DWM upper value? - Page 2

mrerick · 10-08-2016, 08:54 AM

An all matched upper with an all matched lower makes a good shooter. I have one like that acquired from LugerDoc years ago.

Your lower is from a slightly newer Mauser framed gun (later in 1937 through 1942) since it has the hump. The Mauser made Lugers make excellent shooters because of the metallurgy.

This "two tone" is something else again. It will certainly get attention at the range!

Contratulations... Marc

DonVoigt · 10-08-2016, 11:27 AM

Jim,

Your two tone looks good!

I've bought several mismatched upper/lower lugers- how they got that way is anyone's guess.

I bought the mismatched pistols for different reasons, in no particular order:
-good price
-upper had something I needed: the barrel or receiver or even one had a navy toggle in it
-something special about the lower.

I don't recall how I wound up with yours(1937 made as Mark guessed), but I maybe used the upper for my carbine build.

If you get tired of two tone, you can always have it blued; or, the lower nickeled!

Thanks.

Patrick Sweeney · 10-13-2016, 04:12 PM

The color, and the flaking, would lead me to believe it is a "bumper chrome" job. It wasn't too unusual back when auto plants were everywhere, and surplus pistols were common, to have guys at the plant co-operating in this.

You'd hand your cardboard box o'parts to your buddy at the start of the chrome baths, and he'd dump them in, in an empty tanks. (the tank was empty for many reasons, including because you asked him to plate your pistol)

At the other end, another buddy would fish the parts out, and put them into the cardboard box.

Things were different back then.

Jim Mac · 10-13-2016, 06:11 PM

Whats wierd is, under the places that the chrome flaked off, it still looks blue underneath. Jim

DonVoigt · 10-13-2016, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Mac

Whats weird is, under the places that the chrome flaked off, it still looks blue underneath. Jim

Chrome must be plated over copper, it won't stick to steel.
Nickel can be plated on steel.

Could be either, with just black "rust" underneath, black rust is ferric oxide and not the more common red rust which is ferrous oxide(if I remember my chemistry correctly). Depends on how much oxygen is present when the rust is formed.

Under plating there is "less" oxygen.

That info and a $1 will get you a cup of coffee somewhere!

Jim Mac · 10-22-2016, 09:22 PM

I was looking at some of my old posted pics. turns out one of my magazines is a 1936 mauser. So a 35 upper, 37 lower and a 36 magazine, all mauser. Nothing matching but kind of interesting how it all comes back together after all these years half a world away. Jim

Jim Mac · 11-26-2016, 08:32 PM

Finally got a chance to shoot the pistol this afternoon. Only shot one magazine and had a failure to feed. It looks like the bolt went right over the bullet. I held up the magazine and it worked fine. Magazine was a mec gar mag. I wanted to try another mag but we ran out of time. So next time out Ill bring two or three mags and see what happens.

DavidJayUden · 11-26-2016, 10:45 PM

Try pressing up on the base of the mag. as yu shoot to see if it works better with the mag. a bit higher in the mag. well. If so it may need a different magazine or a different mag. catch.
Keep us posted.
dju

DonVoigt · 11-27-2016, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Mac

Finally got a chance to shoot the pistol this afternoon. Only shot one magazine and had a failure to feed. It looks like the bolt went right over the bullet. I held up the magazine and it worked fine. Magazine was a mec gar mag. I wanted to try another mag but we ran out of time. So next time out Ill bring two or three mags and see what happens.

Jim,
that is usually a sign that the bolt is not recoiling all the way back.
A "light" round or marginally loaded rounds coupled with a strong mainspring will do it.

What ammo are you shooting?

Jim Mac · 11-27-2016, 09:32 AM

Thats what I was thinking. Also when I disassembled it to clean it last night, any place there was metal to metal contact on the upper. The chrome or nickle was flaking off in sheets. Next time out Ill take all my mags and some different ammo. I used perfecta 9mm, will take some Winchester also. Jim

cirelaw · 11-27-2016, 10:57 AM

What a pretty convertsation piece!

