Help with a Commercial Luger

[reiver]

Ron, I've been Rube Goldberging with firearms forever...just making things that would 'kind of be' historically correct but fun shooters...like this Luger. This is off subject but an example.
As my 72 year old eyes like scopes now, and I've always liked to shoot distance and use military arms this intrigued me.
Krag scoped rifles...the US Military tried a few and so did the Norwegians...the two are those. The one by itself is the one I made (donar side plate, everything can be returned to stock) and my Krag has a beautifully pristine bore. I just love making things work. An old German mount from pre WW2 that looked kind of period and a 2.5x scope mounted with my string method and shoots really well.

[Ron Wood]

You are having waaay too much fun.
Ron

[reiver]

Thanks for taking a look.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

I am really happy that my "Rube Goldberg" comment triggered some great responses! Thank you guys for supporting my nostalgia.
Ron

Ron, here's another for ya.

Below is a pic of George Rhoads' "Odyssey of the Spheres." I spent almost ten years as a technician building this kind of thing for him. The uninitiated would invariably cite Goldberg when they saw one of these machines--"rolling ball sculpture", "audio-kinetic art."

Goldberg's most recognized works are not like these machines, though, because the former are a one-shot deal with a beginning, and an end after the complex actions and reactions have run their course--more like one of those domino projects that are touched off and do their thing once.

Our work would run as long as the motor was on to return the balls to the top. But they weren't boring because a certain amount of unpredictability was designed into their operation--sometimes a ball would take one track, sometimes another, as it made its way through the structure, dinging dingers, whacking whackers, bouncing and being caught, chiming chimes and ringing bells, etc. along the way. There is a legend about one of the mid-sized ones in Boston's Logan Airport, that a pilot was so engrossed while observing it that he missed his own flight.

[Mac Cat]

One of my favorite Goldberg machines is shown on the opening for Elementary, the modern Sherlock Holmes TV series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7JT3iMzS4k&t=10s

[Kiwi]

I lived in New Guinea for a few years. The hot water for the shower was a box on the roof painted flat black inside. In the box was an old radiator also painted flat black. Cold water from the bottom of the tank connected to the low side and hot water from the top of the radiator back to the top of the tank. Being in the tropics there was almost always hot water for free. The only time not so hot was in monsoon when we would get multiple days of rain. After 3 rainy days it was kinda lukewarm.

[Doubs]

[QUOTE=Kiwi;347833]I lived in New Guinea for a few years. /QUOTE]

I passed through Papua Papua in January, 1976, on the way to Australia and New Zealand. I was at Ohakea RNZ Air base for a couple of weeks.

All I recall of Papua Papua is the heat, the mountains and the tropical vegetation. And a couple of old DC-3 aircraft on the tarmac.

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Doubs

I passed through Papua Papua in January, 1976, on the way to Australia and New Zealand. I was at Ohakea RNZ Air base for a couple of weeks.

All I recall of Papua Papua is the heat, the mountains and the tropical vegetation. And a couple of old DC-3 aircraft on the tarmac.

I went to air shows at Ohakea when I was a kid. My mother was in the bathroom when an F101 Voodoo broke the sound barrier over the airfield - and all the windows in the bathroom, funny, for us.

PNG in January is in the North West Monsoon - humidity you can cut with a knife. I was there in'76

[Doubs]

Originally Posted by Kiwi

I went to air shows at Ohakea when I was a kid. My mother was in the bathroom when an F101 Voodoo broke the sound barrier over the airfield - and all the windows in the bathroom, funny, for us.

PNG in January is in the North West Monsoon - humidity you can cut with a knife. I was there in'76

My time at Ohakea was interesting as we exercised for two weeks with the RNZ Air Force. They had A4 aircraft and we had F-4D's, some that had shot down Migs in 'Nam. Spent some time in Palmerston North and a Kiwi Sergeant named Roy Carmody took us on a tour of North Island. Great guy and wonderful time.

Below is a picture of one morning on the flight line at Ohakea.

[reiver]

Nice Doubs...have had fast mover support in RVN....'snake and nape' from dif platforms. Thuds/F4 and Spads.


GT, thanks mucho for the front sight blades.!!!

[pitsword]

ici

[reiver]

Ok, the final product. I had my neighbor gun smith (has a shop at his house, how nice is that) Set up the front sight after milling the ramp to the Luger spec dovetail and aligning it with his tools and affixing the proper ramp (provided by GT with the appropriate Luger front sight blade).
He also cut down the barrel to 11.75 in. (Luger Carbine length) and did a great job with the muzzle.
I replaced and fitted the Navy rear myself and found that an easy job(also provided by GT) for the new rear sight.
We (collectively and thanks to all) made a non cycling bastard of a Luger into a very nice cycling (semi bastard lol) that has at least a proper appearance and works with white box 9mm Winchester just fine.
I shot it at a short distance today and it was spot on...range next week. Regardless GT gave me (gratis) 5 different front blades so there will be no issues. Great to see it come together and working nicely.
Pic is of what was taken off.... barrel length (way too much weight to cycle)...crappy aftermarket sights...and the fine Navy rear toggle GT provided. This will be a very fun shooter now.
Pic shows what was removed. (go to page one to see the initial pistol)

[big open]

Several years ago I had John V. Martz build a 9mm luger carbine with a 12" barrel and a forearm for me using a S/42 1937 dated mismatched luger. I was able to buy (from SARCO) a repro. Navy type rear sight and installed it on the luger. That is one fine shooting piece with its almost 18" sight radius and my own reloads using 115 gr. bullets. A 25 pound shot up propane bottles set at 150 yds. can be made to go "CLANK" nearly every shot.

[DonVoigt]

Just some random observations for you guys.
A 9mm "carbine" can be made with a 16" barrel and function. I've constructed several.

Also "factory" recoil springs vary greatly in strength, you can selectively fit one that will fine tune function if needed.

The pressure inside the cartridge/barrel is not strictly relevant for a recoil operated action like the luger. People talk about the "balance" of the luger function and they refer to the recoil impulse which is affected by many factors including bullet weight, velocity, and the mass of the recoiling
parts(barrel + receiver extension+ sights+ any added fore grip).

The 9mm 16" barrel only functions well with the fore grip/arm that is attached to the luger frame, not one attached to the barrel itself, as such a grip adds too much weight and additional resistance if held in the hand. The original .30 luger carbines had the very "weak" flat recoil springs and needed the additional auxiliary spring in the forearm to return the barrel assembly to battery.