My First Luger

[Heydrich]

Purchased my first Luger yesterday at a pawnshop. I stumbled upon it by accident. The Luger I purchased has “1918” stamped on the receiver, and “DWM” in cursive script on top of the action slide. All the serial numbers match, even the ones on the inside. The magazine has a piece of wood on the bottom of it, and the serial number on it (stamped on the bottom of the piece of wood) matches with the rest of the pistol. I paid exactly $500 for it, I hope that was not too much. Before this, I collected a very few K98k rifles, but this pistol is far more complex than a Mauser rifle.

This is my first posting on this board. I hope I can get some general help, since, to be quite honest, I don’t know what I’m doing right now! I even had trouble removing and re-installing the trigger slide plate the first time I tried to field strip it. Also, I pulled back the toggle action one time, and could not get it back down. I removed the magazine and somehow it come back down again. I’ve dry fired it twice by accident. I’m sure that can’t be good for it. I read somewhere in this forum that you can avoid dry fired a Luger by pulled back the toggle action a quarter inch, and then pulling the trigger. So, in a way, you guys have already helped me.

Is there any sort of typical “newbie” mistake that I should try to avoid? I’m just going to strip it down so I can get at the back of the barrel to clean it. I certainly am not going to disassemble the bolt assembly, or anything with a spring as part of the assembly. (Like the trigger mechanism.) This pistol looks real complex, but hard to damage. Since I’m sure with my awkward stumbling about with it I would have broke it by now if possible. <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

Also, were any WW1 vintage Lugers used by the Germans in WW2? My guess would be yes.

Thanks for your time!

-Curt Jensen

[Frank]

Hi Curt, welcome!! So far as I can see you have already done well by your purchase. The question is how well you have done. If you can tell us the amount of original blue and straw that remains or send a photo, that will seal the question of how well. There is wealth of information on the disassembly of your pistol on this site. See the section on Technical Information and browse a bit. If you run into trouble, just ask questions. We will be happy to help!! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Roadkill]

Congratulations and welcome! I look at a first Luger like a first date. Yeah, you don't quite know what you are doing but you aren't going to quit, and know you have a lot to learn, you really like it but aren't sure why but have a good idea of the complexities and are really willing to try. And you don't want to do anything wrong and screw it up. Take your time, read the appropriate info, and don't lose any parts. Tolerances are tight but force doesn't work. It sounds like you got a good deal.


RK

[Thor]

CURT, one thing NOT to do! Make sure you NEVER EVER NEVER NEVER NEVER put a loaded round in the top, IT CAN BE FIRED WITHOUT THE BOTTOM (Frame) something every Luger owner needs to know. Not knowing this fact could be deadly! Take care and be safe! Enjoy your new Luger, sounds like you got a gem! Thor <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

[Heydrich]

Frank, Thor, Roadkill:

Thanks for the nice welcome. I can see this is a great place to learn about this type of firearm! I would never think of putting a live round in just the top detached part of the slide. (Without the bottom frame.) A 98k rifle can be fired with only the barrel/receiver and bolt assembly attached on their own. But this is highly discouraged. But thanks for the warning Thor! I’m allergic to death.

Right now, I don’t even have any 9mm ammo. I’m thinking about getting a box of standard commercial Remington 9mm. Would this be a good idea? I only have experience with firing my Model 98 rifles. To be quite honest, I’m somewhat pensive about even firing the Luger. (Since I don’t know anything about it right now.) I must sound like a pansy.

As far as the 1918 DWM, I would say it still has about 70-80 percent bluing. No real pitting or rusting. It has never been re-blued as far as I can tell. The bore is bright. I don’t know what the word “straw” means in regards to a pistol’s condition. I’ll try to take a photo of it, and digitalize it. The guy at the pawnshop who sold it to me said that it was a war trophy. That the son of an “elderly” gentleman had sold it to him. He said the son was worried about his father, since he was real old, and starting to go senile. He didn’t want his father to hurt anyone with the pistol. So he bought it from him, and then sold it to the pawnshop. Now I guess it’s mine.

I printed out the technical documents from this Web site. I got the 40-step part on how to disassemble a P 08 Luger. I also printed out the exploded view of a Luger. I still don’t know what I’m doing though. I’m going to clean the bore today. And clean the inside of the frame and handle part with Q-tips and Hoppe’s solvent like I always did with my 98k rifles.

Thanks everyone!

-Curt

[Thor]

Curt, the strawed parts are the ones golden yellow color, these were done this way on all Lugers made before 1937 (and some during 1937) A few commercial models and the German Airforce models had strawed parts also after 1937. These parts are the trigger, safety lever, magazine release button, ejector, and take down lever. See picture for example. Thor <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />

[Edward Tinker]

Welcome to the forum, I see I am late, but Luger owners are always welcome!

