Opinions on Sideplate Fitting ?

[John Sabato]

The rear tab should be a "perfect" fit or as close as you can get it by polishing the tab until it will enter the slot without much resistance. The front tab if too thick should be polished on the underside until the takedown lever will close, again "without much resistance. It is a "feel" kind of thing. The sideplate when fitted properly should not "float" between those two points. If it does, you will never get a consistent trigger pull.

The curve on the front of the sideplate should be a matched fit to the diameter of the takedown lever.

Now you know why these pieces were numbered to the gun when they left the factory. Other "may" fit, but only the original parts were manufactured to fit when the gun was presented for the final acceptance inspection.
You said that you had a sideplate and a Luger that were a perfect fit... use it as your control when polishing the new sideplate. They should feel pretty much the same when fitting is completed.

In addition, the hole in the trigger lever should be a good polished fit to the pin that holds it. If it is a sloppy fit, then again, the trigger pull will never be consistent, but will vary as the sloppy lever gets pulled down by the trigger. Polish all bearing surfaces of the trigger lever (not metal removal mind you, just polishing where the pieces may drag when rubbing against each other.)

The result should be a reasonably good trigger pull.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

The front tab if too thick should be polished on the underside until the takedown lever will close...

What is the rationale for the underside being polished (I assume you mean filed/sanded)??? I would think that if the trigger worked OK that 'polishing' the topside, where the takedown lever rubs, would be the correct area to 'polish' (in fact that was my intention). What am I missing here???

'Polishing' the underside would, it seems to me, bring the entire sideplate assembly closer to the frame. May require filing the notch for the frame, deepening the trigger shaft relief, etc.

Each sideplate does not have all the problem areas mentioned. One has a bent front tang, another two have thick rear tabs, one has the thick front tang. Of these, the one with the thick front tang seems easiest to 'fix'.

Is it safe to bend the front tang??? Will it bend or break??? If the front tang is too short what does that do???

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

The front tab if too thick should be polished on the underside until the takedown lever will close...

Out of the several opinions offered, John's seems to be the most reasonable...So here goes...

I draw filed the rear of the sideplate with a fine mill file; progressively sanded it with 220/320/400 grit wet/dry sandpaper; polish with emery cloth; trial fit to Luger...Repeat as needed...Until takedown lever would rotate into locked position.

The sideplate from my other Mauser Luger fit & worked quite well, and on mic'ing the front tang it measured .097" thick. The tang on the #47 sideplate measured .099". So it was only off by ~.002".

I'll assemble it all tomorrow. I'm missing a takedown lever retaining spring and an artillery rear sight base spring (the flat one) but otherwise finished assembling an artillery shooter.