[Guest]

I got a P08 Luger some time ago from SOG, and I'm wondering about the gun's history. The markings seem pretty ambiguous, so I'm hoping some one here can tell me a bit about the gun from these images.

The gun shoots well, except that the breach does not lock back on an empty magazine nine times out of ten. The weapon has never misfed, and I'm using S&B ammo, which should have enough power to fully cycle the breach. I have heard of Lugers being fitted with springs too long for the gun to cycle, and I was wondering if that might be the cause. I do know my spring kinks:

 

[lugerlou]

Fish in a Barrel

Hello and welcome to the forum, ambiguous be damned, someone has downright messed with what was once a 1936 Mauser luger date and the frame being a U block from the transition from rust blue to salt blue is now cause for speculation as the serial numbers are awry.

This luger is a mixmatch of parts and the toggle is not from the original receiver.The frame is not original to the receiver as the serial number has been crudely lined out and the barrel serial number has been stamped on the trigger guard.

I have taken the liberty to rotate your photo to make viewing easier

Download Attachment: luger2.jpg
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The part about your spring to long is simply not correct, this is a myth. Some luger owners cut the length back on the spring as the parts wear in the luger to make the toggle operate better with various ammunition powders.

Your spring looks good and given the amount of various parts combinations on this luger I would say your's is working just fine.

I hope that you did not buy this pistol as an original luger.

 

[Ron Smith]

Hi Aaron,
Welcome to the club. Lou is correct. What you have is a 1936 Mauser produced cannon with a later Mauser toggle. Probably assembled or reworked by the Russians. The X on the left side above the ser# is a Russian proof/acceptance/inspection mark. The hold open problem will probably go away if you use a good quality after market magazine. A very nice shooter, but carries little collector value. But it is a Luger.

Ron

 

[Guest]

So would the mag spring be the root of the hold back problem? This one seems plenty stiff. I've got blisters on my thumbs from loading too many rounds. I've been meaning to pick up some more mags, though.

I was wondering if that X might be Russian! It seems like all of my German guns have come to me via the Russians. I'm surprised it didn't come coated in shellac!

And no, I wasn't expecting this to be original or "collector" quality. I just wanted a Luger for my WWII collection, and SOG was selling them for signficantly less than auction prices. The only disappointment was the big import stamp on the side. But, like Roy said, it is a Luger!

 

[Guest]

If you are going to shoot your Luger very much, you need the tool that was issued with each pistol. The round hole in the middle hooks over the magazine button, and the button is pulled down with the part that turns out. Reproductions are available for a few dollars.


Download Attachment: lugertool-1.jpg
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[lugerlou]

Aaron

How is the feed lips of the magazine, if your magazine spring is strong it may be a problem where the magazine lip meets the holdopen or from the mismatched parts.Also have a look at the holdopen to see if it moves freely in it's slot.

 

[Guest_V]

Most common reason for a malfunction of the holdopen is the magazine button. Using the tool that Johnny Peppers mentions (or a screw driver), remove the grips (taking care to ease them off gently). Insert the empty magazine and check how the hold open functions. Sometimes there´s a lot of old crud around the holdopen spring. It´s very easy to remove the whole holdopen (with the spring - just slide it out) and clean the whole area. If the mag button is too far in, it can be pulled out a fraction.

The main spring looks OK - it´s supposed to look like that. But if you ever want to renew it, Wolf has complete sets of Luger springs, calibrated to differing strengths for differing loads. I think you´ll find that a well-functioning Luger is still the most satisfying and accurate pistol ever made. So I wouldn´t worry too much as to whether yours is a collector piece. Serious Luger shooting precludes using collector grade Lugers anyway. Your gun has history on its side.

 

[Guest]

The mag and the hold open seem to work fine until I go shooting. If I pull back on the toggle with an empty magazine inserted, it works perfectly. I should have stated that before. Here's what it looks like with the empty mag in:

Everything is clean and lightly oiled. As with all my guns I dissassembled, cleaned and reassembled it when I got it. I like to know how my guns work, and there's nothing that helps me understand that like getting all the parts out. I have to say that putting the main spring back in was a nightmare so I'm glad it looks good to all of you.

I guess I'll just see how it works when I get another mag for it. Despite my poor thumbs, it sounds to me like that's the most likely source of the problem.

 

[Guest_V]

Gettig the main spring back in is a bit of a bugger. Congrats on having accomplished it. If the mag button and the hold open work OK, it´s sure to be the top end of the mag. You could experiment with pliers, bending the tin - or get yourself a new mecgar mag. Nice pics!

 

[Guest]

Try http://www.hlebooks.com/, The Luger Pistol Mechanical Features. This is an Electronic book, $7.95. For me this is an xlt book as I'm new to Lugers.
Jeff