You heard "click", I assume firing pin was released when you pulled the trigger. Was there impact mark on primer? If yes, firing pin spring is too weak.. please check.

 

Thanks for the quick response, Alvin.

Not a mark on the primer: see attached photo. I've also attached a photo taken after "click-no-bang," after opening the breach (extractor not engaged on round).

 

And, FWIW, a photo of fired cases with good primer strikes.

 

Hmmm,, round not firing also not having its groove engaged with the extractor... The main spring in grip might be weak.

Next time when this happens, try this: remove the magazine, pull the toggle to its highest position, release it let it go back on its own (don't pull it up 1/4", and release it back gently). Can the round in chamber be extracted after this by extractor? Can it fire?

 

Thanks. That's one thing I did not try.

I did try repeatedly to rock the extractor over the round, with no luck. However, placing the round in the magazine and reloading worked.

 

If the extractor doesn't override the rim, the firing pin will not reach the primer when you attempt to fire it. Remove the extractor and check to make sure it's not damaged. Then check for dirt or other obstruction under it that is preventing tt from overriding the rim. Check the spring under it. If replaced at some point, the spring may be too strong or slightly long. Finally, your recoil spring may be weaker than it should be but that's the last thing I'd want to check as it's the most difficult to replace.

 

This type of gun likes hot ammo. Hot ammo pushes the toggle up to its highest position on recoil. But new ammo made recently usually is weak,,,, that protects the gun, but weak ammo could cause reliability issue.

 

The exactor appears to be clean and in good shape. And, it captures a spent case securely. See photos.

Gun is new to me, so I don't know its history. I will start by replacing the extractor spring. Do you know if the spring is the same for 9 mm P08 and 7.65 mm 1906?

Thanks!

 

"This type of gun likes hot ammo." I respectfully disagree. This problem scenario has nothing to do with the power of the ammunition. Likely as stated before/above, something with the extractor or mainspring. The bolt must be forcefully pushed into battery after stripping a round from the magazine. This push is the mainspring. If a previous cartridge is succesfully extracted and ejected a weak mainspring might not have enough oomph to push the extractor up and over the cartridge rim. The extractor spring might be too stiff. The feed lips on your mag might be burred & rough causing drag. Your forks might be too tight allowing drag. Lots of places to look. Be sure the pistol is well oiled/greased.

 

If the ammo is not consistent, certain weak round may not push the toggle to its highest position. On this type, besides main spring pulling the toggle down, the hard impact between toggle tail and grip frame also reflects some recoil energy back to the bolt, only when the toggle reaching its highest position though.

 

Could be limp wristing too...

 

Thanks.

This pistol has a grip safety, which requires a solid grip to release. I'm not sure if it's possible, or impossible, to limp wrist a pistol that requires a firm grip on the safety; offering this as a data point.

 

Sure it's possible. I'm not saying it's happening but it IS possible. gripping the pistol handle firmly enough to depress the grip safety is just that, gripping the handle. Limp wristing is not controlling recoil. Controlling recoil is a much more aggressive ergonomic activity than grip.

 

Luger safety is a sear safety. Since the striker was released when you pulled the trigger, the problem should not come from safety interference.

 

The problem with not controlling recoil is, if the pistol is allowed to rock backwards much of the energy needed for proper function is disapated.

 

The quirk here is I was unable to finish the reloading cycle by hand assist, meaning I couldn't push the extractor over the round. This leads me to think the mainspring and the operator were performing correctly. I would think if the mainspring were weak, or the pistol was limp wristed, you could still (hand) push the extractor over a chambered round.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

All sorts of possibilities. As Daubs said and you indicate, a good/easiest place to start is with the extractor. You are the shooter so you know better than I what you are doing there.
you could still (hand) push the extractor over a chambered round. If you are pushing the bolt down and it is fully in battery and the extractor has not come up and over the cartridge rim, it should be? Where else is it to go?

 

I just took a close look at your extractor and the extractor lip looks jagged & broken?

 

I just tried via a snap cap. The gun is 9mm, unfortunately, I don't have a 9mm snap cap, but I have a 7.63mm snap cap. Those two has same cartridge base diameter, and their headspaces are very similar too.

