Newbie With First Luger:

[DonVoigt]

Since the Alphabet DWMs began with the suffix "i", I question this poster's knowledge of the subject.

I figured he meant the "G" date lugers, Ks too.

[Don M]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

I figured he meant the "G" date lugers, Ks too.

Perhaps but it would still be wrong. The K and G date code Lugers were manufactured by Mauser in 1934-35.

[gvf]

Originally Posted by Tom Nowling

Wow..I cannot believe the hoops you guys have to jump through! So glad I live in Fla!!

So, in order to register my new gun, I drove for a half-hour from my home to my range and store which I use as my FFL dealer. They had already been sent the gun by the Seller's FFL (which was his store). There I went through various paperwork and was NICS-Checked. Then I drove for 45-50 min to the Pistol Permit Office downtown and turned in the paperwork from the FFL Dealer and the Pistol Permit Office gave my Release Coupon and my permit back now with the Luger and serial number printed on the back of the card. Then I drove the 45-50 min back to my range and store FFL Dealer, gave the paperwork from the Permit Office plus my permit with the Luger on it to them. They gave it back and Then I was given my gun legally in a ritual blood-letting ceremony where my blood is mixed with the blood of my FFL Dealer while range-employees chant.

Then I went home with my "new: Luger.

(Of course the Blood Letting Ceremony was a joke.)

My initial wait for my Permit when I got it in 2007 was 9 months.


With all of this though, I actually like a lot of my state's regulations though some are nullified by something out of NY's control. But that gets into political hot potatoes which very happily these forums seem free of.

I think the electronic registration for guns our colleague wrote about is very good and my county will likely get it if some others have it now.

[gvf]

Getting hung up and wasting time getting photos of that newbie Luger. Re-Assembly after easy field-strip. But reassembling something is wrong, I'm sure me. Half way through the reassembly, when putting the "slide" back on the receiver along the runners, I can get the Coupling Link to go where it should, just behind the two prongs of the Recoil Spring Lever.

But I imagine the curve of the coupling link needs to slip between the prongs when the slide is moved back the last bit. But mine is not free-moving enough to do that without some help. Probably a little gunk up there though I did blow it out and lubed. With the grips off it's no problem. I just move the the Coupling link down with a finger, and it slides up to the notches to the top of the Recoil Spring Lever where it should be. Thus the slide is attached to the armature that in turn attaches to the Main-Spring. And the slide has proper tension. Before I learned to "help" the Coupling Link take its proper position, the slide was not attached to the Main-Spring and had no tension.

But after the slide is linked to Main Spring the barrel is frozen, won't budge. So, the next step, putting the little side plate back on is impossible. When it was easy to do that the barrel could move a bit and that helped a lot to get the plate back on.

As well, the barrel cannot be pushed "in" as the direction say in order to move the Take Down Bolt back to a horizontal position.

So I get a slide attached to the the main-spring and has proper tension, or I can complete the last two steps of reassembly (side plate and Take-Down Bolt). But i can't have both. I'm seeing some smith who knows Lugers pretty well. He should spot what I'm doing wrong.

[DavidJayUden]

Put the slide on with the gun up-side-down with the hooks to the rear, then right it once the hook is about far enough back, so that it drops in place. Then once hooked place the muzzle down on a soft tabletop, press down on the grip frame and the top will slightly move back under pressure. Then clip the side plate into place and raise the lever to lock it in.
Or look at a youtube video...
dju

[DonVoigt]

If you or someone else had the "S" link out, they may have put it back in "upside down".
It can be done and results in pretty funky assembly/dis-assembly; and it doesn't work right.

If you show a picture with the S link laying to the rear with the upper upside down, we can see if
it is correct or not.

[gvf]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

If you or someone else had the "S" link out, they may have put it back in "upside down".
It can be done and results in pretty funky assembly/dis-assembly; and it doesn't work right.

If you show a picture with the S link laying to the rear with the upper upside down, we can see if
it is correct or not.

Sorry I can't get you a photo just yet, waiting for time to learn the digital camera I have that's new. Soon.

---------

Found a way: bad photo but I hope OK for our purpose:

[DonVoigt]

gvf,
took one of mine apart for comparison, Your link looks like it is "stretched" a little, i.e. the engagement bosses are a little farther away from the end of the receiver; or another way to look at it, the arm pointed up in your picture should be at a more acute angle toward the receiver.

This would cause your assembly condition, IMO.

i believe you must buy a new S link and install it.

When you figure out your camera, a picture with a ruler behind and showing the distance from where the rear of the rails end to the link bosses would help confirm.

I hope this makes sense and helps.

[Lugerdoc]

Another thing to watch for: I occasionally run into is the installation of a M1900 connecting link (shorter than the P08) in a P08. The pistol will reassamble, but the toggle will not come back far enough to allow a round to be picked up from the mag. TH

[gvf]

Yes I do understand. Thanks very much.

I'll post another pix later today with more of the link visible as well getting better photos soon. That awful photo makes it look more stretched out than it looks in other positions where you can see more

In the meantime if you want, go to Google and search for "Luger P.08 Coupling Link" (without the quote marks). You'll see when the page comes up the first choice says "Images for luger p.08 coupling link". Click on it and a whole page of photos comes up. I can't get the link to come up here or I'd provide it. Some of coupling links shown look like their angles are not very acute. Click on any you want to check more to make sure it's a "Luger Coupling Link" . Sometimes other parts are shown.

Later,
gvf
(Jerry)

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

gvf,
took one of mine apart for comparison, Your link looks like it is "stretched" a little, i.e. the engagement bosses are a little farther away from the end of the receiver; or another way to look at it, the arm pointed up in your picture should be at a more acute angle toward the receiver.

