Advice Needed

[tomaustin]

sergio, what is your unit of measure for a yonk ??

[Sieger]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

Try this: Cup your left hand under the base of the mag. as you are shooting, using the left hand to force the magazine up to the top of the stack higher than it would normally hang.
Reason: Sometimes the magazine catch gets worn and the magazine "hangs" too low to feed correctly.
dju

Hi,

It is normal for a Luger magazine to hang low in the pistol. One to two mm is not unusual at all. In fact, a Luger with a tightly fitting magazine is unusual.

Why this seemingly excess tolerance was built in, I don't know. Maybe to account for combat conditions, mud, etc..

Just some thoughts.


Sieger

[4 Scale]

Your might consider contacting G.T. or Tom Heller to see if they can suggest an approach or help.

I have found all MecGars are not created equal. I recently acquired a 1906 .30 Luger American Eagle, and had exactly the same issues you are having, failure to feed/stovepipe. None of the MecGars would operate it correctly. Only the original would make it work ok.

On a different gun with a different magazine issue, I had to try several(five) different MecGars before I found one, #5, that would make the pistol work correctly. Empirical evidence that not all MecGars are created equal. Don't get me wrong - I agree MecGars are fine aftermarket magazines. It's just that the Luger pistol can be very, very picky about which magazine it will function with. My experience is that with magazine issues, sometimes you must try several before finding one that solves the issue.

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by 4 Scale

Your might consider contacting G.T. or Tom Heller to see if they can suggest an approach or help.

I have found all MecGars are not created equal. I recently acquired a 1906 .30 Luger American Eagle, and had exactly the same issues you are having, failure to feed/stovepipe. None of the MecGars would operate it correctly. Only the original would make it work ok.

On a different gun with a different magazine issue, I had to try several(five) different MecGars before I found one, #5, that would make the pistol work correctly. Empirical evidence that not all MecGars are created equal. Don't get me wrong - I agree MecGars are fine aftermarket magazines. It's just that the Luger pistol can be very, very picky about which magazine it will function with. My experience is that with magazine issues, sometimes you must try several before finding one that solves the issue.

I have found this to be true in my limited experience also.

Some mags even function one day and not the next.

[Castle]

I am back, having tried various members' suggestions and controlled for various factors. Have to report no progress. I tried Fiocchi .30 Luger SJSP ammo: no improvement in function in my pistol: it continued to fail to load, smokestacked the extracted round, and jammed at the breech. Tried making sure the mag. was fully seated: no improvement. Tried loading one or two rounds only and firing; fired okay but usually failed to lock back. Loading two or three rounds: no improvement. At this point, I guess I will get a new recoil spring and try that. Any further suggestions much appreciated. Thanks to all.....CF

[G.T.]

Hi CF, I have had and tuned Lugers that would ONLY work with Winchester .30 ammo?.... and absolutely not work at all with any Fiocchi ammo.... Take the firing pin assembly out and cycle rounds thru by hand? If they cycle thru, it's not the clip.. it's the ammo, (under power or short OAL) or mainspring... I do ALL my testing with Winchester, even though it's expensive! .... Good luck, best to all, til...lat'r....GT

[rhuff]

Wolff Springs offer three(3) different mainspring weights(I am pretty sure) for the P08 Luger. They are not expensive to purchase. I suggest that you purchase all three weights so that you can "tune" your luger to the ammo that you plan to use. A P08 Luger is a balancing act of springs, mags, and ammo for the most part. Hang in there, and don't give up. Lugers can be made to work.....trust me, I have been down this path more than once.

[mrerick]

You will likely want to use the lowest weight recoil spring. There were a number of different springs used in various models of Lugers. All this is involved in the balance of the action as it cycles.

Also double check to make sure that your extractor and the ejector are both clean and undamaged.

Marc

[DonVoigt]

The Germans, DWM and all had trouble deciding what spring to use.
This chart will give you some idea.

Though counter-intuitive, the .30 luger did not always use a "lighter" spring than the 9mm chambering; in fact the opposite is true in the
1906 American Eagle data. The 1920 and '23 models are shown as the same.

So, weaker may not be "better" in this case.

Be also sure your chamber is immaculately clean, just to confirm it is not a rough chamber, try a little oil on a couple rounds and see how that goes.

[Castle]

Pretty interesting results. I put a drop of oil on each round and another drop in the chamber. Had trouble loading the first round from the mag by drawing back the toggle and releasing; that first round got hung up at the chamber. I dropped the mag, and the round went into battery. After that: function was flawless: no trouble loading successive rounds, no jams, no trouble with extraction or ejection, and action locked open after last round. Not sure what this might mean, but it's a big step forward. I guess I'll try some Winchester .30 Luger, too, though if this pistol demands that ammo., I won't be able to afford to shoot it. Thanks to all......CF

[lugerholsterrepair]

Historically excess oil on ammunition, chambers and bores is or can be dangerous. Try to keep it to a minimum to be on the safe side.

[Sergio Natali]

I agree with Jerry, be careful you are not supposed to oil rounds and chambers, then oil in the chamber/barrel can generate high and dangerous pressures.
Shoot safe!


Sergio

[Castle]

Okay, makes sense. Many thanks. I will concentrate on making sure chamber is good and clean....CF

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by luger.parabellum

I agree with Jerry, be careful you are not supposed to oil rounds and chambers, then oil in the chamber/barrel can generate high and dangerous pressures.
Shoot safe!


Sergio

Jerry and Sergio,

This was advised for a "two round" test!

For pete's sake, everyone knows- or should know not to oil rounds routinely!

[lugerholsterrepair]

Don, Yes of course! Just cautionary advise..no harm no foul. A lot of people are not aware of too much oil as an obstruction in bores & chambers..Better safe than blowed up.

[rhuff]

As above, your chamber should be clean and smooth for proper chambering of rounds. I think that your results still point to a close, but incorrect, mainspring for YOUR Luger.....just saying.

[Castle]

Since my last post a month back, I have tried the three recoil springs in the Wolff pack, and tried Winchester .30 Luger ammo. No success. Luger still fails to load the next round, which jams at the breach almost as though the magazine spring weren't elevating it enough to position it for loading into the breech. This in spite of new MecGar mag, which seems to fit and work okay. When I load a single round, firing, extraction, ejection, and lockback are normal. Any members' thoughts most welcome. Thanks.....CF

[DavidJayUden]

Couple of random ideas; try cupping your off hand on the bottom of the grip to manually press upwards on the magazine to physically raise the rounds up in the gun. Sometimes the mag. catch wears and allows the mag. to hang too low.
Also try loading just 2 rounds to see if it functions with only one in the magazine.
Of course grip the gun tightly.
Using FMJ bullet design?
dju

[Castle]

Thanks, DJU. I am supporting or bracing the mag. from the bottom. When I load two rounds, the first loads normally when I withdraw and release the toggle, and it fires normally, but it may smokestack, and the next round jams as usual. I'm using Winchester FMJ .30. Puzzling to me.......Thanks again for your reply......CF

[DavidJayUden]

So when you say you are supporting or bracing the mag, you are consciously pressing up on it? It's almost sounding like the toggle isn't going back far enough. I personally view Wolff springs with suspicion, like they are one-size-fits-all or universal in nature.
Some masking tape of the back of the frame to see if the rear toggle link is hitting the frame on recoil may be the next test. If the tape isn't being hit at all then you may need more recoil or less spring.
I am assuming that the gun is clean and very generously lubed?
dju