That is what I said too, but figured I "had" to try.
So, yes, I understand completly!
Ed
Disassembly Instructions
I'm going take my grandfather's old Luger apart this weekend and give it a good cleaning. Found some disassembly instructions/pictures at lugerforum.com Are these the best available or are there any other good ones (with pictures)?
Any tips or things to look out for? I've taken an M-1 Garand and a Walther P-1 down to most every little part but wanted to know if there were any tricky parts or some steps best not attempted unless you really know what the heck you're doing.
Any tips or things to look out for? I've taken an M-1 Garand and a Walther P-1 down to most every little part but wanted to know if there were any tricky parts or some steps best not attempted unless you really know what the heck you're doing.
21 - 35 of 35 Posts
That is what I said too, but figured I "had" to try.
So, yes, I understand completly!
Ed
So now´s the time to get a set of calibrated springs from Wolff Gunsprings (www.gunsprings.com) and experiment ( I think they do calibrated mag springs as well).
Then you can experiment with different hand loads and bullet weights and shapes and taper crimp settings.
AND YOUR LUGER WILL NEVER FUNCTION to your complete satisfaction ever again.
You have been warned
Patrick
Then you can experiment with different hand loads and bullet weights and shapes and taper crimp settings.
AND YOUR LUGER WILL NEVER FUNCTION to your complete satisfaction ever again.
You have been warned
Patrick
After going through what alamo is doing several times with several Lugers, I bought a used sonic cleaner from a jewelery store and now after taking off the grips and the toggle train, I just dunk the whole Luger frame in the solution and let the unit clean away!! After it comes out of the cleaner, I blow it dry with a compressor and spray with a rust preventative and reassemble. A lot quicker, but not as much fun )
Dave
)Dave
That sounds a lot quicker. I still have some parts to do and some areas of it need some more work. I'm kicking around an idea I've seen before - hot soapy water and a stiff toothbrush. Heard that works pretty well & then pour very hot water on it to rinse and it evaporates very quickly. Some small corners of the frame still have some imbedded gunk. Wouldn't do that to the toggle assembly though.
I once boiled some Makarov parts after laboriously cleaning most of the cosmoline off , seemed to work pretty well, no rust. Then a good lubing for preservation.
I once boiled some Makarov parts after laboriously cleaning most of the cosmoline off , seemed to work pretty well, no rust. Then a good lubing for preservation.
What solution do you use in the sonic cleaner? Detergent?
Several of the American Gunsmithing Institute tapes recommend using Simple Green to degrease and clean. I tried it and it works.
Tom
Tom
I used that for cosmoline removal on my Makarov. Worked pretty good. I might try both dish soap and Simple Green, I've got some left over.
aaron asked what solution do I use in the sonic cleaner.... actually I don't know!!! My gunsmith gave me a plastic bottle of some stuff he uses. Also he has some sort of lube that you can put in the cleaner and it will get lube everywhere, however I haven't done that yet. I think Brownells sells the sonic cleaner stuff and any jewelers supply house.
Dave
Dave
OK, I'm just about done here. The mainspring and guide rod weren't as bad as I thought they'd be, but certainly a challenge. Thanks to Ron Wood for steering me to the mainspring installation instructions by "Thor". The hardest part was getting the guide rod hook over the spring and putting it all back in the frame.
It went a bit slow as I'd never done it before and I had forgetten some of the parts alignment from the disassembly. A bit of trial & error and the parts all finally went in without damaging anything.
The pistol is extremely clean now and well lubed. I wanted to shoot it again but since it is so clean and lubed, I'll wait a good while. Not ready to do all that cleaning all over again. I've got it just the way I wanted it & now I have no concerns about any unseen rust & corrosion.
Now for the ultimate newbie question - I've got everything together except the side plate & locking bolt. Does the coupling link go in front of or behind the recoil lever? Believe I need to push on the barrel to close the locking bolt and I encountered a lot of resistance so I didn't want to push on it too hard. Looks like it goes in front of the recoil lever. Don't want to break anything now that I'm so close. Thanks again!