When you take the top off of the frame, you have to be careful in watching that the fishhook shaped thingy from the top grabs the little ears down below and that is what makes the spring compress and the gun to function. This is a common problem in getting it back together and I have messed with them many times. A few quiet swear words (quiet enough that the wife doesn't hear) will usually get it back together. Just do as RK said and don't use force on the baby! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[Brandon]

First of all, Welcome to the forum Curt! <img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />

Ed,
Your advise worked for me that time I was having trouble getting my Luger put back together (and I didn't even have to use swear words <img src="graemlins/icon501.gif" border="0" alt="[icon501]" /> )

[img]biggrin.gif[/img] Brandon

[Heydrich]

[Curt, the strawed parts are the ones golden yellow color.]

Ah! I see. They look fine on my 1918 DWM. They don’t look like new for sure, but most of those parts are pretty shiny in general. The trigger looks great. I’ll try to post a photo soon. It looks like the elderly gentleman how had it for so many years took pretty good care of it. It’s not import marked. This is something I learned collecting the very few 98k rifles I own, never buy an import-marked gun. The son of the gentleman how sold it to the pawnshop owner mentioned something about a war trophy to him. But I have no idea if it’s a WW1, WW2, or post-WW2 acquisition.

[When you take the top off of the frame, you have to be careful in watching that the fishhook shaped thingy from the top grabs the little ears down below and that is what makes the spring compress and the gun to function.]

I had this problem! But common sense set in and I kept sliding the action back and forth till it caught. It looks like the trick is to slide it all the way to the back, and then hook it in forward wise. But that is a guess. The “fishhook shaped thingy” that is. LOL. I looked at the printout I have for the component parts for a P 08, and it’s not listed. (The fishhook thingy.) No technical name. It’s part 009 on the exploded view, but not listed on the component parts list. I got those diagrams from the “Technical” part of this well organized Web site.

Again, thanks for the advice everyone!

-Curt

[Frank]

Be really careful when you say you don't buy anything with an import stamp. That's a pretty generic statement. I recently purchased a pistol from a Canadian. He bought it from the relative of a Canadian Vet. It has all the credentials of one that could be purchased in the US, but it had to be imported, thus an import stamp. I was very pleased to get it!!! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

[Edward Tinker]

Frank although not PC (heh, heh), I don't think that an import stamp makes any difference to me! I think in the long run, that will become just another part of the guns history, [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Heydrich]

[Be really careful when you say you don't buy anything with an import stamp. That's a pretty generic statement.]

[Frank although not PC (heh, heh), I don't think that an import stamp makes any difference to me!]

Frank, Ed:

You are both absolutely right of course. This attitude (and thus resultant behavior) about import stamps on collector firearms is strictly one of my own making. It comes from a real negative incident that I had back in the 90s when I first started collecting K98 rifles. You see, the presence of an import stamp on a Mauser 98 rifle can be damning for its value. And worse, show very poorly on the knowledge of the buyer.

When I was younger, I read a very good book on German rifles (Robert Ball’s book Mauser Military Rifles of the World). So, feeling cocksure about my information, I went to the next gun show that came by my hometown (Portland, OR). I found what I thought at the time was a nice 98k rifle, and acted like a smart-ass expressing my knowledge about it. It was import marked. I missed it. I later showed that rifle to someone I really respected concerning German rifles, and he caught it immediately. He told me this type of 98k was worthless and not a collector’s rifle with an import stamp on the barrel! He was right. I’ll never forget my utter embarrassment.

So, just for me, I will never buy a firearm with an import stamp on it. This is just my thinking, and I admit it is completely irrational, but that is the way I look at it. [img]frown.gif[/img]

-Curt

[Frank]

Heydrich, I can certainly understand your feelings. If your desire is to eliminate these firearms from your collection, so be it. That's your decision. I only wanted to point out some firearms containing the import marks are worthy of owning, either as shooters or in some cases collectors. In some cases, one can buy an import marked gun, fairly rare, for a decent price!!

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

[Doubs]

If I need a particular gun and one becomes available, but has the dreaded import marks, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I know that for some the import marks are the same as a beautiful woman with a scarlet letter branded into her forehead but I'd rather have the gun with the marks than no gun at all. It can be replaced at some future date with a non-marked gun and then sold. In the mean time, the marked gun fills a spot and I don't have a hole in my collection. Just my opinion.

[Karl]

Heydrich,

Welcome to the club. [img]biggrin.gif[/img] You should definately clean your new toy before shooting it. I would be sure to remove and clean the firing pin assembly, the trigger bar and the hold open. At least clean around the extractor and ejector (the ejector is fairly delicate, remove carefully if you do so). When lubricating the gun, get some light penitrating oil, like WD40, around the extractor and the button on the front of the trigger bar.

