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Unread 07-17-2003, 01:10 PM   #1
PaulV
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Post Stoeger Luger Malfunction

I have a Stoeger Luger that will not **** upon firing. The first round fires ok and feeds the second round fine, but the hammer isn't cocked. I have even tried the super high velocity ammunition with no success. Any ideas to what the problem is? The pistol has seen very little use and is practically brand new.
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Unread 07-17-2003, 01:22 PM   #2
John Sabato
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PaulV

This could be one or more of several things... the first thing to look at is if the round that gets chambered (the second one) has a firing pin dimple on the primer... not like a fired cartridge... but just a dimple like the firing pin was resting on the primer...

If it does not, then it is likely that the gun is cocked, but the trigger linkage isn't tripping the sear...

Make sure the sideplate is clean and lubricated, and that the trigger lever (the L-shaped piece has complete freedom of movement... and that the sideplate is properly installed. Make sure that the spring loaded pin on the end of the sear that gets depressed by the trigger lever is also clean and lubed and has freedom of movement.

Does the gun **** it you fire a round without a magazine inserted? and then you can dry fire it?

Give me some more detail and I will help you through this...
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Unread 07-18-2003, 10:32 AM   #3
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Thanks for the help. I'll make some observations the next time I go to the range and get back to you.
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Unread 07-19-2003, 10:23 AM   #4
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PaulV and John,

I'm wondering if your discussion doesn't tie in with the problem I'm having with my 1993 Mitchell stainless not resetting the trigger. After cocking the pistol I have to pull the trigger twice to get the firing pin to work. Doubs suggested looking at the bevel on the sideplate lever or using a stronger trigger spring. Thor has one just like it in his shop that he is looking at. I have written to Orimar and called them, neither of which has been returned for several days. I may try putting another sideplate on it and seeing if it will dry fire. I will also make sure that the sear pin is lubricated, as you suggested John. Any thoughts?

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Unread 07-21-2003, 07:44 AM   #5
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I had a similar problem with a Swiss style Mauser re-intro. Turned out to have an actual Swiss trigger link in it instead of the original Mauser re-intro link. Just enough different to gum things up.
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Unread 07-21-2003, 09:14 AM   #6
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My first suggestion is to remove the sideplate completely...then close the takedown lever. Manually **** the gun (on an empty chamber)... and then trip and release the firing pin by pressing on the sear bar... then repeat this operation... does it ever fail to engage the firing pin and become cocked?

If it cocks the gun every time... then you can presume that the problem lies in the trigger and/or sideplate... trying a different sideplate is a good idea... but since these are hand fitted parts.. it may or may not work. If it does work, then we have isolated the problem to the sideplate... and if it still doesn't work things point toward the trigger or the trigger sideplate combination...

I recommend getting the E-book by Gerard Henrotin on the Luger Mechanicals and studying the trigger/sideplate/sear relationships... it may help you solve your problems and only costs about $8.00 when you download it... Great illustrations and photos of how a Luger "works"...

if you determine any other symptoms that can help in the diagnosis of the problem post them here and I will continue to help out if I can "long distance"
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Unread 07-21-2003, 10:25 AM   #7
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Thank you, gentlemen. I'll try these things and get back to you.

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Unread 07-22-2003, 07:46 AM   #8
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John,

With the sideplate off, the gun cocks everytime and fires as I push against the sear bar so I guess its a trigger/sideplate issue. I did download Henrotin's mechanical book as you suggested several months ago and I will see what I can learn from that about repair or adjustment.

Again, I am getting no response from Orimar Firearms.

Will have to get back to you in a few days...just tore out my patio and am pouring another one this week...getting the house ready for sale.
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Unread 07-22-2003, 08:04 AM   #9
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Before you totally abandon the idea that the sear bar is a problem, check to be sure the disconnector is moving freelky and properly. It's the little spring loaded plunger in the front end of the sear bar. On my Mauser re-intro the upper end of Swiss trigger lever did not move quite far enough back into the side plate and the disconnector would not ride over when the trigger was released as it is supposed to do.

If the disconnector is dirty or rough and hanging up, the cannon will still **** and fire as expected when you press the sear bar.
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Unread 07-22-2003, 09:15 AM   #10
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Orimar is historically slow in response, but I have never heard anyone complain about their service once they have actually communicated with you. I don't think they are a very large company... and probably stay pretty busy with custom orders...
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Unread 07-22-2003, 11:24 PM   #11
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The disconnector is free, oiled, and has good spring tension. As Doubs has suggested, there is something not quite right about the trigger spring, sideplate lever combination. Will keep looking and trying things.
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Unread 07-23-2003, 07:45 AM   #12
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I did not like the open front on the side plate on my Swiss style Mauser re-intro, but at least it allows you to look in there and see what's going on.
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Unread 07-23-2003, 08:44 PM   #13
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PaulV

I had a similar problem on my stainless gun. The solution to mine was simple. After discovering, as you did, that it would "fire" by pressing on the sear bar, I made the asumption that the problem was that the sear was not being pushed far enough by the trigger lever (part #108 on the exploded drawing).

This may not be safe on an older steel gun but it worked on my stainless. With a set of vise grip pliers I bent the trigger lever ever so slightly until it pushed the sear bar. The reason that I used that particular tool is as follows. I closed and locked them and used the adjusting screw to then close them on the lever. Then I opened the tool and turned the screw in a VERY small amount (less than 1/8 turn!). Then I closed it on trigger lever to close the 90 degree angle. It was way less than a visible amount. I then put it back on the gun and cycled it by hand and tested the trigger. I repeated the very slight adjustment several times until it worked. I tested it at the range and it only worked part of the time so I did it all again. It now functions perfectly.

