Locking Bolt

I've seen this part described as a both a locking bolt and a takedown lever. Whatever you call it, it's loose on my 1915 artillery. I shot it today and noticed that it would flip down repeatedly after I fired a few rounds. I had visions of the the side plate falling off, but it never did. On some exploded drawings I've seen a "locking bolt spring," but not on others. My gun doesn't seem to have spring. What's the collective wisdom on this problem? Thanks.


Don

[Thor]

If you are missing that spring the gun is not complete! Tom Heller has them! Buy one, they are easy to install! Thor

I think I misspoke, or miswrote... Went back and looked at it again, and I think I do see a spring there-- a skinny piece of metal on the bottom--and the bolt has slots in it to lock in two positions. Could it be that my spring is just weak?

[Patrick]

... could be. But sometimes the lever arm (with the button) gets bent and doesn�´t put enough pressure on the side-plate. This can quite easily (and VERY carefully) be corrected. Patrick

[Marvin]

Don,


I would try the spring first and an easy way to tell if it is the spring is to get a SMALL punch and lightly tap the spring "leg", which locks it into the frame, up just a little, replace the locking lever and see it this helps. If it does, replace the spring. I have seen where the spring has actually worn the top surface off, or flattened it just enough to cause the locking lever to be loose.


If this does not work, it is probably the locking lever arm is bent out a little as Patrick said. Take a look closely at the arm to see if it bent or straight.


Marvin

Thanks, guys. I'll check it out.

[Kyrie]

Hi Don,


Your Luger has one of, if not the most, potentially dangerous mechanical problems a Luger can have. This is the only mechanical failure I know of with a Luger that can result in the shooter or a bystander, actually being shot by the pistol. Let me see if I can give a little background, explain the nature of the danger, and provide some recommendations....


Please bear with me a bit, as we need to understand how the Luger works to be able to appreciate the problem. The references I have used for the parts of the Luger are from the Parts and Disassembly page in the Technical information section.


Technical Description


The Luger is a striker fired pistol. The striker (part number 0013) is brought to **** by pulling up on the toggles such that the breechblock (the forward most part of the toggle assembly) is drawn approximately a half inch to the rear. The striker is held at **** by the rear of the sear bar (0018) bar. Pressure on the front of the sear bar or on the sear bar plunger (not numbered - this is the small projection on the front of the sear bar) will cause the rear of the sear bar to release the striker.


When fully assembled, the front of the sear bar is under, and protected by, the sideplate (039). The trigger lever (108) is pinned onto the sideplate by the trigger lever pin (107), and the trigger lever pivots on the trigger lever pin. The trigger lever is the linkage between the trigger and the sear bar. Pressure on the trigger to the rear is translated to an inward pressure on the sear bar plunger by the trigger lever.


One of the most dangerous things that can happen while firing a Luger is to have the locking bolt (025 -also called the take down lever) slip into the take down position during recoil. When this happens the sideplate can come adrift. If the sideplate falls off, the cannon (the barrel, barrel extension, and toggle assembly are called the "cannon" by collectors) may travel forward and completely off of the frame. If the cannon chambered a round during recoil the impact of the cannon hitting the ground may jar the striker off of the sear bar, or the sear bar plunger many hit something, causing it to release the striker. If either of these things happens, the cannon will fire the round in the chamber. Even if it does not fire on impact it must be handled, and cleared, with the greatest of care.


Should the sideplate not come completely free, the cannon will likely stay on the frame (024). This too is a potentially deadly state of affairs. With the sideplate loose, the trigger lever (or edge of the sideplate) may be in a position that it is pressing against the sear bar plunger even with no pressure on the trigger. Just what to do in this circumstance depends on the exact position of the sideplate and cannon, and I'll make some recommendations below.


Recommendations


1) Check the take down lever tension on the sideplate before packing the pistol to take it to the range. With the toggle assembly locked open, you should feel resistance when you try to move the take down lever. If you don't - don't shoot the pistol! Have the pistol repaired before shooting it again.


2) If the take down lever moves at all during firing, stop firing immediately. What to do next depends on how far the take down lever moved and the position of the sideplate.


3) If the take down lever has not moved far enough to disengage and free the sideplate:


a) Keep the pistol pointed down range.


b) Drop the magazine out of the pistol.


c) Carefully re-engage the take down lever.


d) Insert an unloaded magazine, clear the chamber, and have the pistol repaired before firing it again.


