Newbie With First Luger:

[gvf]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

I'm in Niagara County and our process is exactly like Dave describes here -



...And only then can you take it home. If bought out of state and shipped to your FFL receiver, no state/county sales tax [8%].

We pay the FFL receiver for the FFL transfer & NICS check, not the permit clerk. Registration is $3.00 per visit (any number of additions/subtractions). We just changed over to the plastic wallet-sized permit cards. And they keep changing them (thumbprint, no thumbprint; full page, bordered; etc).

Is Dianne Arnett still the Erie County Pistol Permit Clerk??? Or one of the clerks???

I've never seen her unless she's at a desk. They're used to be a real nice guy who seemed in charge, African American older man, couldn't be nicer. I find all those who work in the Permit Office are very friendly and helpful. Yes we pay the Permit Office the same for paperwork. We just have the plastic card with photo and profession, no prints, and any County restrictions that are put on it. Mine is "Unrestricted".

For those not familiar with NY State Permits, the State Permit is for Carry, but counties are given leeway to put restrictions on permits, like "Target and Hunting Only". They are county ordinances not state gun law. Some counties use them, some don't, and some, like mine, after a year of a restriction are pretty willing to take that off and the Permit becomes Unrestricted.

[Sergio Natali]

Jerry

I usually go to the range at least once or twice a week (not with Lugers though), if we were talking about dry firing a GLOCK I would say don't worry too much, but we are talking about a vintage Luger.
Modern metallurgy has enabled engineers to produce stronger steel, but especially vintage guns like yours were not really designed for dry firing, so why should you take any risk?
Snap caps allow you to fire nearly any weapon without risk of damage to your firing pin, or any other part of the firearm, so get yourself a set of snap caps, they are cheap and will help you to preserve an old gun that surely is not that cheap.
My 2 cents.

Regards


Sergio

[John Sabato]

Dry firing a Luger once in a while may be okay, but certainly not a steady diet of dry-firing. That is NOT recommended.

Snap Caps as Sergio has recommended is the way to go... if you don't have any, you can use a fired empty case to soften the impact of the firing pin...

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

Snap Caps as Sergio has recommended is the way to go... if you don't have any, you can use a fired empty case to soften the impact of the firing pin...

If, like me, you don't want to alarm anyone at your local gunshop, just stick & hold a long/new pencil w/eraser into the barrel until the eraser hits the breech, then dry fire it into the eraser. You'll feel it hit.

(Sometimes I shoot the pencil into the air...)

Doesn't work with 7.65 Lugers.

[gvf]

What's good 9mm ammo for that caliber Luger. I read it should be between 115gr and 124gr. But I've also read you need something stronger than usual.

It's FMJ I know; what shape bullet is best? Round nose?

Thanks, wanna get that right before I shoot it.

Also, I've read Lugers are not the most reliable shooters/ That true?

[SteveM]

Anyone else notice that the witness mark doesn't exactly line up?
Nice one, BTW.

[Dwight Gruber]

Originally Posted by SteveM

Anyone else notice that the witness mark doesn't exactly line up?

Alphabet Commercials always came from the factory in 7.65mm/.30 Luger cal. They were rebarreled in 9mm for police use. This affects the witness mark.

--Dwight

[gvf]

Originally Posted by Dwight Gruber

Alphabet Commercials always came from the factory in 7.65mm/.30 Luger cal. They were rebarreled in 9mm for police use. This affects the witness mark.

--Dwight

So, is that true of mine? Do you know who the manufacturer could have been. I've yet to find the gun's S/N listed anywhere, though I believe a poster in another web forum has a "Blank Toggle" and has run across my serial somewhere. I wrote him but no response as yet.

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by gvf

So, is that true of mine? Do you know who the manufacturer could have been. I've yet to find the gun's S/N listed anywhere, though I believe a poster in another web forum has a "Blank Toggle" and has run across my serial somewhere. I wrote him but no response as yet.

I do believe I answered this on the other forum, well actually it was earlier in this thread , but will try again.

The manufacturer would have been DWM or as it has been pointed out at that time it was BKIW.

Your serial number is in the range that DWM produced, don't expect to find the individual number listed . If someone listed all the numbers there would be thousands.

The numbers ran from 1 to 9999 and then 1 to 9999 with an "a" under it, then 1 to 9999 with a "b" under, etc. the letters went all the way to "v" , IIRC.

