Author Topic: And now for something completely different  (Read 3900 times)

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Offline Blicero

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And now for something completely different
« on: June 28, 2016, 04:06:11 PM »
I strayed beyond my wheelhouse and took a chance on this JP Sauer model of 1913 in 32acp, which was left languishing unloved and neglected in a local pawn shop. I confess that I knew nothing about these guns at the time of sale, but for only $250 I figured what the hell, it's historic, German, oddball, and shootable, let's mix things up.

Here it is:









After producing the Reich Revolver, The Model of 1913 was JP Sauer's first foray into the world of automatic pistols, which was still in its infancy in the early 20th Century. As such, there are some strange features to this gun which baffled me as I hopelessly tried to disassemble it. Thanks to the infinite wisdom of the internet I was able to break down & clean this bad boy up without putting an eye out. It was filthy, dry, and caked with gunk, but it surely looks rejuvenated now with a fresh coat of oil.

I'll share a few pics of the gun's oddities and its internals, with a brief lesson on how to disassemble and assemble the pistol. Hopefully somebody will find it entertaining or instructive. After cleaning it, I quickly learned there is a way to incorrectly reassemble it, I'll show you how to avoid the mistake.

To break this gun down, first make sure the chamber is clear. Now you need to lock the slide open. Upon first handling I didn't think this gun had a hold open feature. I was wrong. The hold open mechanism is at the top of the inside of the trigger guard:


Insert your finger into the trigger guard and push the slide lock upward. With the hold open depressed, pull the slide back.




Now you need to unscrew the end cap of the slide. It is held in place by the rear sight, which sits on a piece of spring steel:


Depress the rear sight and unscrew the cap. Once the cap is off, pull the slide back to unlock it and gently ease it forward off the frame:



Now you can remove the breech block from the frame and clean the parts as necessary. Here are a few photos of the striker and the breech block. You can see how JPS used assembly numbers on the small parts.









Crown/N nitro proof on the fixed barrel:



When all of the parts are clean, insert the mainspring over the barrel, slide the striker into the breech block, and slide the breech block all the way forward into the frame:




Now place the slide over the barrel and, sort of like assembling a Luger, press the muzzle into a soft surface so that the mainspring compresses and moves the slide rearward. When it's fully to the rear, you need to compress the rear sight and screw the end cap back on so that it screws over the spring on which the rear sight sits, as such:




Now here is the crux of reassembly. When I first screwed the cap back on, I screwed it all the way in and considered it done. That was a mistake. After I thought I'd done the job I did a standard function check on the pistol. I cocked the pistol and squeezed the trigger, and the striker didn't drop. But then when I released the pressure on the trigger the striker did fire. Sort of like a dead man's switch. After some consideration I realized that I had screwed the end cap too far. Here is what it looks like screwed all the way in and incorrectly assembled, bottom view:



This is how the notch needs to be aligned over the striker in order to function properly:




Other observations:
This design must have been quite the money maker for the Sauer firm. Production lasted well into the 1930s, well over 17 years in existence, with only minimal changes to the design. The few changes that did occur had to do mainly with improving the function and reliability of the safety mechanism.

In 1930, around serial number 160k, The Sauer firm started exporting the model. They changed the maker's mark around this time. So with a serial number of 150k, I believe this gun to be made in 1929.

I learned after buying it that the grips are incorrect. Sauer originally used plastic grips with the "S&S" logo on them. I gave a few moments of consideration to finding the proper grips but quickly decided against it. The grips on this gun seem to have been on it for a very long time, and they fit properly enough, so I'll leave them alone. This is a case where "incorrect" parts actually feels correct. The fact that original grips cost damn near what I paid for the pistol also helped prod me toward leaving them be.

As I handle this pistol I daydream about the progress of pistol design and what JP Sauer was up to in the early 20th Century, and I start chewing on the question Why was JP Sauer not producing military pistols to a large extent in the 1920s-40s? Sauer, after all, is Germany's oldest gun maker. They had military contracts to produce the Reichs Revolver and GEW98 in WW1, and the k98k in WW2. It's reasonable to expect them to have been a huge force in pistol production as the 1930s progressed and the Wehrmacht expanded. But their contribution to military-issued pistols was minimal in WW2, having made the substitute standard Model 38h. Their glory was eclipsed by Mauser and Walther with the onset of such designs as the PP, PPK, HSC, p08, and eventually the P38. The Mauser factory was not exceptionally political or sympathetic to the Nazi cause, so that rules out favoritism to an extent. It leaves me to think that the German military just did not think too highly of whatever JP Sauer was designing or producing in the pistol department at the time this model of 1913 was made. I envision a sales rep trying to sell an OKW or other military brass on a certain handgun design, only to be met with "Nah buddy, you just keep making my Drillings and my k98s, leave the pistol duties to our boys in Oberndorf."

Nonetheless, this is a pretty neat design despite its esoteric idiosyncrasies. The machining is precise, the fit is tight, it's nicely finished, and it's obvious that much attention was paid to the details. I've had a ton of fun learning about it.

Oh yeah, I managed to haggle a T-shirt into the deal. The employees at the shop were wearing these badass tees and they let me take one home. Simple pleasures, right?
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Offline Blicero

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Re: And now for something completely different
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2016, 04:10:12 PM »
Another cool feature I forgot to mention. When the slide is locked back, it can be released by squeezing the trigger. Kind of a neat feeling.
"I reject your suggestion."
-Ramcke

"You would last about an hour in Charlotte before the police were called bc you were walking around outside with a bottle of scotch and a g43."
-Ty O

"I don't appreciate you showing Nazi images. My old lady's granddad died at Auschwitz."
"I'm sorry to hear that..."
"Yeah...he fell off a guard tower."
-You Know How I Get Thomas

Regional Spelling Champoin, 6/6/2012

"Why the hell does it look like you turned into some weird trendy libtard?"
-LooseCannon

Online Loose}{Cannon

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Re: And now for something completely different
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2016, 06:54:33 PM »
Ill give you $255...   cry1


Very nice write-up man... These have some interesting features for certain. 
      
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Offline Dannyboy53

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Re: And now for something completely different
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2016, 09:53:56 PM »
Very nice catch Blicero and a fascinating pistol. I agree with you ref the grips. They have that "been there, done that" look about them and look like they belong there! Thanks for a great write up.

Offline armedhippie

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Re: And now for something completely different
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2016, 12:44:33 AM »
Good stuff man  thumb1 Don't believe I have ever ran across 1 of these. It has a very unique look to it. Digging the slide lock released by squeezing the trigger. Does it lock after the last round?
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Offline Phosphorus32

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Re: And now for something completely different
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2016, 06:24:39 PM »
Great write up on the history and idiosyncrasies of assembly/disassembly.  What a cool little pistol.  These unique designs always pique my curiosity  8)

I had never heard of these Model 1913s before but taking a look at the "Standard Catalog of Military Firearms 7th ed.", you got a killer deal on that piece  :o  thumb1

Offline Donp236

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Re: And now for something completely different
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2016, 04:42:46 PM »
Blicero looks good the only thing off is the grips are not original.  The original grips  had an oval with the S&S logo in it.  Did you notice the cave man with the club?  That was J.P. Sauer's trade mark.

It wasn't Sauers first foray into an autopistol either.  The was the Roth-Sauer pistol of 1900-1904, produced under license by J.P. Sauer to the firm of Georg Roth chambered in 7.65 Lugar a shorter round than the .32 ACP (7.65 Browning).
« Last Edit: July 01, 2016, 05:32:24 PM by Donp236 »