DWM Luger Failure to eject / chamber - Help please.

E

erob3

New member
Hi all,

I recently was handed down a .30 DWM Luger from my Dad. I have completely disassembled it - EVERYTHING - cleaned it and put it back together. I took it to the range and ran some rounds thru it but it was hit and miss on ejecting the round and putting the next round in the chamber. It originally would stove pipe the empty, I disassembled it again and removed the ejector bar from the side of the frame and gently bent it out a little so it was not "dragging" on the firing pin housing so much. Took it back to the range and now it ejects the empty but is not chambering the new round, it pushes the round forward but the nose of the new round stove pipes. I have to drop the magazine, drop the round out of the bottom of the frame, put the round back into the magazine and chamber the round using the toggle. I am shooting Fiocchi 93gr 30 Luger ammo. I have read several posts that Lugers are funny about ammo. The firing pin spring and main spring feel in good condition. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Most likely, it is a magazine issue. Try a different mag.

Also, beware of fooling with the ejector; If you break it, they are very expensive to replace.
 
How many magazines do you have? All old? I'd order a couple of new Mec-Gar mags, there's a good chance that's your problem. I only have 9mm P08s but I think the 9mm mag will work with .30Luger.
 
Yeah, I thought so but wasn't sure. Thanks for the clarification.

I also cringed when the OP said he bent the ejector. :eek: It might be wise to have the old girl appraised before firing it again in case it has collector value. Good pictures posted here is a start. If it's just a shooter, then sure, have fun! Assuming it's safe to fire. My mixed numbers 1913 DWM P08 is a fine shooter.
 
Luger tends to like hotter loads. For the failure to feed, you need to figure out what is stopping the round from chambering. More details on the stoppage, or better yet, a picture or two will help.

-TL
 
I've worked on my firearms quite a bit over the years....all functioning flawlessly. The adjustment I made to the ejector was MINOR - I have no intentions of doing anything else with that part of it as I am happy with the tuning I did with it. I have one mag, it appears to be original to the pistol as it has the wooden finger holds on the bottom to remove it. I have several High Standards and understand the importance of "tuning" the lips of a magazine. I have worked with the lips on the Luger magazine but to no avail. As to the value, I can't imagine it being a major collector. It's in nice shape, no rust or pitting so I would say 90% condition give or take. The serial number is four digit with a cursive N underneath of it. My research shows it to be the 1920 Commercial version and yes it's numbers matching. Please do not misunderstand I have no intentions of shooting it routinely, I just want to get it functioning properly and put it away with the comforting knowledge that IF I ever did want to shoot it again I could. As to the "hotter" load I can see that, the tension of the main spring coupled with firing pin spring create the necessity of a good discharge from a round to get it to cycle properly. And as I think about that Tangolima, if I shoot just one round thru it with the empty magazine inserted, the toggle does not stay open indicating it is not going back far enough to engage the "catch" to keep it open and yes I can pull it back manually and it locks open. So maybe a hotter round is what I need. Any suggestions as to where I can find some? I found the Fiocchi at an on-line ammo supplier and the cost wasn't too bad. I'm not familiar with 30 Luger ammo; What would the be the next grain to try? Every 30 Luger ammo I've looked at was 93gr and that seems to be the common ammo. These are a relatively simple design so it can't be but a couple of things. Again though, I appreciate any input and I will definitely look into getting a second magazine. I'm guessing if the lips of the magazine are out of "tune" the bullet would rise too quickly and pass over the mouth of the barrel. Also, if it sitting too low in the frame. Could be a couple of things. I will not be able to post pics until tonite but I will do so.
 
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.30 Mauser are difficult to find, so I hand load. If you don't do that, maybe there is some one you trust who can do it for you. It is tough as most hand loaders don't want to load for anybody else, because of liability.

I didn't look, but does Fiocchi carries .30 Mauser with different bullet weight? Get the heaviest one if you can. I believe PPU also does that caliber.

Hope it helps.

-TL
 
He's not looking for .30 Mauser. It's .30 Luger.

I always thought Fiocchi ammo to be fairly hot, but apparently it's not doing its job in your gun.:confused:

Anyway, just try a different mag. Mecgars are first rate quality and aren't that expensive.
 
