Luger Build Progress

[sxtsvnstang]

I received all of the parts i need to build a complete luger from GT yesterday in the mail. Today after work i will pick up my frame from my FFL. (he is a cop in town and had a late detail yesterday so my pickup was delayed) I read the sticky about posting pictures, i have to re-read it though to make more sense of it. once i do i will post pictures of everything. I would like to use this thread as a spot for everyone's opinions and suggestions, or ideas on finishing and what parts need to be what finish. also to maybe answer any questions i have regarding fit or functions of various parts and what not. I know the gun wont at all be original, but anyone's input and suggestions to make a beautiful, classy looking shooter are greatly appreciated. also, i dont know if this belongs in the new collectors section, but im sure whoever does the moving around can put it where they think it belongs.
I look forward to getting started and getting everyones thoughts.

[Edward Tinker]

if its completely apart, tehre are soem tricks that I can throw out ahead of time.


1. The safety lever and pin, drive from down to up, us some needle nose pliers to half way hold in place and then tap, tap tap
2. The damn action spring (thats a wrong term, but my mind is blank); it will be a bear, wear glasses and be in a smalelr area, it will go boooooing and be hard to find if you do it in a shop or other "busy" area. I have a tool I bought from a member here that holds the end retainer with a sharpened screw driver and then has leverage. Without this, use your needle nose and against a table you don't mind denting and scratching
3. take your time, but most parts go in easily.

Ed

[sxtsvnstang]

thanks, the gun is completely disassembled (short of the barreled receiver) good advice. see thats the exact type of thing im hoping for in keeping the forum involved in the build, to indulge in other peoples experiences in circumventing frustration and missing pieces!!! Ya i have an area that i like to keep very clean with a light color non patterned floor. i dont think there is a project yet that didnt invove some spring or pin that if your not careful goes boing and you lose it. I found that a white epoxy floor in my little shop is great for finding them when they launch to the moon on you. Just in smal tinkering figuring out which little pins go where, its easy to see how many of them will go together very easily. I think its a blessing that they had such tight tolerances. its makes for obvious and easy assembly. some other guns ive built have been so far off in one direction or another because of cheap quick manufacturing with poor tolerances

[Ice]

Here is a video made by our member showing the recoil spring removal/installation tool. If you look closely, it is actually made from an awl. I build mine from a General No. 318 model that I got from Lowes. I clipped off the sharp end and carefully bent it using a propane torch. It works perfectly and just as advertised.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjIXI...rom=PL&index=1

Charlie

[sxtsvnstang]

wow thanks, thats perfect. I will pick one up next time im there

[jonnyc]

I will be interested to see the final cost when it's done and a reliable shooter, not counting your time, of course.

[Ingvarg]

Also if you go to http://www.wonderhowto.com/ select "weapons" on the list on the left, and search for "Luger P08" you will find excellent "how to" videos of, I think, every part of the assembly.
Good luck and I´m looking forward to see the compleated gun.

[sxtsvnstang]

hey, thanks, thats awesome.

[Lugerdoc]

If the frame & barrelled receiver are from different sources, I would suggest first checking the fit of these to one another. Sometimes some lapping compound is required if too tight (you'll learn to hate those "tight tolerences"). Final word: get it all together and feeding on the bench, before test firing, the last thing to worry about is the refinishing. TH

[sxtsvnstang]

well i fully assembled the gun. and everything fit really nicely together. Just as you said some lapping compound will be needed. i just need to work the parts a bit to get the toggle sliding right. once i get it sliding and feeding right, i think we'll be golden. then i can take her to the range give her a good cleaning, and start refinishing parts. One question as for everyone's opinion, on small strawed parts, do you think the nice yellow straw color will be nice with the black grips and mag bottom, or should i make them darker, like on black widow types? i will post a picture of it in a sec, just need to double check the procedure

[sxtsvnstang]

this is just a cell phone picture. i will post better ones later

[Alx]

Well it's a project shooter, so being accurate in appearance is just your preference. Historically, the plastic grips would go with the later all-blued scheme, no strawed parts.
But then, if the chamber date is present and indicates pre-1937, or if the toggle logo is DWM or Erfurt, then the strawing is appropriate, and the black plastic grips are anachronistic.
But, who cares, it's a FrankenLuger and up to you how it looks.

