Old German Luger..... UPDATE time!

[Jackalope]

NEW PICS IN POST #11!

So I spent the better part of the past couple days welding, grinding, sanding, buffing and polishing the lower and as of right now it looks damn near brand new again! I have a little more work to do to get rid of a few lite tooling marks from my metal working but I'm VERY pleased with the outcome thus far.

I replaced my 1st ever main spring and must say it was no where near as bad as some made it out to be, took me all of 3 minutes and a small screw driver, a rag, and an index finger and it was done. Also replaced the firing pin and trigger springs and man were all 3 springs worn out! The new firing pin spring is about a good half inch longer then the original and the main spring about a whole inch to inch and half longer then the original one. The new grips are also on and look fantastic (pics to follow waiting for the camera to come back.)

I have a new 1913 barrel and upper on the way that should be here next week that I'll fit to the lower but its in much better shape then the pitted up mess I currently have to work with. I have test fired the barrel 6 times and then inspected it for any signs of damage and there are none so tomorrow she goes to the range to see if the original barrel has any grouping left in it if so and the 1913 one doesn't then I'll just swap the barrels out.

At this rate I plan to be dunking it in my home made bluing tank some time in the next week or the following then get ready for the before, during and after pics.

Wish me luck and if anyone has any advice or tips please feel free to post em up as there are most welcome and listened to. This is my 1st gun I've ever done and I must say I'm having a blast doing it!

 

[Armadillofz1]

Nice! Can't wait for pics.

 

[Marauder]

 

[smores]

I may know a guy who has a Luger upper wrench... can be very helpful in installing/removing barrels.

 

[sailskidrive]

Very cool project....

 

[huesmann]

Nice, but why not just update your other thread? That way you have everything in the same thread.

 

[KMK1862]

So I spent the better part of the past couple days welding, grinding, sanding, buffing and polishing the lower and as of right now it looks damn near brand new again! I have a little more work to do to get rid of a few lite tooling marks from my metal working but I'm VERY pleased with the outcome thus far.

I replaced my 1st ever main spring and must say it was no where near as bad as some made it out to be, took me all of 3 minutes and a small screw driver, a rag, and an index finger and it was done. Also replaced the firing pin and trigger springs and man were all 3 springs worn out! The new firing pin spring is about a good half inch longer then the original and the main spring about a whole inch to inch and half longer then the original one. The new grips are also on and look fantastic (pics to follow waiting for the camera to come back.)

I have a new 1913 barrel and upper on the way that should be here next week that I'll fit to the lower but its in much better shape then the pitted up mess I currently have to work with. I have test fired the barrel 6 times and then inspected it for any signs of damage and there are none so tomorrow she goes to the range to see if the original barrel has any grouping left in it if so and the 1913 one doesn't then I'll just swap the barrels out.

At this rate I plan to be dunking it in my home made bluing tank some time in the next week or the following then get ready for the before, during and after pics.

Wish me luck and if anyone has any advice or tips please feel free to post em up as there are most welcome and listened to. This is my 1st gun I've ever done and I must say I'm having a blast doing it!

Welding? Be careful you don't mess up the heat treatment. Out of curiousity, what needed to be welded?

 

[Jackalope]

I'm only doing welding on the lower, the upper is being replaced because of the heat treatment issue that you mentioned.

 

[HT4]

This.

Good luck... it's a great project!

 

[KMK1862]

I'm only doing welding on the lower, the upper is being replaced because of the heat treatment issue that you mentioned.

Ok, but what are you welding? Is a part broken or are you trying fill in pitting?

 

[Jackalope]

Ok, but what are you welding? Is a part broken or are you trying fill in pitting?

I filled in HORRIBLE pitting. Heres some pics of it so far....

It also seems I have offended some in the Luger world with doing what I have done. If you are one of those that I have offended I never ment to offend anyone. I was quoted a grand to make the gun into a non firing mantel piece and that was not the direction I wanted to go and I couldn't afford that much anyway.

 

[Jackalope]

Oh almost forgot I've run 100 rounds thru the gun and so far she shoots great! At 50 yards she has a grouping the size of a softball and since polishing the feed ramp she hasn't jammed one single time even firing cheap Walmart ammo. I'm thrilled to have gotten it to this point but also bummed out that I have offended some people with what I have done.

 

[Drmsparks]

Don't worry about anyone you offended. You took a pistol destined for the scrapheap and are enjoying the hell out of it.

Pistols are meant to be shot. Your restoration is a good thing.

 

[Jackalope]

Thanks man. Oh and my wife also has fired it and said she likes the gun! So even tho I have offended some Luger purists I have brought a gun back to life that my father found and never could and have got my wife, a life long gun hater, to like a gun and not flip out about having it in the house! I'd say thats a win win myself.

 

[BradMacc82]

Don't worry about anyone you offended. You took a pistol destined for the scrapheap and are enjoying the hell out of it.

Pistols are meant to be shot. Your restoration is a good thing.

^This.

Some people are going to get offended about any and everything, pay them no mind. Your doing what your doing, and a nice job at that - genuinely, that no longer looks like that rusted hunk of metal it started out as.

Enjoy it, shoot it, and drop a few magazines in memory of your father, I'm sure he's out there somewhere getting some enjoyment out of knowing that you got it back into firing condition.

 

[BlackBart]

I filled in HORRIBLE pitting. Heres some pics of it so far....



It also seems I have offended some in the Luger world with doing what I have done. If you are one of those that I have offended I never ment to offend anyone. I was quoted a grand to make the gun into a non firing mantel piece and that was not the direction I wanted to go and I couldn't afford that much anyway.

If it works for you that's all that counts. It looks far better than I figured you would get with it, congrats.

 

[hodgepodge]

I remember what the "before" pictures looked like. You should post the side by side.You've done a great job!

 

[ma_deuce]

Thanks man. Oh and my wife also has fired it and said she likes the gun! So even tho I have offended some Luger purists I have brought a gun back to life that my father found and never could and have got my wife, a life long gun hater, to like a gun and not flip out about having it in the house! I'd say thats a win win myself.

You haven't offended me! I think you've got real guts to take this on, and I'm glad it's working out.

 

[Maverick0313]

Great job!!!

 

[Jackalope]

Thanks everyone. She's turning out better then I hoped for tho the bluing is a sticking point for me I think at this point I'm going to try to rust blue it as that is its original finish and doesn't sound as nasty as hot bluing. I'll post up pics when I get finished bluing it.