New member- Questions about parts originality

4 Scale · 05-20-2018, 12:55 PM

While there are several suggestions of refinish from the pistol's general appearane, most notably both the trigger lever and the coupling link on the toggle are blued. On an orginal 1938 military, those should be white. When those parts are blued it is definitive proof of refinish.

As far as replacing any parts, if the pistol functions properly most collectors would not bother. The refinish makes it a shooter and replacing parts will not increase the value of the pistol. Better to allocate those funds towards an eventual collectible.

I hope you post a dry fire report, I agree with Jerry's suggestion that the next step on this pistol should be to check trigger function. If you dry fire you might want to consider placing a dummy round (aka 'snap cap') in the chamber as dry firing the Luger on an empty chamber is not recommended. As you dry fire, carefully check the clearance between the trigger and the frame. My guess is you will discover the trigger was ground down because the side-plate/trigger level geometry changed when the side plate/trigger lever was modified/replaced. Phrased differently, I'm guessing that whatever was done to the trigger lever/side plate necessitated metal removal so the trigger could go farther back. I can say from expereince that altering anything that impacts trigger geometry can create a cascade of mechanical issues. Consider that if the root cause of the trigger modification turns out to be trigger lever/side plate geometry, if you replace the trigger the pistol may not fire at all.

I think you've got a promising shooter, congratulations and welcome.

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05-20-2018, 12:55 PM	#1
4 Scale User Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 544 Thanks: 194 Thanked 490 Times in 251 Posts	While there are several suggestions of refinish from the pistol's general appearane, most notably both the trigger lever and the coupling link on the toggle are blued. On an orginal 1938 military, those should be white. When those parts are blued it is definitive proof of refinish. As far as replacing any parts, if the pistol functions properly most collectors would not bother. The refinish makes it a shooter and replacing parts will not increase the value of the pistol. Better to allocate those funds towards an eventual collectible. I hope you post a dry fire report, I agree with Jerry's suggestion that the next step on this pistol should be to check trigger function. If you dry fire you might want to consider placing a dummy round (aka 'snap cap') in the chamber as dry firing the Luger on an empty chamber is not recommended. As you dry fire, carefully check the clearance between the trigger and the frame. My guess is you will discover the trigger was ground down because the side-plate/trigger level geometry changed when the side plate/trigger lever was modified/replaced. Phrased differently, I'm guessing that whatever was done to the trigger lever/side plate necessitated metal removal so the trigger could go farther back. I can say from expereince that altering anything that impacts trigger geometry can create a cascade of mechanical issues. Consider that if the root cause of the trigger modification turns out to be trigger lever/side plate geometry, if you replace the trigger the pistol may not fire at all. I think you've got a promising shooter, congratulations and welcome.