A Target Luger

[Paladinpainter]

I have to admit it: I love shooting Lugers. But in their military configuration they are not target pistols: the sights are horrible and get worse every year; and the trigger pull leaves a lot to be desired. So with a little time on my hands this winter, I decided to put together a "Target Luger". The objectives were: a longer barrel, better sights, and better trigger.
I have always like the elegant lines of the Navy Luger; it just seems more graceful than the 4". In addition, the longer sight radius of the 6"barrel offers the potential of better accuracy. I wanted adjustable sights for the sharper picture and the ability to adjust for different loads. Improving the trigger pull was also on the agenda. AND I wanted to do this without ruining the classic lines of the Luger.

The rear sight was intended for a Glock. It was the lowest profile adjustable rear sight I could find. The dovetail attachment was removed from the bottom of the sight. The Luger's original sight and 'hump' were machined flat. The new sight is wider than the rear toggle, so the forks were re-shaped to provide clearance for the sight as it travels with the rear toggle. Some of the final fitting has yet to be blued. The rear sight base was carefully TIG welded to the rear toggle. GT provided a beautiful 6" barrel, Brownell's was the source of the front sight blank.
Trigger work was primarily to take the slop out of the system. The trigger lever and plate were drilled for a larger, tighter fitting pin. The lever was also bent to bring it closer to the trigger bar when at rest. The sear surfaces were polished, but the angle and amount of engagement wasnt changed. It now breaks cleanly at about 8 pounds.
So far, I've put about 50 rounds of mixed ammo through the gun and everything is still hanging together. The sight picture is much better and I'm sure the increased radius has a lot to do with the 3" or so groups at 25 yards. My goal is 2" with handloads.
A big thanks to GT for his magic in coming up with the barrel, Chris Tobias - a machinist willing to tackle my crazy projects, and Frank the Welder for attaching the tiny sight to the rear toggle. I plan to spend a lot of time at the range this summer.

John