A couple of warnings. MAKE SURE THE GUN IS NOT LOADED. Make the adjustment turns of the vise-grip screw as small as you can. Maybe just 1 or 2 degerees. You can always repeat the process.

As I said earlier, this worked on mine but several people have said that this process will break the trigger lever on an original gun.

Mr. Romo can be slow in answering queries but he give excellent service when he does! I had an extraction problem and it was repaired at no charge and several other people have said that their repairs were also no charge. You might want to wait for a response from him before attempting anything yourself.
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Unread 07-23-2003, 10:09 PM   #14
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My solution to a sideplate lever that wouldn't trip the sear was to roughen the surface of the lever contact point and then put a small spot of "J B Weld" on it. After it cured, I easily filed it to shape and with the added thickness it now works fine.
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Unread 07-23-2003, 11:37 PM   #15
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Wow...lots of good ideas to look at. I like the idea of waiting for a response from Mr. Romo too as I may be able to just ship him the gun and let him work on it. Would be happy to pay a charge for it too.
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Unread 07-24-2003, 09:12 AM   #16
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I like the JB Weld idea because you haven't permanently altered the gun, but have performed a permanent fix to the problem that can be removed if desired...

Folks that build their own AR-15 rifles from rough cast partially completed receivers have discovered that if they have a serious OOPS by drilling something in the wrong place they can make the receiver serviceable by the judicious application of JB Weld and then redrilling at the proper location...

Good stuff that JB Weld!.
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Unread 07-24-2003, 12:23 PM   #17
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Before modifying trigger levers consider that if the lever does not go in far enough it will not trip the sear, but on the other hand, if it is in too far it will not allow the disconnector to work, so if you are off in either direction the pistol does not fire.
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Unread 07-24-2003, 05:32 PM   #18
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by unspellable:
<strong>Before modifying trigger levers consider that if the lever does not go in far enough it will not trip the sear, but on the other hand, if it is in too far it will not allow the disconnector to work, so if you are off in either direction the pistol does not fire.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">As I review the sequence of events that take place when the Luger is fired, I don't see how the disconnector could fail to work unless the spring-loaded pin passed behind the lever. In that case, the pistol would be completely out of action as the lever couldn't return to it's passive position. I don't think the lever can possibly move inward that far inward, even if bent.

As the trigger is squeezed, the lever is pressed against the pin protruding from the front of the trigger bar and the pistol is fired, the receiver moves rearward under recoil and the pin slips from under the lever.

As the receiver moves forward during the load cycle, the spring-loaded disconnector pin contacts the side of the trigger lever and is pushed back into it's recess in the trigger bar. The pin is held in it's recessed position until the trigger is released, at which time the trigger lever goes back to it's rest position and releases the pin which then moves forward. Now the trigger, when pressed, will push the lever against the pin to release the firing pin once more.

That's how I see the sequence. Am I wrong?
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Unread 07-24-2003, 05:55 PM   #19
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Doubs,

You have the correct sequence when things are working properly.

"As the receiver moves forward during the load cycle, the spring-loaded disconnector pin contacts the side of the trigger lever and is pushed back into it's recess in the trigger bar. The pin is held in it's recessed position until the trigger is released, at which time the trigger lever goes back to it's rest position and releases the pin which then moves forward. Now the trigger, when pressed, will push the lever against the pin to release the firing pin once more."

Now assume we have fired the pistol, the receiver has gone home, but we have not yet released the trigger. We will proceed from there with a trigger bar that sticks too far in. When the trigger is released, the disconnector pin is either blocked outright by the lever or drags so much on the little ramp at the back of the lever that it cannot move to its home position. The disconnector pin remains compressed in the sear bar, it does not move either behind or in front the trigger lever. The sear remains disconnected and pistol will not fire.

This is the condition I had on my Swiss style Mauser re-intro with a Swiss trigger lever in it. The Swiss trigger lever and the Mauser re-intro trigger lever are not interchangable. When the two trigger levers are held side by side and examined it can be seen that the angle is a bit sharper on the Swiss lever so that the upper arm extends further into the pistol when in the home potision. In this actual case, with the Swiss lever in place the pistol would generally always fire the first round and then it was a fifty fifty chance of firing any round the pistol loaded from the magazine by itself. The actual difference in the frame and sideplate is that the re-intro is a bit deeper from the trigger lever hinge pin down to the trigger itself. Took a bit of effort and finagling to get all this sorted out.

A bit of credit is due to Luger Doc for his patience on the effort and finagling part, we were sending trigger levers back and forth for a while.
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Unread 07-24-2003, 09:26 PM   #20
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by unspellable:
<strong> Now assume we have fired the pistol, the receiver has gone home, but we have not yet released the trigger. We will proceed from there with a trigger bar that sticks too far in. When the trigger is released, the disconnector pin is either blocked outright by the lever or drags so much on the little ramp at the back of the lever that it cannot move to its home position. The disconnector pin remains compressed in the sear bar, it does not move either behind or in front the trigger lever. The sear remains disconnected and pistol will not fire.

A bit of credit is due to Luger Doc for his patience on the effort and finagling part, we were sending trigger levers back and forth for a while.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">That is interesting and a situation I've not encountered. My problems with trigger levers have all been failures to fire because the lever wasn't depressing the pin enough. Over the years I've thrown together a few shooters from parts guns and had the occassional problem.

I also once bought a 1917 Artillery that had been poorly stored and the disconnect pin was frozen by rust. I put the trigger bar in a Kodak plastic film can with enough Liquid Wrench to cover it. I also put a small ball bearing in the can and I shook the can several times each day. It took about two weeks but the pin finally freed itself up and worked properly. I took the pin and spring out once it was working and cleaned everything. A drop of oil and everything was fine.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Mauser. I learned something.... always a good thing. <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />
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