So there are a 'bunch' of alphabet commercial P 08s out there,
some with original 7.65mm barrels and others re-barreled to 9mm P, and later ones made a 9mm P. I believe your pistol in the "u" block was made originally as a 9 mm.

Your pistol 4685 u is now called called a '29 commercial, being made in about 1929. It was made in 9mm P according to most sources. They were formerly called "Sneaks" as many or most have a blank chamber and blank middle toggle.
The pistol was sold via the Weimar army or directly to the Weimar police, who added the sear and iit became identifiable as a police pistol.

I have pistol 4506 u. In Mr. Grubers book, Police Lugers, a close pistol number 4583 u is listed in the observed '29 commercials.
It has markings similar to yours and is also marked to the Schupo of Merseburg, see page 133 in Police Lugers by Tinker and Gruber.

I do hope now you can stop searching for a "listing" of your number, as I said Mr. Gruber will likely add your number to his list and if published again in may in fact make a list!

[gvf]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

I do believe I answered this on the other forum, well actually it was earlier in this thread , but will try again.

The manufacturer would have been DWM or as it has been pointed out at that time it was BKIW.

Your serial number is in the range that DWM produced, don't expect to find the individual number listed . If someone listed all the numbers there would be thousands.

The numbers ran from 1 to 9999 and then 1 to 9999 with an "a" under it, then 1 to 9999 with a "b" under, etc. the letters went all the way to "v" , IIRC.

So there are a 'bunch' of alphabet commercial P 08s out there,
some with original 7.65mm barrels and others re-barreled to 9mm P, and later ones made a 9mm P. I believe your pistol in the "u" block was made originally as a 9 mm.

Your pistol 4685 u is now called called a '29 commercial, being made in about 1929. It was made in 9mm P according to most sources. They were formerly called "Sneaks" as many or most have a blank chamber and blank middle toggle.
The pistol was sold via the Weimar army or directly to the Weimar police, who added the sear and iit became identifiable as a police pistol.

I have pistol 4506 u. In Mr. Grubers book, Police Lugers, a close pistol number 4583 u is listed in the observed '29 commercials.
It has markings similar to yours and is also marked to the Schupo of Merseburg, see page 133 in Police Lugers by Tinker and Gruber.

I do hope now you can stop searching for a "listing" of your number, as I said Mr. Gruber will likely add your number to his list and if published again in may in fact make a list!

Somehow I missed this post and am most grateful I recovered it!
Thank you very much!

[Dwight Gruber]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwight Gruber View Post
Alphabet Commercials always came from the factory in 7.65mm/.30 Luger cal. They were rebarreled in 9mm for police use. This affects the witness mark.

--Dwight

Originally Posted by gvf

So, is that true of mine?

Your Luger is a police pistol in 9mm, so, yes.

--Dwight

[Don M]

Originally Posted by Dwight Gruber

Alphabet Commercials always came from the factory in 7.65mm/.30 Luger cal. They were rebarreled in 9mm for police use. This affects the witness mark.

Dwight, my observations suggest that at least some of those manufactured for the police in 1928-29, after the departure of the IMKK, were originally manufactured with 9-mm barrels. Many of these show absolutely no signs of re-barreling. Apparently, DWM began ignoring the restrictions once there was no enforcement.

[Dwight Gruber]

Originally Posted by Don M

Dwight, my observations suggest that at least some of those manufactured for the police in 1928-29, after the departure of the IMKK, were originally manufactured with 9-mm barrels. Many of these show absolutely no signs of re-barreling. Apparently, DWM began ignoring the restrictions once there was no enforcement.

Don,

I don't think we are going to come to an agreement about this one.

--Dwight

[Don M]

Originally Posted by Dwight Gruber

I don't think we are going to come to an agreement about this one.

Dwight, this wouldn't be as much fun if we agreed on everything. I've learned so much as a result of our "discussionments."

Originally Posted by gvf

A good point is raised, in 1929 Hitler was not yet in power and the poster who brought this up stated that the "Sneaks" started with the "g" Lugers. I know zip about "g" Lugers.

Since the Alphabet DWMs began with the suffix "i", I question this poster's knowledge of the subject.

[DavidJayUden]

What's good 9mm ammo for that caliber Luger. I read it should be between 115gr and 124gr. But I've also read you need something stronger than usual.
It's FMJ I know; what shape bullet is best? Round nose?
Thanks, wanna get that right before I shoot it.
Also, I've read Lugers are not the most reliable shooters/ That true?

