new to Lugers--sideplate issue

Alx · 05-28-2007, 01:11 PM

I have done the following fix with good results on several Lugers with side-plate looseness. Only if you are confident of your manual dexterity, judgement, and mechanical skill would I recommend it.
With the side-plate removed from the gun, I bent the sideplate tang outward a bit so the take-down lever would hold the sideplate more tightly against the frame. The sideplate is not hardened like some of the other parts, so the bending can be done if carefully and properly. I tapped on it with a hammer and the plastic handle of a screwdriver between to protect the metal from surface damage. The sideplate was supported at the edges to allow the joining area between the square and the tang to be bent downwards, in effect bending the tang upwards. First carefully examine and study the angle or lack of angle between the tang and the rest of the plate. Then, do one tap at a time, and visually recheck the angle, and if it has minutely changed, re-assemble the gun and dry-fire to check function.
If the gun still misbehaves with a tight sideplate, the next thing is the lever. Figure out what is going on with the lever, ... is it not pushing the trigger bar enough, or is the lever not allowing the disconnect to re-set ?
Either a more closed angle trigger lever, or a more open angled one is needed, and this part is hardened, not bendable unless you are able to re-temper metals and know exactly what you are doing. Getting a different trigger lever is a better answer. For me, it was a crapshoot, buying this part, several of them, and finding the proper difference. Spool the trigger levers onto the lever pin to check the angles, holding one leg even and comparing the angle of the other leg.
You alone are responsible for, and able to judge the safety of working on your gun, and if this explanation is not clear or helpful after looking at the gun and thinking about it, it is best left to a Luger smith after all.

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05-28-2007, 01:11 PM	#7
Alx User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Nashville, Tennessee area Posts: 263 Thanks: 5 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	I have done the following fix with good results on several Lugers with side-plate looseness. Only if you are confident of your manual dexterity, judgement, and mechanical skill would I recommend it. With the side-plate removed from the gun, I bent the sideplate tang outward a bit so the take-down lever would hold the sideplate more tightly against the frame. The sideplate is not hardened like some of the other parts, so the bending can be done if carefully and properly. I tapped on it with a hammer and the plastic handle of a screwdriver between to protect the metal from surface damage. The sideplate was supported at the edges to allow the joining area between the square and the tang to be bent downwards, in effect bending the tang upwards. First carefully examine and study the angle or lack of angle between the tang and the rest of the plate. Then, do one tap at a time, and visually recheck the angle, and if it has minutely changed, re-assemble the gun and dry-fire to check function. If the gun still misbehaves with a tight sideplate, the next thing is the lever. Figure out what is going on with the lever, ... is it not pushing the trigger bar enough, or is the lever not allowing the disconnect to re-set ? Either a more closed angle trigger lever, or a more open angled one is needed, and this part is hardened, not bendable unless you are able to re-temper metals and know exactly what you are doing. Getting a different trigger lever is a better answer. For me, it was a crapshoot, buying this part, several of them, and finding the proper difference. Spool the trigger levers onto the lever pin to check the angles, holding one leg even and comparing the angle of the other leg. You alone are responsible for, and able to judge the safety of working on your gun, and if this explanation is not clear or helpful after looking at the gun and thinking about it, it is best left to a Luger smith after all.