4) If the take down lever has moved far enough to disengage and free the sideplate, but the sideplate is still on the pistol:


a) Be prepared for the pistol to fire for no apparent reason!


b) Keep the pistol pointed down range.


c) Drop the magazine out of the pistol.


d) If safe to do so based on the surroundings, rotate the pistol slightly clockwise so gravity is no longer pulling the sideplate down and off the pistol. Slightly elevate the muzzle, so gravity is no longer pulling the cannon down and off the pistol.


e) If the sideplate has not moved and is still properly positioned on the pistol, carefully re-engage the take down lever, clear the pistol, and have it repaired before shooting it again.


f) If the sideplate has moved but is still on the pistol, you and all bystanders are in grave danger. Perform steps 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, above. Use some object (a stick, piece of cleaning rod, or as a last resort your little finger) to attempt to flip the sideplate off the pistol. Try to move the sideplate off from top to bottom, or failing that, counter clockwise. The reason for the directions of these motions is we want to try and minimize the chance of the trigger bar or the edge of the sideplate pressing the trigger bar plunger and firing the chambered round.


g) If the sideplate has fallen off the pistol, perform steps 4a, 4b, and 4c, above. Carefully (!) move the cannon back onto the frame if it has moved forward. AVOID TOUCHING THE SEAR BAR OR SEAR BAR PLUNGER! With the cannon in its proper position on the frame, retract the toggle and eject the round in the chamber. If possible do this with an empty magazine so the toggles lock back.


h) If the cannon has fallen off the pistol observe which way the muzzle is pointing and CLEAR THE RANGE FOR 120 DEGREES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE MUZZLE. The round may discharge the moment the cannon is touched or disturbed.


I) If the cannon is pointed in a safe direction (a direction where the bullet will be safely trapped upon discharge) and is laying flat on its top or bottom and you are wearing boots or sturdy shoes:


1) Quickly step on and put your full weight on the cannon. KEEP ALL BODY PARTS BEHIND THE MUZZLE. Use a stick or some other object to trip the sear and discharge the round.


H) If the cannon is not laying flat on its top or bottom we have some nasty choices to make. You may:


1) Pick up the cannon, being careful to AVOID TOUCHING THE SEAR BAR. Either hold the toggle closed and fire the round by pressing the sear bar plunger, or attempt to work the toggle to eject the live round. Either of these options has the potential to injure you. Given the most likely set of injuries from either of these, those potential injuries produced by firing the round are probably the least severe, but we're talking odds here. Keep in mind the fact that the cannon may fire the instant you put your weight on it.


With all of that said, there are a couple of other, related, issues here.


One of these is the need to be aware of and able to recognize "Bubba" repair jobs. If the take down lever has a bit of weld (or tape, or epoxy, or anything out of the ordinary on the underside), Bubba has likely tried to fix a loose take down lever. Another common Bubba fix is to stick a piece of wood into the hollow underside of the take down lever button. These are all done to apply pressure to the sideplate without actually fixing (and in some cases, understanding) the problem. If you see these things, get thee to a Luger 'smith!


The other issue is the cannon of a Luger is a functional firearm without the frame, and is capable of being fired without the frame. Which in turn means we must be *absolutely* sure a Luger is unloaded before field stripping it! It is physically possible to field strip the cannon off of the frame of a Luger with a live round in the chamber. If we were to do so and then accidentally press in on the front of the sear bar the Luger would discharge (this is the origin of the sear safety). A number of people have accidentally shot to death household appliances learning this :-(


So let's be careful out there - the life we save may belong to someone important to us


I hope this helps, and that I've not bored folks to tears.


Best regards,


Kyrie

[Dok]

don't be a stranger after your problem is fixed!


Dok (Webmaster)

[Marvin]

Kyrie,


This is a great articel you wrote on the Locking Lever. can this be placed in the FAQ section? I feel this information is so important that all who frequent this Forum should have access to certain "pitfalls" of shooting this pistol. Great information and a BIG thanks for posting this.


Marvin

[John Sabato]

[Don]

Kyrie,


Yikes! I had no idea of the potential problem I had. Thanks a lot for explaining it and taking the time to write such a thorough article. I'm 50 and I'd like to make it to 51 and beyond.


Thanks again.

[Kyrie]

Hi Don,


You're very welcome - we are all in this together


Best,


Kyrie

[Dok]

Long before you read that post I had emailed Kyrie and asked his permission to post this in the General Info section.


I have now received his OK, and will post it as soon as I can!!!


Dok