Trashed 1906 Commercial Luger - An update
DCastro713
Member Posts: 28 ✭
Hello,
I was able to acquire the trashed 1906 7.65mm Commercial Luger that I had earlier asked what the the value might be.
Since it already was trashed, so much rust nothing moved, broken toggle, missing some parts and overall not worth much I have started messing with it. Photos below.
After soaking in penetrant, using a mallet and some elbow grease, was able to free up everything.
Picked up some parts including a complete toggle assembly (I did replace the broken front toggle and kept the rear toggle and breechblock) and replacement trigger plate so now the firing pin drops when I toggle the action and pull the trigger. But it was heavy, I broke out a trigger gauge and at first the trigger went way past the 8lb mark. Probably 9lb. to 10lb. But after cleaning and trying to polish some of the trigger assembly parts it is between 5.5lbs. and 6.5lbs. Much better!!.
Since this won't be a numbers matching Luger when I am done, I am thinking I should go ahead and change the barrel to 9mm? Especially since the original barrel is in such bad shape including a lot of corrosion inside the barrel.
And another note, I live on Guam, which has really strict gun and ammo laws so getting 7.65mm ammo here probably "ain't gonna happen."
And yes I know that the firearm might be in such bad shape that I may not ever get up the nerve to fire it, but as I said I like to tinker.
I also broke both grip screws so I have to decide how I want to fix my mistake but in the meantime, this thing looks ugly but it's similar to the 1911 I had worked on earlier.
Hoping to hear your comments.
David
How I got it.
And how far I have gotten.
Comments
That's actually very cool.
Anything is restorable with some work. A fella brought in a Winchester 61 pump in 22 magnum. His sons had lost it off a four-wheeler in a creek bed here in Eastern Montana. It was found several years later in very bad shape. Stock and forearm were rotted, and creek water had flowed into the bore, and it was pitted so badly I had to replace the barrel. I soaked it in solvent for about a week before I could get everything loose enough to unload it before I worked on it. Lots of sanding and some new wood, it actually came out very nice.
Your Luger looks like it still has some promise.
I reckon with the grips, it's too valuable to pistol whips some fool with.
A very interesting project. It is possible to remove / install a Luger barrel, BUT, without the proper set-up and tools it is probable that the frame will be damaged to some degree. Also you may not be able to get the barrel front sight lined up true. Ask me how I know. Good luck.
Stick to paper weight usage.
yeah.. I would never test fire it, but as a toy to tinker with and bring it back to more resemble a working example it should be a fun project.
I had relatives both in the military and retired military that spent a year or so on Guam in the late 1970's they enjoyed the time spent there and the native/indigenous people , the regional food and the Island itself, they had many great memories that they shared of living there.
Guam was a great place but like everywhere else, drugs and crime has changed the island. But there is still a lot to like 😀.
Been working on this firearm and although it still looks terrible, maybe even worse as I have removed most of the body filler so you can see even more pitting, but I think it would fire. Other then swapping the firing pin to the newer fluted version, and replacing the broken forward toggle, missing trigger side plate assembly, magazine release spring and grips (all replacement parts are old used parts) I want to try and see if it would fire and feed.
As I have mentioned before I can't find 30 Luger ammo on Guam but planning on visiting family this summer in Arizona which means I might be able to get some and bring it back to Guam when I return. Also, looking to get 7.7x58mm for an Arisaka Type 99 I have also worked on.
Will plan to update again later this summer when I get back.
A shooter? Not for me. Would I shoot it? No. But watching the transformation is amazing and very cool. You're doing a good job. It has to be fun to do too.
Trust me, I only want to get it to function.
To me it is the same as my 1943 Ithaca 1911. Once I got the 1911 to function and able to run 1 box of ammo it became my ugly safe queen, probably never to be fired again. Maybe? 🤣🤣🤣
I am amazed that all the rusted springs still function as they should so the only parts that came with the gun I changed was the broken front toggle, the fluted firing pin (which I probably will put back after it runs) and the grip screws which I broke. The only other parts I added was the side plate assembly, magazine catch spring and the grip panels, all were sourced used.
Now I just have to wait until I can get ammo to test this thing.