[sxtsvnstang]

just letting everyone know i didnt forget about you. i have made some serious progress on shooter. its coming out good. took it down to the range and i got it firing and feeding nicely. and then when it got nice and warm, and stopped firing and feeding nicely, i fixed it again and no its as smooth and reliable and one of my brand new SIGs. the gun seems nice and square and shoots true to the sights (after minor tweaking) i also made some wood grips for it. so no more bakelite. which answers my last question, and changed my whole design again. the grips cames out pretty good. GT likes them. i actually found a checker texturing that can follow a previously define face in my mastercam X. then with a little hand carving and sanding, they look pretty good. tonight i will spend some time uploading all the images and go into more detail of what was done and some before and after pics. the refinishing is still not started as i had to get the gun set up first, but its the next step. i just hope glass beading and polishing doesnt mess up the work i did to get it working. it hasnt yet on any other rebuild projects, but this luger has some of the tighest tolerances ive worked with, (some ive even mic'd down to half a thou in some clearances, which just goes to show the quality these guns have even after almost pushing a century on most of the parts i have. anyways, check back later for pics!! im very excited to hear all of your thoughts, this has been alot of fun and is definitely a new addiction

[Ice]

Is sounds like your Luger build is working out nicely. Looking forward to photos.

Charlie

[sxtsvnstang]

ok, so as promised, here are some pictures, the problem i had with the toggle, was that the dimension between the pin and the angle on the rear toddle link that rests on the receiver, was shorter then the angle on the receiver and the hole for the pin. GT sent me a different toggle, and it works like a charm, like it was made for the receiver. the first picture is of the left side with my new home made walnut grip. the side plate is sandblasted, it was a police issue sideplate with the cut out on the top for the sear safety so i sandblasted it to prepare it for welding.



the next picture is the cut out in the sideplate "pre-weld"



the next is kinda the same picture, but after i welded in a replacement strip, and machined it, then i sanded it like crazy to get the tool marks out. you can see, i just used some tool black on the piece to blacken it up to keep it from rusting while i prepare all of the pieces to be reblued.



the next picture is one that is a closer up of the grips. i tell ya, having the checkering code in the cnc software made it much easier. i definitely want to learn how to do it by hand though, that, i feel is one of the ultimate artisan abilities that would just be awesome to have.



and the last picture is of the other side of the gun, with the new grips on it.



the grips seem a little on the red side though, its grown on me, but id like to know what every one thinks of them. i used the red tinted oil that you use to repaint cedar siding with. not sure if i like it as much a the more brown you get from birchwood casey stock oil but like i said, its kinda grown on me. anyways, that all i got so far. the gun works great and is pretty much where i want it to be to be ready to refinish!! anyways, let me know what you think, also gt is sending me one of his world same wooden mag bottoms so i can have it match the grips.

[Ingvarg]

Excellent work, and those grips are stunning. And keep the red colour, its makes them absaloutly beutifull.
You can be proud of your work and i´m looking forward to see the pistol when finshed and blued.
Just take care not to soften the edges to much when polishing the pistol for the blueing.

[sxtsvnstang]

ok, so i just finished the luger. ive been in and out of the country and incredibly busy so the time i had to devote to it was severly spread out over a much greater time period then i thought. I reblued the entire thing. basically involved just a a whole lot of wire wheel on a dremel and alittle elbow grease and strawed all the small parts, thanks to the handy how-to on the forum. I know i didnt necessarily need to reblue the whole thing, but all the blues were different so if i redid it, they would all match. now i just need to resize the pics and remember how to up load them. let me know what you think!! i didnt weld up the x'd out sn like i had planned. i couldnt find an appropriate sized stamp and had to remember that it is a franken luger and doesnt require that kind of attention, i have my whole life to save for a real nice matching luger in the future.

[sxtsvnstang]

well here's a simple left and right. I do love how the strawing came out. and it was so simple that i thought it couldnt be that easy. but a quick look in my machinists handbook reassured me

[sxtsvnstang]

also, i read somewhere that the sideplates never matched the gun properly (even fresh off the line) in terms of finish and blue color, so i didnt polish it as much as the other pieces. so the blue is a similar shade but a little more dull. is that correct? or should i re polish it to make it match better?

[Ice]

You did a fantastic build job; its something to be proud of. As for the sideplate, I think I would make it match a little better but thats your call.

Charlie