Edward Tinker · 11-27-2016, 11:16 AM

on the subject of why uppers and no lowers - IMO several reasons

-- most likely is guns that were seized by police and the lower is the 'frame' and was destroyed - some places the entire gun must be destroyed and some allow the parts to be payment for destroying the frames. I have a friend who gets guns off and on - I bought luger parts, a 1911 upper from him

--- for some reason the frame was left in water or just was horribly pitted, so people part them out. sometimes its weird the way pitting and rust will affect part of a gun, maybe an upper, maybe a frame

----- probably not too many lugers, but parts could come into the USA a lot easier, so guns were broken down and brought into the USA as parts

cirelaw · 11-27-2016, 11:27 AM

Dumb Question~ Are most parts of a generic luger interchangeable??

DonVoigt · 11-27-2016, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cirelaw

Dumb Question~ Are most parts of a generic luger interchangeable??

Yes, within the limits of parts tolerance.
Some models are different though in one or more parts.

rhuff · 11-27-2016, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Mac

Finally got a chance to shoot the pistol this afternoon. Only shot one magazine and had a failure to feed. It looks like the bolt went right over the bullet. I held up the magazine and it worked fine. Magazine was a mec gar mag. I wanted to try another mag but we ran out of time. So next time out Ill bring two or three mags and see what happens.

If your Luger functioned correctly when you lifted the mag up in the mag well, then short stroking would be way down my list as to the problem. I would look at the mag catch and the mag.....also the mag well.

Jim Mac · 11-27-2016, 09:15 PM

So the thinking is maybe the magazine I tried is sitting a bit low keeping the round from getting stripped from the magazine. I have a original mauser mag to try and a few mec gar mags. Jim

DonVoigt · 11-27-2016, 10:06 PM

Try them all; and different ammo.

Lugerdoc · 11-28-2016, 11:44 AM

I would say that luger parts are not interchangable and usually need some fitting. I've had some barrelled receivers that were very tight in the frame, sometimes from rebarrelling, that required a lot of lapping, to avoid the excess friction from being too tight. TH

kurusu · 11-28-2016, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cirelaw

Dumb Question~ Are most parts of a generic luger interchangeable??

Generally not without fitting. Even from the same manufacturer in the same time span.

JD · 11-29-2016, 03:57 PM

To add even more confusion, the slide over-riding a round in the magazine can just as easily be a symptom of an under strength mainspring which allows the toggle to cycle so fast that the mag doesn't have a chance to push a round up into position. This is the problem that I had with my Finnish 1923, which I solved with by replacing the old weak mainspring with a new spring....

10-08-2016, 08:54 AM	#21
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,907 Thanks: 1,374 Thanked 3,108 Times in 1,509 Posts	An all matched upper with an all matched lower makes a good shooter. I have one like that acquired from LugerDoc years ago. Your lower is from a slightly newer Mauser framed gun (later in 1937 through 1942) since it has the hump. The Mauser made Lugers make excellent shooters because of the metallurgy. This "two tone" is something else again. It will certainly get attention at the range! Contratulations... Marc __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.

10-08-2016, 11:27 AM	#22
DonVoigt User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: near Charlotte NC Posts: 4,681 Thanks: 1,441 Thanked 4,350 Times in 2,040 Posts	Jim, Your two tone looks good! I've bought several mismatched upper/lower lugers- how they got that way is anyone's guess. I bought the mismatched pistols for different reasons, in no particular order: -good price -upper had something I needed: the barrel or receiver or even one had a navy toggle in it -something special about the lower. I don't recall how I wound up with yours(1937 made as Mark guessed), but I maybe used the upper for my carbine build. If you get tired of two tone, you can always have it blued; or, the lower nickeled! Thanks. __________________ 03man(Don Voigt); Luger student and collector. Looking for DWM side plate: 69 ; Dreyse 1907 pistol K.S. Gendarmerie

11-27-2016, 10:06 PM	#37
DonVoigt User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: near Charlotte NC Posts: 4,681 Thanks: 1,441 Thanked 4,350 Times in 2,040 Posts	Try them all; and different ammo. __________________ 03man(Don Voigt); Luger student and collector. Looking for DWM side plate: 69 ; Dreyse 1907 pistol K.S. Gendarmerie

11-28-2016, 11:44 AM	#38
Lugerdoc Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: POB 398 St.Charles,MO. 63302 Posts: 5,089 Thanks: 6 Thanked 736 Times in 483 Posts	I would say that luger parts are not interchangable and usually need some fitting. I've had some barrelled receivers that were very tight in the frame, sometimes from rebarrelling, that required a lot of lapping, to avoid the excess friction from being too tight. TH __________________ Tom Heller POB 398 ST.Charles, MO. 63302 Tel 636-447-3006 lugerdoc@charter.net

