THEGERMAN P08 LUGER
The Auto Pistol with the Most Sex Appeal
In many ways, the Luger is to semi-automatic pistols what the Colt Single-Action Army is to revolvers. Its classic flowing lines make it one of the most appealing auto pistols of all time. It is also the pistol that introduced the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, which became one of the most popular pistol and submachine gun cartridges ever made. As a military sidearm, it saw service in both world wars and was widely used by the armies of a number of European and other nations. Not surprisingly, Lugers are keenly sought by collectors and some models are extremely valuable.
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
The Luger owes much of its design, especially its toggle action, from the Borchardt pistol. Although initially chambered for a bottlenecked 7.65mm cartridge, it was later chambered for the new more powerful 9mm cartridge that remained its main caliber for most of its long production life.
Apart from being offered with a variety of barrel lengths, its basic mechanism remained unchanged until production finally ceased in World War II. Lugers have always been admired for the high quality of workmanship they display. As with many military arms, this was the main reason for its eventual demise because it was very expensive to manufacture.
As a result, it has been replaced with the more modern designs that, while undoubtedly efficient, lack the appeal of old-time craftsmanship and eye appeal that is fast becoming only a memory.
DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES
The Luger is a magazine-fed, semi-automatic pistol that uses a toggle action developed for the earlier Borchardt pistol to lock the breech momentarily during firing. The toggle action is a locking mechanism that moves rear-wards for a short distance together with the barrel and then pivots upwards once chamber pressures have reached a safe level. The action is then unlocked as the toggle continues its upward/rearward motion at the same time it is ejecting the spent case and cocking the firing mechanism. On its forward movement, the lock pivots down to close the action, stripping a fresh round from the magazine and feeding it into the chamber. If the magazine is empty, the toggle will be locked open.
Lugers employ the unique toggle breech locking system that first appeared in the earlier Borchardt pistol.
The pistol’s controls consisted of a takedown latch located in the front of the frame, a button-type magazine catch positioned behind the trigger and a safety catch set at the top rear left side of the frame. Early models often had a safety in the rear of the grip although this was eliminated in later pistols.
Characteristics of the Luger were its clean flowing lines that included a tapered barrel of various lengths and a grip that housed the magazine, which was angled acutely to the barrel centerline. The sharply angled grip contributed to the pistol’s natural pointing characteristics and its pleasant mild recoil.
While most standard Lugers had fixed sights, most of the long-barrel models had an adjustable tangent sight position forward of the breech.
During its long period of service, the pistol underwent relatively few major modifications, evidence of the soundness of its basic design.
MILITARY LUGERS IN FOREIGN SERVICE
Although Deutsche Waffen & Munitionsfabriken’s (DWM) ultimate goal was to obtain a German military contract for the Luger, this occurred only after a number of foreign nations had adopted the pistol for their armies. In 1900, the armies of Bulgaria and Switzerland were the first to express an interest in the Luger. In both cases, the pistols were chambered for a 7.65mm bottlenecked cartridge (known in the US as the 30 Luger).
Both pistols had 4 3/4-inch, slim, tapered barrels and were made by DWM, which is roll-stamped on the rear of the toggle. Swiss military models are marked with the Swiss cross in a sunburst stamp on top of the chamber while the Bulgarian models have the Bulgarian royal family crest stamped in the same location. Commercial versions were also sold in both countries. Other foreign users of the pistol were Brazil, Chile, China, Holland, Iran, Luxemburg, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Rumania, Russia and Turkey.
Although the Luger was originally chambered for the 7.65mm (30 Luger cartridge), its main cartridge was the 9mm Luger specially created for it. Shown here is an artillery model with a7 1/2-inch barrel.
LUGERS IN THE UNITED STATES
In 1900, similar 30 Lugers were submitted to the US military for trials. It performed well enough for an order for 1000 pistols to be placed. These continued to be tested until 1908. The main complaint was over the small caliber of the cartridge. Around the same time, a number of similar pistols were made for commercial sales in the US.
Due to the complaints about the striking power of the 7.65mm, Luger developed a new cartridge for the pistol in 1902, a 9 x 19mm round that became universally known as the 9mm “Parabellum.” The term Parabellum came from the Latin phrase “Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum” (If you want peace, prepare for war). The Parabellum subsequently became the most widely used pistol and submachine gun cartridge in the world.
The Luger’s controls are all on the left side and consist of a takedown lever, magazine catch and a thumb safety.
The new 9mm version of the Luger was not well received in the US, however, where DWM hoped it would enjoy good sales. The testing conducted by the Cavalry Board and the Field Artillery Board, while admiring the Luger’s accuracy, was disappointed with its continual jamming during the testing. The jamming and the need to constantly use two hands when firing or clearing jams rendered it “practically useless” according to the Cavalry Board report. The Colt revolver would remain the mainstay of the US military until the arrival of the Colt 1911.
In 1907, a few Lugers were made for the 45 ACP cartridge to compete in the US military trial then taking place, but the pistol eventually lost out to the Colt Government model. All American Lugers were made by DWM and carry the American Eagle crest over the chamber.
While the Luger failed to interest the US military, it did quite well as a civilian arm. Among the main US importers and distributors were Abercrombie & Fitch and Stoeger. The latter company even copyrighted the name Luger.
The Luger’s safety is applied by depressing it so that the marking “Gescihert” (safe) is exposed.
GERMAN MILITARY LUGERS
The Luger’s lackluster reception in the US would not be duplicated on its home turf. DWM had previously tried, unsuccessfully, to market the Luger to the German military. The army had tested variations of the Luger for several years and found it wanting. The navy, as usual, thought differently than its sister branch. In December of 1904, the Reichsmarineamt (German Naval Office) made the 9 x 19mm Pistole, Marine Model 1904, System Borchardt Luger its official sidearm. The 1904 Marine model was equipped with a 6-inch barrel, a unique two-position rear sight (graduated for 100 and 200 meters) and a combined extractor-loaded chamber indicator. The early Marine model featured the flat-faced knurled toggle grips with the older anti-bounce lock mechanism.
In 1906, an improved version of the Marine model was introduced. It had a coil spring instead of the flat mainspring and the anti-bounce lock was discontinued. The 1906 model remained the mainstay until the arrival of the world-famous Pistole ’08. Not much had changed from the 1906 model when the P08 first made its appearance, the most apparent alteration