How does it work?

[Johnny C. Kitchens]

None of those descriptions even come close to describing how the gun works. First it should be said, I think, that the toggle lock comes from one of Americas great engineers and inventors, Sir Hiriam Maxim. After noticing a steam engine needing to be bumped off of top dead center to get it running, he applied the idea to machine gun. The toggle lock can be looked at as a form of piston, rod, and crankshaft. The bump needed to get it off top dead center comes during the recoil of the main mechanism.Maxims work to simplify and make the system simpler made the toggle lock machine gun, the dominating weapon of World War I. It seems that everyone was trying to figure out some way to use the design. An American, Borchardt, took the idea and put it into a pistol form. Though far from ideal, it was quite functional. It would be up to a man named Luger to take the design to the best known form, which is truly simplified over the predecessor.

I don't know where you found these "expert writers", but I would like to know there names, so I can put them on a list of to be avoided. I do hope you have read other explinations of how the Luger works.

As I see it, the Luger is a short recoil operated handgun, that upon firing, the barrel, receiver, and toggle move rearward. After a short distance rearward, the center pivot point of the toggle is pushed upward by the ramps at the rear of the frame. At that point the barrel and framed are stopped. The toggle continues to fold upward, pulling the breachblock rearward with the now empty casing. Due to the time it takes to recoil the parts, the bullet has cleared the barrel, and the pressure drops to a safe level. By the time the toggle has reached its maximum travel, ejection of the expended case has taken place. The spring in the grip, begins to return the toggle to battery, picking up a fresh round from the magazine, if one is there. The round is chambered, and the barrel and receiver are returned to battery ready for the next shot.

Blocking the barrel in anyway so the bullet couldn't move, is horrible way to produce a bunch of junk, not to mention what might happen to your hand if you are holding it...