Help - My friend can't get his Luger back together

[DougB]

A friend of mine has a Luger (made in 1938 I think) that he inherited from his dad (been in the family since WWII I think). It was in good working order (we've shot it a few times), but he showed it to a guy who, to demonstrate his expertise, took it apart (just basic field strip). Now we can't get it back together. We found instructions on the web, and everyting seems clear and correct, except the takedown pin won't go all the way through (so it can't pivot up into the closed position). Something's blocking it, but we can't see what it would be. The end of the pin fits fine into the hole on the opposite side of the frame, but when pushed through from the correct direction, it won't go into it. There appears to be a small wire spring that comes up into a small groove in the pin, but everything looks like it should work - it just won't go in. Is this common? Is there some trick to it? Do we need a mallet to pound it in? (I hope not). Obviously we are rookies when it comes to Lugers (though we are very familiar with other firearms). Thanks.

Doug

PS - I have to admit, that Luger is an interesting handgun. Seeing the design and construction make me want one myself. Until I handled this one, I'd never really thought about them much, but I can certainly understand their attraction.