Lesser known hold open woes!

[G.T.]

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...

[HerrKaiser]

Question on this thread: quite often when reassembling a Luger, I find it easier on my hands/wrists and patience to put the upper on, insert an empty mag, and use the hold open to then put the side plate and locking bolt back in place. Is that something that unknowingly could cause damage to hold open function at all?

[DonVoigt]

I don't think so, the hold open is "doing" the same thing as it does when the last round is fired.
With the exception that the pieces are not moving as fast, so it is actually easier on the hold open.
JMHO.

The hold open is a highly stressed part, and surprising we don't see more "broken".
Though I have seen a few with the upper edge that catches the bolt chipped, and one snapped at the right angle bend.

[Pistol]

How to avoid hold-open grief?...buy pre-1913 Bavarian