Don't go Plus P or NATO, just Winchester white box or even Sellier and Beloit. Round nose FMJ is fine. The hyper velocity stuff is hard on the old girls...
They may not be as smooth functioning as Glocks, etc, but set up correctly with good mags and ammo Lugers can be quite reliable and WAY more fun to shoot. But it sometimes takes some experimenting to get there.
dju

[gvf]

To all, my next task is to learn my new digital camera well enough to take and post some photos.

--------------------------------------------
The only boo-boo I see on the gun to date is small chip upper left of one grip, makes that grip move slightly when you grip the gun, about 1/8th" back and forth. I cleaned the grips but they are pretty dark wood anyway. The wood is as dry as a desert. I'll put some conditioner on them.

The parts I can see, on top of the Seller's photos of various parts, all show the same number. The mag though has no number. So I don't know if it's original but I have a sense it is, same condition as the rest of the gun and if all the other parts match it's an indication the mag does as well. It's steel "color" with wood insert at bottom including the "circle of wood".

There's a good bit of finish left. Based on that I'd say the gun was not shot a lot. I still need to take it down and clean/lube. It looks pretty good in there, almost like it was cleaned and lubed recently - or just not worn much.

[gvf]

Here is an interesting page on the 1929 Police Lugers from Luger Gun-boards. You may already know it. It deals with
1929 "u" suffix Ländjagerei P.08's. [sic]. I think of some of you posted on it. Keep in mind the thread refers to specific examples of this group of guns.

The photos attached I can't view. Has to do with Gun-boards screwing up my registration, an attempt made some weeks past.

A good point is raised, in 1929 Hitler was not yet in power and the poster who brought this up stated that the "Sneaks" started with the "g" Lugers. I know zip about "g" Lugers. Of course the then German Gov't could have started some rearmament themselves with Nazi influence which in '29 was a gathering force, and more so after the Depression began.

Here be the link:

http://luger.gunboards.com/showthrea...agerei-P-08-s&

[gvf]

Getting hung up and wasting time getting photos of that newbie Luger. Re-Assembly after easy field-strip. But reassembling something is wrong, I'm sure me. Half way through the reassembly, when putting the "slide" back on the receiver along the runners, I can get the Coupling Link to go where it should, just behind the two prongs of the Recoil Spring Lever.

But I imagine the curve of the coupling link needs to slip between the prongs when the slide is moved back the last bit. But mine is not free-moving enough to do that without some help. Probably a little gunk up there though I did blow it out and lubed. With the grips off it's no problem. I just move the the Coupling link down with a finger, and it slides up to the notches to the top of the Recoil Spring Lever where it should be. Thus the slide is attached to the armature that in turn attaches to the Main-Spring. And the slide has proper tension. Before I learned to "help" the Coupling Link take its proper position, the slide was not attached to the Main-Spring and had no tension.

But after the slide is linked to Main Spring the barrel is frozen, won't budge. So, the next step, putting the little side plate back on is impossible. When it was easy to do that the barrel could move a bit and that helped a lot to get the plate back on.

As well, the barrel cannot be pushed "in" as the direction say in order to move the Take Down Bolt back to a horizontal position.

So I get a slide attached to the the main-spring and has proper tension, or I can complete the last two steps of reassembly (side plate and Take-Down Bolt). But i can't have both. I'm seeing some smith who knows Lugers pretty well. He should spot what I'm doing wrong.

[DavidJayUden]

Put the slide on with the gun up-side-down with the hooks to the rear, then right it once the hook is about far enough back, so that it drops in place. Then once hooked place the muzzle down on a soft tabletop, press down on the grip frame and the top will slightly move back under pressure. Then clip the side plate into place and raise the lever to lock it in.
Or look at a youtube video...
dju

[gvf]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

Put the slide on with the gun up-side-down with the hooks to the rear, then right it once the hook is about far enough back, so that it drops in place. Then once hooked place the muzzle down on a soft tabletop, press down on the grip frame and the top will slightly move back under pressure. Then clip the side plate into place and raise the lever to lock it in.
Or look at a youtube video...
dju

Thanks so much for that instruction, especially placing the Muzzle down and pressing down on the receiver. I never saw that done or read it in any of the many instructions and videos I've seen. They must just have stronger hands and can get the slide back a tad without needing to press the receiver down and have the muzzle on a flat surface.

So, finally I have it reassembled. Until I shoot I wan't know for sure but it seems fine now.

Again much thanks!
Jerry
("gvf")