Heavy trigger on 1914 DWM Police 9mm

[Mac Cat]

After you choose a picture file(s), you have to find the UPLOAD button.

I was able to find your photos, but they are too dark to make out very much detail.

Photography of a dark gun like a Luger takes some practice and a LOT of light.

I can see enough on the left side view to make out the S/N 3089 and it appears that you have the correct side plate and trigger - both are marked 89. I'll repost the two photos I edited at little to over-expose them.

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by gunbugs

I've ended up with a couple of Lugers that had the same issue. After some examination and thought, I removed the trigger, and clamped it in a vise, and gently drove the top of the trigger notch down slightly, so it would engage the trigger bar sooner. Worked great, and no extra material needed. Go gently, a little goes a long way.

https://forum.lugerforum.com/attachm...1&d=1658018091

Good idea- but, I did that same trick once;
the upper arm snapped right off !

Just be aware, do you feel "luck today" .

[Mac Cat]

I think a little dab will do ya !

[shinji_ikari]

Thank you for the JB weld idea. In case anyone else is thinking this may work for them, or in the future if anyone wants to suggest this I will lay out the steps I took.


This is one method of lightening a trigger which is very heavy (to the point where you have to squeeze with a lot of force just to make it fire, enough force that your hand is shaking even with a two hand grip), this was not done just to lighten to a 'hair' trigger.

Diagnostic:

1. Clear the weapon
2. Place a inert, dummy round in the chamber and **** the weapon.
3. Fire the weapon, and note how much force you had to exert to make it fire.
4. Remove the sideplate and place a piece of masking tape around the the leg that sticks out and is not recessed into the sideplate. Before reinstalling ensure the tape is pressed snuggly on the top.
5. Reinstall the sideplate and test fire with the dummy round. The trigger should break with less force.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 till you get a trigger pull you like or can live with.
7. Note how thick the mass of tape is on the top.

For the repair:
1. Clear the weapon
2. Remove sideplate
3. Clean the 'L' shaped transfer bar, specifically the leg that sticks out and is not recessed into the sideplate. I used an alcohol prep, which apparently is not recommended for JB weld. This was the first time I have used the stuff, so I was just happy that I got it mixed right and applied without making a mess and getting it where I wanted it.
4. Lay the sideplate on its side and walk away for 24 hours.
5. After 24 hours use 800 grit sandpaper to first square up the glob of JB weld, you do not it overhanging the edges.
6. Before sanding the top down attempt to reinstall the sideplate and fire the weapon. Note it may not install, and even if it does, it may not fire.
7. Sand the top surface of the glob of JB weld, I checked every 3-5 strokes.
8. This is more of a note than a step: Once you remove enough JB weld to where the side plate will actually install the weapon may either refuse to fire. The reason is that the transfer bar has too much material on the lever and is causing the top leg to protrude so much that the weapon can not reset. If this happens simply continue to sand and check. Again checking every 3-5 strokes should ensure you do not remove too much material.
9. At some point the weapon will be able to reset and will fire, with a noticeably lighter trigger pull. Once the weapon will reset and fire you can continue to sand to either make the trigger heavier, or switch to a finer grit of sandpaper and try to smooth it out. For me, I am happy with where mine is and am taking it as a victory.

I would like the thank everyone who has offered suggestions and encouragement. Specifically I want to thank Doubs for suggesting the tape and JB weld.

[gunbugs]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

Good idea- but, I did that same trick once;
the upper arm snapped right off !

Just be aware, do you feel "luck today" .

I was talking about the trigger, not the trigger lever. I would never think about trying to bend the lever, although I seem to remember seeing a Swiss made tool/jig for doing that in a controlled manner. The trigger shelf seems to be soft/not hardened from my experience.

[G.T.]

you treat a trigger lever just like a spring, heat to soften, reform, heat to cherry red, quench, draw back to plum or pidgeon blue.... Walla! Good as new.... best, til...lat'r...GT

[gunbugs]

Originally Posted by G.T.

you treat a trigger lever just like a spring, heat to soften, reform, heat to cherry red, quench, draw back to plum or pidgeon blue.... Walla! Good as new.... best, til...lat'r...GT

Heat treating has never been my forte'. I would need a lot more practice before I tried heating a trigger lever.

[shinji_ikari]

Ok did some test firing. Now I have a single shot Luger. It will fire, with a way better trigger pull, it will eject, it will pick up another round, it will feed, it will go into battery. When I try to fire the 2nd shot, mushy trigger, nothing. When I rack that round out and feed another it will fire.

Thoughts? I am thinking I need to sand the JB weld down some more, but am going to wait till I hear back from others who know more.

Let me put 2 dummy rounds in and try cycling it and see how it does.

Yep, just tried it. With 2 rounds in the mag, charge the first one, fire, cycle, let off the trigger, no reset.

I am thinking I need to sand more of the JB weld off, thoughts?

Before it would reset, but the trigger was extremally heavy.

Thank you,

Stephen

[shinji_ikari]

Ok, found a fix for the other way around on youtube, applied the logic, which matched what I was thinking, only on the other end (the leg that I put the JB weld on). Sanded a little more and now I have it resetting when the trigger is pressed and the action is cycled, then letting off the trigger.

On my next day off I will testfire again and hopefully I will have a semi-auto Luger again.

Thank you again,

Stephen

[shinji_ikari]

I do have a semi-auto Luger.

It is having stoppages but I am thinking that it is due to the bullets being blunt as opposed to round nosed.

While cleaning it after shooing this morning I installed the new trigger spring, and tested with dummy rounds and it is still resetting after cycling.

Thank you everyone,

Stephen

[DonVoigt]

Be sure the sear bar returns to its full "at rest" position.
Your trigger mods can result in partial sear engagement and the chance of doubling or more firing with a single pull.

If the sear does not fully engage the striker, it may slip off with minimal or no touch of the trigger.

While you are testing I suggest you load only 2 rounds in the magazine when firing live ammo.