WW1 Luger found on Somme battlefields on Saturday

[Vlim]

Hi, the extractor, which doubles as a loaded chamber indicater is located at the top of the toggle, right after the chamber. You could start cleaning that part first, in order to determine whether the extractor is still there and in what condition it is.

If the extractor is missing (or so badly deteriorated that it will break apart), it will allow you to see part of the cartridge rim if it is in the chamber.

If the barrel is free of obstructions (or cleaned out as much as it can be), you can insert a rod into the barrel and chamber and use that to measure the total distance from the muzzle to the toggle. If there is no round in the chamber, it should be evident by the distance measured.

Note that on this example the extractor was broken in two pieces. I also checked whether a loaded round was in the chamber by using the rod approach. In this particular case there were only the remains of a fired steel case in the chamber. The gun is long gone, I still have the case