Lesser known hold open woes!

G.T. · 06-07-2019, 12:55 PM

Hold open and magazine issues seem to be hopelessly intertwined and sometimes, almost impossible to cure? Well, one of my rules when trying to repair Luger issues, is, " Do no harm!" Sounds simple and reasonable, correct?
Well, most of us, me included, break that little rule the minute we disassemble our luger in search of the gremlin that is causing so much hold open grief.
When we have the frame assembly in our hot little hands, without any further thought, we stick the magazine in and see what happens with the hold open! And of course, what happens is, the hold open pops waaaay up and the spring gets levered waaaay past it's design range and the little tab on the spring that inserts into the hold open is forever altered and stressed! Turns out, the hold open was probably never designed to rise past the bottom edge of the breechblock? Keeping it (the hold open spring) full strength and in its operating range is kind of important for future performance! Always test the hold open with the Luger fully assembled! Just a little tip for those who might like to know?.... best, til….lat'r…..GT...

06-07-2019, 12:55 PM	#1
G.T. Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Chandler Arizona Posts: 3,507 Thanks: 1,318 Thanked 3,653 Times in 1,004 Posts	Lesser known hold open woes! Hold open and magazine issues seem to be hopelessly intertwined and sometimes, almost impossible to cure? Well, one of my rules when trying to repair Luger issues, is, " Do no harm!" Sounds simple and reasonable, correct? Well, most of us, me included, break that little rule the minute we disassemble our luger in search of the gremlin that is causing so much hold open grief. When we have the frame assembly in our hot little hands, without any further thought, we stick the magazine in and see what happens with the hold open! And of course, what happens is, the hold open pops waaaay up and the spring gets levered waaaay past it's design range and the little tab on the spring that inserts into the hold open is forever altered and stressed! Turns out, the hold open was probably never designed to rise past the bottom edge of the breechblock? Keeping it (the hold open spring) full strength and in its operating range is kind of important for future performance! Always test the hold open with the Luger fully assembled! Just a little tip for those who might like to know?.... best, til….lat'r…..GT...