If dry firing a luger is not good....

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by zormpas

Decocking a Luger as I was taught:

After making darn sure the gun is unloaded, nothing in the chamber and mag removed...

Lift up on the toggle to the point where resistance suddenly increases (don't now how to explain it better than that) - point the gun in a safe direction, while still holding the toggle with one hand, pull the trigger and let the toggle down gently. Don't let it snap down.

Maybe someone else can explain it better than I can...

ETA: Ron did so while I was writing this...

I'll rephrase for an attempt at more clarity.

Pull back on the toggle knobs and find the spot where the resistance increases noticeably. This will happen when the breech is open about 3/8". Now, pull into the resistance just a bit, to begin to take up a little of the strain. This is the point at which you'd pull and hold the trigger while lowering the toggle knobs. If you simply pull back to the "wall" without taking a little strain, you can feel the sear's disengaging the firing pin as you pull the trigger. I don't like how this feels, and prefer the "strain relief method", in which the parts are free of each other when they move apart.

It all has to do with the disconnector, which is the little sprung plunger on the front end of the sear bar. When the upper moves back during a cycle, the disconnector moves back and out from under the trigger lever on the side plate. When the upper returns to battery, and if the trigger is still being held, the tip of the plunger encounters the side of the trigger lever instead of tucking under it. The spring action accommodates this mechanical meet-up and the plunger is pressed into the end of the sear bar. When the trigger is released, this allows the plunger to pop back out, placing it once again under the trigger lever.

So, while de-cocking, if the upper moves back much farther, the trigger system will be disconnected, and the sear bar will not be affected by pulling the trigger. If the sear does not escape the lug on the firing pin when the trigger is pulled and the action returned, the pistol will c0ck or remain cocked. Also, the pistol will c0ck if the action is pulled back much more than the 3/8" where the resistance is encountered (about a half inch would do it.). Try it, and you will hear the click as the sear catches the firing pin's lug.