help

[triumph]

my luger stovepipes, emptys turn 180 degrees and locks between toggle and barrel. It will also hold open when there are still rounds in the mag (new & old).
Will I just need a new main spring and can I just bend the hold open spring?

[Roadkill]

Lugers are like that. I'll offer a few suggestions.

1. Insert three rounds in magazine. Pull toggle ALL the way to the rear. Let go. If it chambers repeatedly then its most likely not the magazine. If it doesn't chamber then its the magazine or the overall length of the round. Keep replacing magazines, magazine springs, and try different bullets until it chambers every time.

2. When it does chamber, pull toggle ALL the way to the rear. Does it eject every time? If they feed in right then they should eject if everything else is ok.

3. Take to range, put in one round without magazine. Fire. Did it eject? If it stovepiped or hung up then the toggle isn't going back far enough. You need more powerful ammo or a weaker mainspring.

4. When it fires singly without magazine every time the put one round in magazine, pull toggle ALL the way back, release. Did it chamber? If not
clean and grease the inside rails and bolt sides. I had to polish and use a rubbing compound on a mismatched Erfurt until it smoothed out. If you work the toggle slowly in you can feel the tight spots.

5. When it fires with one round in the magazine, every time, then add one, two, ect. Mine will never jam with five, occasionally with six, and 25% with any over that.

Good luck!

rk

[AGE]

When my 1936 shooter gets dirty, I get jams like you have described, the empty turns 180 degrees and gets stuck between the barrel and toggle. If it is reasonably clean (no powder residue) and well lubed, it works fine now (with Wallmart Winchester) for 100-200 rounds. Earlier I had to clean after 50 rounds--I guess it's getting broken in.

[Dwight Gruber]

It is necessary to shoot a Luger with a very firm hand. Anything approaching a "limp wrist" will soak up recoil impetus necessary to operate the action.

--Dwight

[triumph]

thanks for the pointers.it dose work better without a full mag,but what would cause it to hold open with a round in the still mag.i have been extra carfull about a good grip when fireing.anybody know of a good gunsmith in miami just in case?

[lugerholsterrepair]

Triumph, Take a close look at your holdopen spring. It is in the handle of the pistol after the barell is removed from it. To remove it, lift up gently and pull to the rear. Before removing it, look to see how much height it has and if the end that connects to the bolt face is spalled or otherwise damaged.Be sure you clean out the well where the spring rests. This area is ignored by all but the most knowledgeable Luger enthusiasts. You can insert a magazine to see it operate. Also the mag may be part of your problem. Highly unlikely that the mag hole is out of place but try another mag to be sure. If you have another Luger you can perhaps compare the two to see if this spring is pushing the stop too high.You could also exchange springs to see if another one works better. You can gently bend this spring to achieve proper height but be very careful as it can be broken quite easily. I have seen several of these springs for sale on Ebay lately or you could probably get one from Tom Heller. I have always found that half of the joy of shooting and owning a Luger is to discover how it operates and play around to try and fix the problems. You must have patience, but to me that is one of the more interesting aspects of this hobby. Good Luck! Jerry Burney

[Dwight Gruber]

As far as holding open with a round still in the magazine is concerned, it has begun to happen to me, too, in the S/42 I shoot, so I have been interested to see the results of this question. I use three different Mec-Gar magazines, and it has only started to occur recently, and then only with one magazine.

May be about time to clean my guns...

--Dwight

[G.W. Gill]

Just a shot in the dark. I have had problems with the angle of the top round as it leaves the mag. The top of my mags sometimes get out of line ( a little too narrow or a little too wide ). Most of the time just a little bend in on the obvious two surfaces gets the mag back in sync. One has to be sure of the above mentioned springs. And not be rough in the storage of mags like I have been. <img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" />

[lugerholsterrepair]

G.W. Gill is right. I have had to bend the lips of mags to keep the last cartridge from angling up. Just a light tap will generally do it. you do not want to be agressive here. Come to think of it this might be part of this problem. If the mag lips are spread too much this might leave the cartridge too high in the mag causing the holdopen to raise just enough to catch...Jerry Burney