Luger P08
Recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol with a toggle-lock action, chambered in 9×19 mm Parabellum: standard sidearm of the German army in both World Wars and an icon of 20th-century handgun design.
Luger P08
Community
Data trust
- Reliability
- Unverified
- Sources
- Sources pending review
Identity
- Designation
- Luger P08
- Alias
- Pistole Parabellum
- Manufacturer
- DWM / Mauser
- Country
- Germany
- Year
- 1908
- Category
- Pistol
- Status
- Historic
Ballistics
- Caliber
- 9×19 mm Parabellum
- Muzzle velocity
- 350 m/s
- Effective range
- 50 m
- Maximum range
- 100 m
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 102 mm
- Overall length
- 222 mm
- Empty weight
- 0.87 kg
Mechanics
- Operating system
- Corto rinculo della canna
- Bolt / action
- Chiusura a ginocchiera (toggle-lock)
Feed
- System
- Caricatore amovibile
- Standard capacity
- 8 rounds
Fire modes
Historical profile
Development
The Pistole Parabellum 1908, commonly known as the Luger P08, was developed by Georg Luger from the earlier Borchardt C-93, simplifying its mechanism and reducing its size.
Adopted by the German Imperial Navy in 1904 and the Army in 1908, it was produced primarily by DWM of Berlin and Mauser-Werke of Oberndorf.
Design
It operates on short barrel recoil with a toggle-lock action, an iconic mechanism that visibly rises during the firing cycle.
Developed alongside the 9×19 mm Parabellum (9 mm Luger) cartridge, created specifically in 1902 and today the NATO standard for pistols and SMGs.
Operational service
It was the German service pistol in both world wars, in standard (100 mm barrel), 'Lange Pistole 08' (200 mm barrel with wooden stock) and 'Artillerie' versions for artillery batteries.
Also adopted by Switzerland, Bulgaria, Portugal, the Netherlands and Persia. Although expensive and sensitive to dirt, it was revered for its accuracy and revolutionary ergonomics for the time.
Legacy
Officially replaced by the Walther P38 in 1938, it nevertheless remained in production until 1942 and in German service until the end of the war.
It is among the most collected pistols in the world, with examples from particular factories and military markings reaching substantial values on the antique market.
Variants
Main users
Impero Tedesco · Germania (Reichswehr, Wehrmacht) · Switzerland · Portogallo
Key components
- ●Barrel — Canna corta rigata, integrale al gruppo otturatore.
- ●Ginocchiera — Sistema di chiusura toggle-lock azionato dal rinculo.
- ●Carrello/Telaio — Receiver superiore con marcatura P08.
- ●Grip — Grip in legno zigrinato con angolo di 55°.
- ●Grilletto — Trigger SA con sicura laterale 'Gesichert'.
- ●Magazine — Caricatore monofilare amovibile da 8 colpi 9×19.