Other answers and comments:
â?¢ The toggle should lock open with an empty magazine (you experienced this). To close it either remove the magazine or insert a loaded magazine and pull back the toggle.
â?¢ Ammo: a number of forum members, including myself, like the cheap Winchester target ammo from Walmart (100 rd. box for $11.) but any standard commercial ammo with round-nosed bullets is OK.
â?¢ Lugers need a strong magazine to feed and function properly, you may find that the original mag needs work. Fully loading a magazine requires a loading tool or pushing the follower button back on the edge of a wooden object (like a shooting bench).
â?¢ There is a loaded-chamber indicator on the extractor, when there is a round in the chamber it sticks up with the word "geladen" appearing on the left side.
â?¢ I recommend getting some "snap caps" from your local gun shop to practice with before shooting for the first time. This allows you to load and dry fire the gun without damaging it. They are also a good way to safely show your friends how to use the gun before firing it. KFS

[edalpha]

Welcome to the forum! As a fairly new member myself I can honestly say that this bunch really knows their stuff! As far as firing your P08 for the first time, I always load only 2 bullets in the clip before I fire any new purchase. That way if you "God for bid" get automatic fire it will only fire twice instead of 8 times. Just a thought.
ED

[Herb]

Heydrich, I find that if I hold the pistol upside down with the fish hook thingy (coupling link) laying flat and to the rear, with the toggles closed, and slide the cannon to the rear all the way then turn it right side up and slide the cannon forward I can see when the coupling link drops into place into the recoil spring lever, then push the cannon to the rear again and lock the trigger plate into position. You might hear a 'click or snap' occasionnaly but not to worry.

[Heydrich]

[be sure to remove and clean the firing pin assembly, the trigger bar and the hold open. At least clean around the extractor and ejector (the ejector is fairly delicate, remove carefully if you do so). When lubricating the gun, get some light penetrating oil, like WD40]

Karl:

I have been cleaning my DWM model profusely for two days now. But to be totally honest, I’m very pensive about disassembling it past a certain point. One of the first things I did was to print out the five page 40 step procedure for fully field striping a P 08, located in the Technical section of this Web site. I am up to step 12 in that printout. The ejector is step 16, the firing pin 20 and the extractor is step 23. I’m worried that if I go past step 22, I will get to a point where I will be left with a pile of Luger parts that I will be unable to re-assemble with my limited knowledge.

I’m sure that sounds real silly to people who have been field stripping a Luger down to its last parts for 20 years, or even more. I guess that I need to locate someone in my area who is an expert with this type of firearm. That way, I can get some help if I go balls out to step 40, and have trouble reversing the process. There is a sportsman club very close to where I live and a firing range. I’m sure that someone at one of these places is a Luger enthusiastic. It never ceases to amaze me how friendly and incredibly helpful firearm enthusiasts are at such places. (At least in my area, Oregon.) It makes me real angry when I see some liberal on TV or left-wing broadcast program imply (or directly state!) that the general population of people who enjoy firearms are some kind of crazies. If you ask me, anyone who goes against the ten points of the Bill of Rights of the USA is the crazy.

That political statement behind me, I’ve examined the inside of my DWM very carefully, and I get the impression that the former owner kept it very clean, for an extended period of time. But I will carefully check the parts that you mention Karl, and oil and spray it down very carefully with WD40. The pawnshop owner gave me a 9mm shell case (no bullet) to practice dry firing with, but I will look into these snap caps.

I’m amazed at the incredible complexity of my DWM Luger. I’ve never personally seen a pistol this complex before. I saw a program on the History Channel that dealt with the small arms of the Second World War. In it, they said that the Luger was replaced with the P 38 about 1942, because the Luger was simply too expensive and hard to manufacture. I can see that now. They also mentioned that if you drop a Luger in the mud or dirt, it probably would not fire anymore. At least until it was cleaned. I can see that now too. So many moving parts, especially on the left side.

-Curt

[Heydrich]

[Heydrich, I find that if I hold the pistol upside down with the fish hook thingy (coupling link) laying flat and to the rear, with the toggles closed, and slide the cannon to the rear all the way then turn it right side up and slide the cannon forward I can see when the coupling link drops into place into the recoil spring lever, then push the cannon to the rear again and lock the trigger plate into position. You might hear a 'click or snap' occasionnaly but not to worry.]

Herb:

Thanks for that very helpful information! I sent your posting to my laser printer for future reference. [img]smile.gif[/img]

-Curt

[Karl]

Heydrich,

Yes, the Luger is like a Chinese puzzle but it's not difficult to learn. You are wise to be cautious at first and I would not recommend complete disassembly, however, the firing pin assembly is easy and you can skip the extractor and ejector for now if the gun is clean inside. For the firing pin assembly: Grab the toggle assembly by the bolt, push the forward toggle link up with your thumb so you can see the back of the bolt, put a slotted screwdriver in the slot at the back of the bolt (the firing pin guide), push in slightly and turn it 1/4 turn counter clockwise. Release slowly and the assembly will come out. The firing pin spring is not very strong so it won't get away from you.
Happy shooting. KFS