10-13-2016, 04:12 PM	#23
Patrick Sweeney User Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 66 Thanks: 0 Thanked 49 Times in 24 Posts	The color, and the flaking, would lead me to believe it is a "bumper chrome" job. It wasn't too unusual back when auto plants were everywhere, and surplus pistols were common, to have guys at the plant co-operating in this. You'd hand your cardboard box o'parts to your buddy at the start of the chrome baths, and he'd dump them in, in an empty tanks. (the tank was empty for many reasons, including because you asked him to plate your pistol) At the other end, another buddy would fish the parts out, and put them into the cardboard box. Things were different back then.

10-13-2016, 06:11 PM	#24
Jim Mac User Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 261 Thanks: 2 Thanked 67 Times in 35 Posts	Whats wierd is, under the places that the chrome flaked off, it still looks blue underneath. Jim

10-22-2016, 09:22 PM	#26
Jim Mac User Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 261 Thanks: 2 Thanked 67 Times in 35 Posts	I was looking at some of my old posted pics. turns out one of my magazines is a 1936 mauser. So a 35 upper, 37 lower and a 36 magazine, all mauser. Nothing matching but kind of interesting how it all comes back together after all these years half a world away. Jim

11-26-2016, 08:32 PM	#27
Jim Mac User Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 261 Thanks: 2 Thanked 67 Times in 35 Posts	Finally got a chance to shoot the pistol this afternoon. Only shot one magazine and had a failure to feed. It looks like the bolt went right over the bullet. I held up the magazine and it worked fine. Magazine was a mec gar mag. I wanted to try another mag but we ran out of time. So next time out Ill bring two or three mags and see what happens.

11-26-2016, 10:45 PM	#28
DavidJayUden Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4,047 Thanks: 578 Thanked 1,414 Times in 887 Posts	Try pressing up on the base of the mag. as yu shoot to see if it works better with the mag. a bit higher in the mag. well. If so it may need a different magazine or a different mag. catch. Keep us posted. dju

11-27-2016, 09:32 AM	#30
Jim Mac User Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 261 Thanks: 2 Thanked 67 Times in 35 Posts	Thats what I was thinking. Also when I disassembled it to clean it last night, any place there was metal to metal contact on the upper. The chrome or nickle was flaking off in sheets. Next time out Ill take all my mags and some different ammo. I used perfecta 9mm, will take some Winchester also. Jim

11-27-2016, 10:57 AM	#31
cirelaw Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PORT ST LUCIE, FLORIDA Posts: 12,216 Thanks: 6,209 Thanked 4,133 Times in 2,173 Posts	What a pretty convertsation piece!

11-27-2016, 11:16 AM	#32
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,926 Thanks: 2,014 Thanked 4,523 Times in 2,089 Posts	on the subject of why uppers and no lowers - IMO several reasons -- most likely is guns that were seized by police and the lower is the 'frame' and was destroyed - some places the entire gun must be destroyed and some allow the parts to be payment for destroying the frames. I have a friend who gets guns off and on - I bought luger parts, a 1911 upper from him --- for some reason the frame was left in water or just was horribly pitted, so people part them out. sometimes its weird the way pitting and rust will affect part of a gun, maybe an upper, maybe a frame ----- probably not too many lugers, but parts could come into the USA a lot easier, so guns were broken down and brought into the USA as parts

11-27-2016, 11:27 AM	#33
cirelaw Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PORT ST LUCIE, FLORIDA Posts: 12,216 Thanks: 6,209 Thanked 4,133 Times in 2,173 Posts	Dumb Question~ Are most parts of a generic luger interchangeable??

11-27-2016, 09:15 PM	#36
Jim Mac User Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 261 Thanks: 2 Thanked 67 Times in 35 Posts	So the thinking is maybe the magazine I tried is sitting a bit low keeping the round from getting stripped from the magazine. I have a original mauser mag to try and a few mec gar mags. Jim

11-29-2016, 03:57 PM	#40
JD User Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Western Washington Posts: 107 Thanks: 58 Thanked 22 Times in 17 Posts	To add even more confusion, the slide over-riding a round in the magazine can just as easily be a symptom of an under strength mainspring which allows the toggle to cycle so fast that the mag doesn't have a chance to push a round up into position. This is the problem that I had with my Finnish 1923, which I solved with by replacing the old weak mainspring with a new spring....