su esfuerzo también es de agradecer ... es de cinta adhesiva .. Tengo todavía lo tenía claro ...
*Creo que esto tendria que ver para aprender

It will travel one morning to see it in person



Regards..
Antonio

[alanint]

Can anybody repost a photo of the tape placed on the back of the upper receiver, showing the mark of a proper load for Antonio?

I think a visual prompt will go a long way toward his understanding of the concept.