Couple of questions

[danielsand]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Daniel, you don't say what the tape looked like...Was it just 'kissed' by the toggle, or was the tape mashed flat???

I'm not a big proponent of the tape test. I've attached a pic of three of my Lugers showing the impact area of the rear toggle 'ducktail'...

First is a 1900AE, very pronounced impact area, you can actually feel the depression with your fingernail...Indicative of many years of 'hot' load hammering (or a failed mainspring * )...

Second is a 1937 S/42 [Mauser] with what I consider 'normal' wear...

Third is a refinished commercial which was fired only 10 - 15 times w/'target' loads following the re-blue...

If your frame is close to my second frame then I would not be too concerned about firing Winchester White Box 'target' ammunition in it...

* 1900's have a flat 2-piece mainspring

Mine looks like your middle one. Two spots where the blue is gone, no indentation. 40# spring is on the way (cheap!), and we'll see what happens. My pistol also has PRONOUNCED (to the point of the metal deformation) impact areas on both "ramps" (a little more on the left than right). I got the pistol in this state. Both toggle knobs have the blue worn off at the area of the impact. This did not happen with me firing 50 rounds out of it, and it shoots to POA. Next time I fire it, I'll clean the metal with alcohol, and appy the "white out" (the tape kind) on all this, and observe. ANY impact should be easy to see.