Luger modifications

Uhhhhh...its your gun, but this doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

For one thing, although the Luger can be an accurate pistol, the toggle lock action gives them a, um, unique recoil impulse, which isn't necessarily conducive to match work. Then there is the short sight radius to contend with and the fact that you are trying to get consistent groups with a century old handgun.....

Then of course, there is the potential loss of value by modifying a collectible gun- depending on the variant and condition you could be writing off several thousand dollars.

Do what makes you happy, but man, wouldn't it be better to start with something more modern with tighter tolerances and better sights already?

This isn't quite like asking how to remove weight from a suit of medieval armor to make it suitable for use as football padding, but it's not completely unlike it, either.

The problem is, some people like the steep grip angles like on Ruger Mark IV. And it's pretty common among competitive shooters, especially abroad. This is why Mr. Lebedev made his PL-14 look like that. Aside from PL-14, I don't know of many 9mm guns that are configured in Luger style. Steyr M9 is the only one that comes to mind quickly, but I don't know of any sporting versions.

PL-14:


Steyr:

I forgot to mention: in general a straighter magazine is more reliable than a slant one. For that reason, HK P7 has a magazine that is significantly straighter than the grip angle.

(But the Ruger 22/45 is backwards: it uses a slant magazine from Mark III, but the angle is set to mimic 1911.)

kkayser said:

I would like to modify a 1908 Luger for target shooting. The sights are a big problem. they have a "v" in the rear and the front is tapered. Has anyone had any experience with converting the sights to notch rear and flat top front? The front sight is removable.

The grips are too slippery. Anyone know where I can get slip resistant grips?

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Well, it's your gun! I hope it is a parts gun and not a relic!

Aren't the rear sights machined as part of the toggle? If you wanted a notch instead of the V it seems like it would be simple but careful work with a file? I don't see how you could get an acceptable rear sight for target shooting though, there isn't much meat up there for a decent sized slot. Maybe you might consider making a good target rear sight or cutting one off of something else and silver soldering it to the toggle?

It took me forever to find a replacement front sight for my P08 when I lost the original (and the replacement was not cheap) which is why I would not want to modify the original. But the front sight is in a dovetail like you stated. I think I would build a new sight to your liking for target shooting. I think I would use a chunk of brass for the new front sight as it would be a lot easier to work with than steel.

The diamond checkering on my P08 gives me a pretty good grip. Is the checkering on yours worn?

Are you going to put a longer barrel on your P08 for a longer sight radius?

I would love to see a couple pictures of your P08. What it looks like now. And what it looks like when you are finished. I am sure you will be the talk of the shooting club!

Way back in the Dark Ages, around 1965, a gunsmith named John Dewey specialized in modifying Lugers with new barrels and barrel mounted rear sights. A very accurate combination, but with Luger prices being what they are today, I don’t think I will be modifying my Luger. Although it is very accurate, the sights are some of the worst I have ever seen, and it shoots about 3” high at 50’. If I had a parts gun, I might consider it, though.

This would be a fairly simple thing for a gunsmith to do. You will need a front sight that is the same height as the current one but that is wider and straight edged rather than tapered. The rear sight will need to by squared up rather than a V notch and the same height. That's about all it takes. You could go more elaborate if you cared to.

The grips. Many good aftermarket stocks are available. The stock wood knurled grips don't slip.

Lugers were and still are very accurate pistols.

If you need someone to do the work contact Mike Krause of Krausewerk Collectibles in San Mateo, Ca.

http://krausewerk.net/

Artillery Lugers have the rear sight on the barrel, along with along sight radius.
Might be a thing to look into.

Not quite what you are asking about, years ago Stoeger offered a .22 caliber Luger, nearly all had fixed sights like the original versions, however; they also offered a "target version", in which they added an adjustable rear sight package (very rare). I have both variations, the target model gets the job done by adding the rear sight, but it will never an award for aesthetics.

Rembrandt said:

Not quite what you are asking about, years ago Stoeger offered a .22 caliber Luger, nearly all had fixed sights like the original versions, however; they also offered a "target version", in which they added an adjustable rear sight package (very rare). I have both variations, the target model gets the job done by adding the rear sight, but it will never an award for aesthetics.


View attachment 822740

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The Erma .22 Lugers were also very accurate (having fixed barrels) and very nicely made.

P5 Guy said:

Artillery Lugers have the rear sight on the barrel, along with along sight radius.
Might be a thing to look into.

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I think that is what Dewey was doing, an 8" barrel with a barrel mounted BoMar rear sight.

Please don't

The Sig P239, P225, S&W 39, and various Kahrs come to mind as single stack 9mm options which would work better I think.

The problem with attaching any accessories to a Luger barrel is that the barrel moves violently during firing and it would put an awful lot of stress on a light or laser. Adding mass to the barrel would also slow down the cycling action and might affect reliable feeding as well. Not to mention the accessories would have to be far enough away from the frame to avoid slamming into it when the barrel recoils.

Rails really need to be attached to the frame on any gun without a fixed barrel.....

kkayser said:

The artillery Lugers are all expensive. Decent DWM's can be had for reasonable prices. There is no doubt that modifying sights will destroy any collector value. I think I may try my P38 first. the barrel is long enough for a one slot rail. The sights are very good. the trigger pull is 4#, but is not smooth. Since the gun is new, I hope the trigger smoothes out with use.

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Better than a Luger perhaps, but the barrel still moves during firing on a P38. Adding the mass of a light or laser would almost certainly prevent it from cycling reliably.
How about finding a surplus Sig P6 (225) and attaching a rail to the frame in front of the trigger guard? The frame is aluminum and would be easy to drill and tap.

kkayser said:

I am looking for a single stack 9mm with an accessory rail. The only guns like that are 1911's which I find too large and heavy. I can easily attach a mount to a Luger barrel. (and a p38 for that matter). In a recent article the author tested about a dozen modern guns and a DWM 1920's Luger. the Luger out shot all the other guns (2 in. group where the others had 3 to 5 in) and had a 2# trigger pull which was the lightest in the group.

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There are several new-production choices that meet your requirement. You could also add the taurus g2c to that list above. It’s small and not heavy, grippy, single stack 9, with rail.

Your gun, your money, but lugers dont lend themselves well to mods like this. Don’t tear up your luger or p38.

The replacement of the rear sight is fairly easy...just buy a new toggle with the rear sight cut to your needs. As you can see from the animation in the link the rear sights are a part of the toggle. The front sight is replaceable and a new one or replacement, can be made to your choice. Krausewerk can get or make these for you. Especially if you want to be able to keep the gun in original shape. Personally I would do no other mods to it.

The triggers are not conducive to great shooting but a decent shooter can get around that. Especially, as no one should plan on shooting a lot of ammo through these old guns.

http://www.lugerforum.com/

You can also ask around at the Luger forums.

http://luger.gunboards.com/forum.php

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/luger-p08-forum/