Luger pistol

Also known as Parabellum, Luger P08, P08 Luger

semi-automatic pistol of German origin

Key facts

Type: Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin: German Empire
In service: 1904–1953 (Germany) 1900–1970s (other countries)
Used by: See Users
Designer: Georg Luger
Manufacturer: Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken Imperial Arsenals of Erfurt Simson Heinrich Krieghoff Waffenfabrik Mauser Vickers Ltd (final assembly only) Waffenfabrik Bern
Unit cost: 35 ℛ ︁ ℳ ︁ (1943), (equivalent to €72 in 2021 )
Produced: 1900–1953
Number span no built: 3,000,000
Mass: 871 g (1 lb 15 oz)
Length: 222 mm (8.7 in)
Barrel length: 120 mm (4.7 in) (Pistole 00) 100 mm (3.9 in) (Pistole 08) 200 mm (7.9 in) (Lange Pistole 1908)
Cartridge: 7.65×21mm Parabellum 9×19mm Parabellum
Action: Toggle-locked, short recoil
Rate of fire: 116 rpm (semi-automatic)
Muzzle velocity: 350–400 m/s (1,100–1,300 ft/s) (9mm, 100 mm short barrel)
Effective firing range: 50 m (55 yd) (9mm, 100 mm short barrel)
Feed system: 8-round detachable box magazine

via Wikipedia infobox

~36 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The Pistole Parabellum or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum), commonly known as just the Luger or Luger P08, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The Luger was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1949.

The design was patented by Georg Luger. It was meant to be an improvement of the Borchardt C-93 pistol, and was initially produced as the Parabellum Automatic Pistol, Borchardt-Luger System by the German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). The first production model was known as the Modell 1900 Parabellum. It was followed by the "Marinepistole 1904" for the Imperial German Navy.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Luger pistol” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.