This would cause your assembly condition, IMO.

i believe you must buy a new S link and install it.

When you figure out your camera, a picture with a ruler behind and showing the distance from where the rear of the rails end to the link bosses would help confirm.

I hope this makes sense and helps.

[gvf]

Originally Posted by Lugerdoc

Another thing to watch for: I occasionally run into is the installation of a M1900 connecting link (shorter than the P08) in a P08. The pistol will reassamble, but the toggle will not come back far enough to allow a round to be picked up from the mag. TH

hmmmmm.........

[gvf]

Also, I mentioned before that when my slide had no connection to the Main-Spring, it was fixed when I drew the Coupling Link in between and through the two prongs of the Recoil Spring Lever with my finger, because the Coupling Link wasn't free enough to move through on on its own when the slide moved the last little bit back on the rails.

Just wanted to make sure that was right: normally the Coupling Link moves between the Recoil Spring Lever's prongs as the slide moves the last bit backwards on the rails. That make sense?

Thanks
gvf
(Jerry)

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

gvf,
took one of mine apart for comparison, Your link looks like it is "stretched" a little, i.e. the engagement bosses are a little farther away from the end of the receiver; or another way to look at it, the arm pointed up in your picture should be at a more acute angle toward the receiver.

This would cause your assembly condition, IMO.

i believe you must buy a new S link and install it.

When you figure out your camera, a picture with a ruler behind and showing the distance from where the rear of the rails end to the link bosses would help confirm.

I hope this makes sense and helps.

[DonVoigt]

Jerry,
sorry but those last two pictures are totally useless.

I still think it is bent.

[gvf]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

Jerry,
sorry but those last two pictures are totally useless.

I still think it is bent.

Thanks.

best I can do with laptop camera.

This is from Google images of P.08 Coupling Links:



I held my own up to the photo, both Coupling Links were exactly the same, same bends. You may be right about being bent post-production but I don't think so based on this and just the look of mine when you see it in actuality. Those other photos make it look straighter than it is in reality.

Until I can get better photos have to leave at that.

Thanks for all your help!
Jerry

[DonVoigt]

That is a good enough picture, but do put in the measurement scale and move the aim point to the center of the S link, we are still seeing it from and angle and not straight on.

[gvf]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

That is a good enough picture, but do put in the measurement scale and move the aim point to the center of the S link, we are still seeing it from and angle and not straight on.

This is not my gun or photo of it. This is the photo on Google Images of another Luger which I compared with the same part in my own Luger. They matched perfectly, including the Coupling Links.

Sorry for the confusion.

Best
Jerry

[gvf]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

Put the slide on with the gun up-side-down with the hooks to the rear, then right it once the hook is about far enough back, so that it drops in place. Then once hooked place the muzzle down on a soft tabletop, press down on the grip frame and the top will slightly move back under pressure. Then clip the side plate into place and raise the lever to lock it in.
Or look at a youtube video...
dju

Thanks so much for that instruction, especially placing the Muzzle down and pressing down on the receiver. I never saw that done or read it in any of the many instructions and videos I've seen. They must just have stronger hands and can get the slide back a tad without needing to press the receiver down and have the muzzle on a flat surface.

So, finally I have it reassembled. Until I shoot I wan't know for sure but it seems fine now.

Again much thanks!
Jerry
("gvf")

[gvf]

An instruction from DavidJayUnden hit the nail on the head for me:

"Put the slide on with the gun up-side-down with the hooks to the rear, then right it once the hook is about far enough back, so that it drops in place. Then once hooked place the muzzle down on a soft tabletop, press down on the grip frame and the top will slightly move back under pressure. Then clip the side plate into place and raise the lever to lock it in.
dju"

See, the problem was no longer the Coupling Link, that was either dropping into place or with grips the off I easily moved it down with my finger. Therefore the slide was now connected to the Main-Spring. The only possible problem is what was mentioned about my link being possibly misshapend. I think it's OK and will find out for sure when I shoot it.

The problem was the barrel seemed frozen, and without being able to move it backward a tad, I couldn't get the side plate on or move the Take-Down Bolt back to a horizontal position. Others must be able to do that without placing the muzzle down. My hands are weak though and I have bad arthritis in the thumb/wrist joints of both hands. (Partly from incorrect hand placement on my guns. Another time for that)

So after only a week and the help of multiple people my Luger is back together!

So thank you all so much. I'm very appreciative of you all going out of your way to help the new kid in school. Back to you after I shoot it and after that with good photos (I hope).

Jerry ("gvf")

[ithacaartist]

Another method I use is to insert an empty mag once the upper is slid on and the hook properly engaged. Pull back on the toggle knobs and it will lock back with the hold-open, allowing installation of the side plate and subsequent rotation of the locking bolt. This eliminates the juggling act required to do these operations with one hand while maintaining all that pressure with the other--a setup which is inherently unstable and may slip if you're not careful. Afterwards, remove the mag, cycle the action, de-c0ck, and you're good.

[gvf]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Another method I use is to insert an empty mag once the upper is slid on and the hook properly engaged. Pull back on the toggle knobs and it will lock back with the hold-open, allowing installation of the side plate and subsequent rotation of the locking bolt. This eliminates the juggling act required to do these operations with one hand while maintaining all that pressure with the other--a setup which is inherently unstable and may slip if you're not careful. Afterwards, remove the mag, cycle the action, de-c0ck, and you're good.

Hey thanks a lot, sounds a lot easier than the muzzle on table.

(How do you de-**** these by the way?)

I'll try your suggestion next time

Thanks so much,
Jerry
("gvf")