I have a 1920 Commercial, and other than a few glitches trying to feed Sierra HPs with exposed lead at the tip, have had no functional issues.
Your extractor hook moves freely, and the hook is intact?
I run nothing but loads of 85gr bullets @1100-1150fps, so absolutely do not buy into the conventional wisdom that Lugers need hottish ammo; my loads are all weaker than any factory 9mm, and function fine, with energetic ejection.
I shoot nothing but handloads in my gun, and tune them to run reliably. If muzzle velocity drops below 1100fps, I start getting functional problems, so there is a lower limit. If yours is short-stroking, you may have some excess friction somewhere; the bolt was rubbing on the ejector?
Try another mag. My factory mag is of folded sheetmetal, it has some dings and wows in it, and the Mec-Gars I bought not only feed well, but drop out of the gun, which the factory mag won't, even after a bit of massaging.
I think all factory ammo is going to be loaded to about the same power level.
 
Yes, new Mec-Gar mags are wise upgrade for any Luger you want to shoot. My genuine P08 magazines gave me feeding problems (and toggle lockback issues with the now empty magazine). My two Mec-Gars function well. Also, authentic magazines are just too valuable nowadays to dink around with.
 
RickB - Yes my extractor moves freely and is in tact. I removed the extractor spring, cleaned it as well as the extractor and replaced it. My magazine is thin sheet metal as well. I checked the price of the Mec-Gar magazines, $40. Not too bad, not great.....especially for something I am going to shoot rarely but if it helps why not. Any suggestions as to why the toggle does not go back far enough to engage the "catch" when firing the last round? This next topic is really going to freak some of you out. What about cutting off a coil or two on the main spring? That would reduce tension / resistance of the main spring allowing the toggle to work back far enough to completely cycle both the casing extraction and push the new round into place. Or replace it with a lower power spring.... Is there such a thing? Yes I understand about frame battering and so on. Just a thought. I will try a new magazine first.

Quentin2 - How does the magazine effect the toggle not locking back? Is it a "drag" issue or something else?
 
Rather than cuting off "a coil or two" from the mainspring, get a replacement spring and experiment with that first.
 
Any suggestions as to why the toggle does not go back far enough to engage the "catch" when firing the last round?
Click to expand...

Are you sure the issue is that the bolt/toggle is not going fully to the rear, as opposed to an issue with the lock-back mechanism itself? I know there can be issues, as a buddy has had to have the lock-back repaired on his Luger.
I'd try a new mag, which might solve all your issues in one swell foop.
 
I definitely am going to get a Mecgar mag first before doing anything else. Then I'll go from there, hopefully that will take care of it. I'll let you know what happens with it. Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it. Being as this pistol belonged to my Dad it's important to me that I get it functioning correctly, not so much to shot that often, but more so that I know it will. Thanks again.

Gyvel - If the magazine does not fix it I will get a new one. Thanks.
 
A 1920 Commercial Luger is listed in the Standard Catalog of Luger as being "as common as they get". SO, no super rare collector gun.

But, in VG condition, the book lists it at $1,000, and that was in 2006.

What it would bring on the market today is likely a bit more...

A different magazine might also cure you hold open issues.
 
...Quentin2 - How does the magazine effect the toggle not locking back? Is it a "drag" issue or something else?
Click to expand...

A worn magazine spring might not lift the magazine follower high enough or up fast enough to engage the toggle lockback catch. Or a 90+ year old mag body and follower could be slightly damaged/worn so as to not lift high enough. It's quite common, I have a no-name recent manufacture P08 mag that feeds just fine but won't lock back the toggle on the last shot while my two Mec-Gars do it every time.

Please don't bubba the mainspring! I doubt it's your problem.

Boy, those magazine have gone up in price.
 
Quentin2 - You ain't whistling Dixie on the cost of magazines, I looked on ebay to see if maybe someone had a used MecGar and was shocked at the prices of a real Luger mag. Holy high priced tin metal Batman!! I here ya on the main spring, it was just a thought. I can always look into a reduced power main spring, if there is such for a Luger. At this point I will be happy if I can get it cycling properly, if it doesn't lock the toggle back on the last round I can live with that. Thanks.
 
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Not to go too far afield, but a buddy and I have an annual Luger "grudge match" at our local IDPA club.
He's loaned me mags in the past, and they are these absolutely beautiful vintage mags with machined tubes! Who else but the Germans would machine a mag tube?
I had to leave in a hurry, and as I took off my belt, my mag pouch, with this guy's $100 mag ($200?), fell out on the ground. I get home, realize I don't have the mag, imagine that I drove over it, someone else took it home, etc. Really made me wish I'd bought another $40 Mec-Gar, as I'm sure it took five years off my life worrying about that mag.
 
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