It went a bit slow as I'd never done it before and I had forgetten some of the parts alignment from the disassembly. A bit of trial & error and the parts all finally went in without damaging anything.
The pistol is extremely clean now and well lubed. I wanted to shoot it again but since it is so clean and lubed, I'll wait a good while. Not ready to do all that cleaning all over again. I've got it just the way I wanted it & now I have no concerns about any unseen rust & corrosion.
Now for the ultimate newbie question - I've got everything together except the side plate & locking bolt. Does the coupling link go in front of or behind the recoil lever? Believe I need to push on the barrel to close the locking bolt and I encountered a lot of resistance so I didn't want to push on it too hard. Looks like it goes in front of the recoil lever. Don't want to break anything now that I'm so close. Thanks again!
The coupling link hooks under the front of the recoil lever. After you have it in place. Put the muzzle on a firm non marring surface and push. The cannon or receiver will move back about 3/8" and stop. Hold it in that position and install the side plate, and pivot the takedown lever into place.
Thanks - appreciate the help.
All done. Thanks to all. I didn't have the locking bolt in all the way so I flailed around a bit. I wasn't sure if it needed to be all the way in first as it wouldn't go in all the way. Finally got a flat end of a plastic pen and pushed hard and it popped in. I apparently managed to put a light perfectly horizonal scratch across the rearmost of the 3 proof marks on the left side of the frame, probably with the slide plate with the locking bolt not fully in. Oh well, not too bad. I suppose the good I did outweighed it.
So, if there is no easy way to disassemble the magazine without a chance of messing it up, I guess I'm done. Wish I owned another. Now that I'm past the learning curve, a 2nd one would take about 1/4 of the time.
I took a toothbrush to the grips and brushed them down real good. They are dark and some of the light brown came through. I considered cleaning them with Murphy's Oil Soap (for wood) and putting tung oil on them but was uncertain what the results would be.
Guess it's time to clean the holster next and move on to my Dad's Ithaca 1911 from WWWII or the Mauser 98K I got from SOG last year.
Any holster cleaning product suggestions?
So, if there is no easy way to disassemble the magazine without a chance of messing it up, I guess I'm done. Wish I owned another. Now that I'm past the learning curve, a 2nd one would take about 1/4 of the time.
I took a toothbrush to the grips and brushed them down real good. They are dark and some of the light brown came through. I considered cleaning them with Murphy's Oil Soap (for wood) and putting tung oil on them but was uncertain what the results would be.
Guess it's time to clean the holster next and move on to my Dad's Ithaca 1911 from WWWII or the Mauser 98K I got from SOG last year.
Any holster cleaning product suggestions?
Yes, barely anything to light soap and water, easy on both. Any commerical product you use could damage it, and the value and history would be screwed.
Using murpheys on the grips is what I have done, let them dry on their own time, then put some tung oil or linseed oil on them.
Ed
Using murpheys on the grips is what I have done, let them dry on their own time, then put some tung oil or linseed oil on them.
Ed
BLO or just plain linseed oil? Someone told me that BLO could darken them, how'd yours come out? Pure tung oil is hard to find I understand. I have some Minwax Tung Oil finish left over from using on my M1 Garand. Not pure tung oil but it sure looks nice now. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (where I got my M1) website had an article on stock refinishing and Minwax Tung Oil Finish was a recommended product. BLO was another.
The luger forum has an article on grip cleaning. When I read the recommendation for using acetone, varnish remover or oven cleaner, I stopped reading.
The luger forum has an article on grip cleaning. When I read the recommendation for using acetone, varnish remover or oven cleaner, I stopped reading.
I have used several different cleaners, but green something or rather and murpheys works well, isn't too rough on grips. Years ago, I have used paint remover on some grips, pretty rough on wood that thin, don't recommend it. Boiled Linseed oil works best, but the minwax tung oil is probably what I have right now.
As long as you use less rather than more, it is okay. Usually they lighten up when you clean them, so the tung oil doesn't darken them much.
Ed
As long as you use less rather than more, it is okay. Usually they lighten up when you clean them, so the tung oil doesn't darken them much.
Ed
21 - 35 of 35 Posts
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