After I inserted snap cap into chamber, and gently released toggle under finger control, then, pressed toggle top down by fingers, that didn't work - the toggle did not go completely flat.

But there is a difference here, the extractor did engage with the snap cap. I could extract it out:

The striker could be released in this mode. That was a gun design issue,,, allow gun firing in this mode must be dangerous.

But, when I inserted snap cap in chamber, and released the toggle, let it go freely, not only extractor engaged with snap cap ok, the toggle is completely flat. That is the expected ready for firing mode.

 

Alvin,

I'm surprised the extractor engaged with the toggle not fully flat. Go figure.

Jerry,

I've attached photos comparing the extractor from the 1906 Luger (gun in question) to the matching-number extractor I removed from my P08 before shooting it. You're right, the 1906 extractor is a bit jagged on the side closest to the "Loaded" stamp. The rim of a spent case slides smoothly over the sharp edge (hook) of the P08's extractor (image 1760 is an attempt to illustrate how I'm running the case across the edge--I need three hands to get a good photo). I can feel the rim of the spent case binding on the jagged area of the 1906 extractor.

Also, the area that slides over the case rim as the breech block moves forward is smooth on the P08 extractor, rough on the 1906 extractor (photo 2342txt).

Rather than polishing the extractor, wouldn't be a poor use of money for me to buy a new extractor, considering this is a numbers-matching pistol.

 

if headspace mismatches, this happens. Can you show a picture of the muzzle?

I am wondering the caliber... If you fire 7.65mm ammo from 9mm barrel, above mentioned problem will happen due to headspace mismatch - it fired when the cartridge was hold in place by extractor, but misfired when the cartridge did not engage with extractor, falled deeply into chamber, so striker could not reach it even when the toggle was flat.

By looking at muzzle, we will know its caliber.

==
Or, headspace can be roughly estimated by inserting a 7.65mm cartridge case into the chamber. After inserting completely, the groove of the case should expose outside visible. If not, the chamber headspace does not match cartridge. This could happen on worn chamber too.

 

I know it's a wild guess, but it worth checking. It is easy to verify without tools.

Here is 7.65 ammo in 9mm barrel:

Here is 9mm ammo in 9mm barrel:

 

Try to put a little pressure on the side plate.
It is possible that the sear plunger is not slipping under the trigger bar consistently. There is a simple way to rectify it, but I'd call in the assistance of an experienced Lugersmith for it.

 

Alvin,

A 9 mm snap cap protrudes excessively from the barrel. In the attached photos, the 9 mm is the red snap cap; the 7.65 mm snap cap is brass. The toggle will not close on the 9 mm snap cap.

The difference in snap cap insertion depth looks to be about the same as your 9 mm barrel. The difference being the 9 mm barrel "swallowed" the 7.65 snap cap, while the 9 mm snap cap protrudes excessively from the 7.65 mm barrel.

Thank you.

 

Irrelevant with Luger, there was another story on click but no bang. More violence, it happened in 1990 (story source was YouTube).

In 1990, Xi'an (northwest China) police tried to capture a local criminal who had killed 11 men. Police knew many possible hiding places in the city that guy could visit, so they distributed the force into every place, waiting patiently.

Two policemen were assigned to an apartment that rented to a partner of the criminal (that partner was already in police hands). Police hided in the empty apartment, quietly waiting and waiting, boring to death for many days. But, without order, they could not retreat.

When they were petty sure no one would come, they heard someone knocking the door. One police opened the door and saw a man standing outside, asking "is xxx (partner's name) at home?" Police was excited, "yes, yes, please come in", and tried to hold the man's arm to drag him in. That man jumped back a step, drew out a pistol pointing to the forehead of the police, pulled the trigger without saying a word, "click", but no bang.

After wrestling, two police finally controlled the man, and informed commanding center via radio.

Later on, police checked the criminal's pistol. It was a FN made 7.65mm M1910. The ammo for this type should be 7.65x17mmSR, but the ammo in the pistol was 7.62x17mm. Those two were almost identical, but 7.62mm is rimless and 7.65mm is semi-rim.

Through actual firing a few rounds, that pistol fired every time without problems. So, that policeman was very very lucky. And, the criminal was out of luck.