Random and out of nowhere???

G.T. · 08-08-2021, 04:12 PM

Hi to all, In the repair business, Lugers and other things, a fellow can't get too cocky, or too confident, either one! It seems as if things can only go along good, for only so long? It's almost like a sixth sense that tells you you should be looking over your shoulder because here it comes, a problem you've yet to encounter. This time, for me, it was during a drum revision process and function test. The revisions have been going so well, that it is actually boring to go thru the test phase of the process. Load the drum, cycle it thru a luger, grab the next, load the drum, cycle it, grab a drum, etc. etc.

All was going well until about the 12th drum test, I was cranking the rounds thru it and at about the halfway point, the Luger totally failed to extract? and then stacked another round in behind that? Never in the thousands of round cycled, have I had that problem? Ok, remove the drum, clear the jam, and cycle the rest thru. This drum is going to get a re-test! So I load it back up, and this time, same malfunction right off the get go? Has the be the extractor right? Replace the extractor, and spring, annnnnd same problem about 3 rounds in to the test...

.... Now I'm starting to get concerned so I do what any good repair person would do, I let it set, and go make myself a nice tall crown and coke! Ok, good first start, now we're ready to clearly evaluate the problem.
What's changed, or what's not right? Well for starters, I've observed that I've cycled my dummy rounds so much, they have suffered a slight reduction in diameter right behind the bullet, and on the drum, I noticed the feed lips are ever so slightly flared on the front. So, picking my best rounds, and slightly re-setting the feed lips to better contain the cartridge, back to the test bench. Loaded thirty two rounds, and cycled them thru without a bobble!
Turns out, the nose of the next round was poking up just a slight bit too much and it was knocking the round being extracted off the extractor, and as I'm cycling it manually, I was putting the next round up and behind it, making it some worse.

(always gets worse before it gets better)
The lesson to be learned here'in is, when the round to be cycled is up in the feed lips of the mag, (especially the drum mag) less than one third of the cartridge should be visible, and the cartridge should be nearly level, with the bullet being slightly angled up maybe 2 or 3 degrees. Anyway, that's what my hobbit workers tell me... I just open and close! Best to all, til....lat'r.....GT...

08-08-2021, 04:12 PM	#1
G.T. Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Chandler Arizona Posts: 3,522 Thanks: 1,321 Thanked 3,706 Times in 1,011 Posts	Random and out of nowhere??? Hi to all, In the repair business, Lugers and other things, a fellow can't get too cocky, or too confident, either one! It seems as if things can only go along good, for only so long? It's almost like a sixth sense that tells you you should be looking over your shoulder because here it comes, a problem you've yet to encounter. This time, for me, it was during a drum revision process and function test. The revisions have been going so well, that it is actually boring to go thru the test phase of the process. Load the drum, cycle it thru a luger, grab the next, load the drum, cycle it, grab a drum, etc. etc. All was going well until about the 12th drum test, I was cranking the rounds thru it and at about the halfway point, the Luger totally failed to extract? and then stacked another round in behind that? Never in the thousands of round cycled, have I had that problem? Ok, remove the drum, clear the jam, and cycle the rest thru. This drum is going to get a re-test! So I load it back up, and this time, same malfunction right off the get go? Has the be the extractor right? Replace the extractor, and spring, annnnnd same problem about 3 rounds in to the test....... Now I'm starting to get concerned so I do what any good repair person would do, I let it set, and go make myself a nice tall crown and coke! Ok, good first start, now we're ready to clearly evaluate the problem. What's changed, or what's not right? Well for starters, I've observed that I've cycled my dummy rounds so much, they have suffered a slight reduction in diameter right behind the bullet, and on the drum, I noticed the feed lips are ever so slightly flared on the front. So, picking my best rounds, and slightly re-setting the feed lips to better contain the cartridge, back to the test bench. Loaded thirty two rounds, and cycled them thru without a bobble! Turns out, the nose of the next round was poking up just a slight bit too much and it was knocking the round being extracted off the extractor, and as I'm cycling it manually, I was putting the next round up and behind it, making it some worse. (always gets worse before it gets better) The lesson to be learned here'in is, when the round to be cycled is up in the feed lips of the mag, (especially the drum mag) less than one third of the cartridge should be visible, and the cartridge should be nearly level, with the bullet being slightly angled up maybe 2 or 3 degrees. Anyway, that's what my hobbit workers tell me... I just open and close! Best to all, til....lat'r.....GT...