sticky trigger

[mdaddyman]

Just got interarms p08 with 6 inch barrel. The trigger was stuck so I applied some oil. It is better but still is not smooth action. What should I do.

[mrerick]

Interarms Lugers are very well made versions of the Luger pistol. It's likely a maintenance or damage issue rather than design.

The Luger trigger linkage is fairly long, going through levers, a removable plate and a pivoting sear bar.

In what way is the trigger "stuck"? Is it a reset problem? is the trigger pull "gummy"?

Luger triggers will feel somewhat soft and imprecise as compared to the mechanism in other single action guns like the M1911a1.

It's likely that the mechanism needs cleaning, especially if lubrication was allowed to dry and get gummy.

The areas I would check are the spring well behind the trigger; the recess that the sear bar rotates within and the free operation of the little plunger on the front of the sear bar. You can use traditional cleaning methods for the exposed areas if they contain gum and dirt and soaking in solvent for the sear bar plunger.

Make sure to lubricate it with a good preserving gun oil.

If you're unfamiliar with the Luger mechanism, it would be best to consult a gunsmith with experience working on them (not just any gunsmith). This is an area that is finely fitted and balanced.

[mdaddyman]

I did oil the spring behind the trigger, but did not take down the gun since I just got it and am unfamiliar with the take down procedure. When I **** the gun, the trigger (dry fire) does not work. When I pull the trigger it gets stuck in the rear position. If I nudge it a bit it will spring back to regular position. I need help!

[John Sabato]

First of all Welcome to the Lugerforum... I see this is your first post.

to diagnose your issue long distance without actually holding the pistol you will have to answer some questions. Lets see how well you can follow blind written instructions...

Have you disassembled the pistol at all? If not, there are plenty of visual guides available to do so on the internet. There are even some good Youtube demonstrations. Just make sure the chamber is UNLOADED before you begin disassembly.

The following suggestions are for smoothing the trigger pull... NOT reducing the weight of the trigger pull. That process is much more complicated.

Once you know how to separate the upper receiver from the lower... then do so. Then we can start the diagnosis.

Part I:
The trigger linkage parts to fire the gun are contained in both the upper assembly (sear and striker (firing pin)) and in the lower (trigger) and the two halves are coupled by the sideplate (contains the trigger lever) to accomplish the firing cycle. So with the upper and lower assemblies separated, pull the trigger as many times as you like and determine if there is any roughness or difficulty of movement. If there is, determine where the issue is and resolve it by improving parts clearance or polishing carefully... Once you have complete freedom of movement of the trigger we can move on the part II of the diagnosis.

For part II, examine the "L" shaped lever in the sideplate and work the lever up and down with your fingers and determine if there is roughness or binding that needs to be corrected. Once the lever operates smoothly, we can move on to part III of the diagnosis (the upper assembly).

On the left side of the upper assembly you will see the sear (forward), the striker or firing pin (center) and a small flat spring that is the return spring for the sear (rear position). On the very front of the sear is a small spring loaded pin that is pressed by the L-shaped lever in the sideplate to release the firing pin when you pull the trigger. Once the firing pin is released, you can remove the large pin (toggle axle) at the rear of the upper assembly and pull the toggle/breechblock out.

You remove the sear by pressing down on the front end and the rear end will pivot upwards. As the front end of the sear is depressed, the protruding rear end raises the flat spring which can then be removed by pulling it toward the muzzle with either a small flat blade screwdriver, or in my case, a really tough fingernail. Once that spring is removed, check the sear for freedom of movement, and you can remove the sear which sits on a pivot point. Examine all the pieces and again determine if there is any roughness.

All the moving parts can be gently polished with 400 or 600 grit emery paper or cloth and some gun oil. Be careful not to polish any surface which is visible when the gun is assembled.

Once any polishing has been accomplished, clean all parts and reassemble the entire gun and check for smoothness of operation of the trigger components. If some roughness remains, it will likely be on the two surfaces of the L-shaped lever that rub in the groove cut in the upper portion of the trigger, and the spring loaded pin on the front of the sear. You can very carefully polish (not removing any metal) the two surfaces on the trigger lever to smooth out the trigger pull.

Once reassembled after all that work and lubricated with gun oil you should have a noticeably better trigger pull.

Once you have completed this process, please report back on the trigger pull and let us know if you have fixed the problem.

There is an E-book (Luger Mechanical Features) authored by a forum member (Gerard Henrotin) which will teach you all the essentials about the mechanical movements in the Luger pistol. The book is very inexpensive ($7.95) and downloadable. I highly recommend it as a new Luger user as well as the other e-books by the same author on not only the Luger, but many popular firearms. Here is the link for the Luger Mechanical Features e-book:

http://www.hlebooks.com/ebook/eluger1.htm

[mdaddyman]

Thanks for the welcome. I will try to disassemble and let you know what I find. Regards, Marty

[mdaddyman]

help!!!, the take down pin came out with the spring and I can't seem to replace properly. It does not go all the way in and does not move into locking position. Maybe I put the spring in incorrectly?

[DonVoigt]

What are you calling the "take down pin"?

[mdaddyman]

I am new to all of this. I am referring to the part that you turn after pushing the barrel down that releases the rectangular piece over the trigger housing and allows the slide to come forward and off. Marty

[ithacaartist]

Marty,

Sometimes the takedown bolt is difficult to reinstall, as it needs to compress the little spring to remain lined up with the hole on the right side of the frame. If the spring and lever came out without your efforts, then I suspect the little spring is broken, It should be "L" shaped, with a bow along the longer leg. The short leg goes into the little vertical hole in the frame, below it, and the longer leg should snuggle down into the slot in which it belongs. Ordinarily, these parts remain in place for field stripping, there's no need to take them out unless you're doing a detailed cleaning beneath. Search the site for a pic of the spring and further discussion about its installation, which should turn up in previous threads.

[mdaddyman]

thanks, I replaced the spring as you described and will keep trying to push the takedown bolt all the way in so that it can rotate and lock everything up. The gun has never been used since the 1970's so I guess when I forced the takedown bolt to open I must have forced too hard and it and the spring came out. Mart

[mrerick]

You may find some helpful information in our forum's FAQ PDF document. Download it and take a look...

Sounds like you have lubricant and dirt affecting things. Use great care if you take off the grips. It's easy to break them, particularly the left one, if you lift them too far off the frame before sliding them out.

Take you time, and don't get rushed.

Be sure to verify it's unloaded before you do anything with it, and keep ammo stored in another place separate from where you work on it...

The little spring in the take down lever may have broken. It's "L" shaped with part of the side of the long arm of the "L" shaved out.

[Sergio Natali]

Marty

I've seen your first posts, I only wanted to welcome you to our Luger forum, I don't go any further with these technical instructions because in that field I'm simply hopeless.