The Luger pistol occupies a place in the history of self-loading pistols that is generally similar to that of the Colt Single Action in the history of revolvers. The swift classic outlines of the Luger made it one of the most attractive weapons in appearance. In addition, it was this sample that introduced the world to the 9mm Luger / Parabellum cartridge, which has become one of the most popular pistol ammunition in their history. Luger pistols participated in both world wars and were in service with the armies of many European countries. So it is not surprising that Lugers are highly valued by gun collectors, and some of their examples are worth quite a lot of money.

Creators

Typical P 08 pistol from the First World War
1916. Price - from 2400 to 28000 DM. Except DWM, pistol P 08
during the First World War, an arms factory in
Erfurt. The photo shows the stamp of the police school in
Sensburg. These models have been improved after
Berliner Ludwig Shivi patented in June 1930
trigger pull fuse.

The Luger pistol (better known in Europe under the commercial name "Parabellum") was created by two people - Georg Luger and Hugo Borchardt, who worked at the German weapons company DWM (Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken). DWM is the result of the activities of the Lowe brothers, Ludwig and Isidore. Their company, originally called Ludwig Lowe und Companie, was engaged in the production of tools and sewing machines. After receiving a government order in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, the Lowe brothers' company began to manufacture rifle sights. The experience and high quality of the products led to the fact that the company of the Lowe brothers began to receive other military contracts, both from their own government and from abroad. Shortly thereafter, guns took the place of sewing machines in the company's product line.

In 1886, Ludwig Lowe died, and Isidor entered into a joint venture with Mauser to manufacture rifles for Turkey. With the passage of time, the operations of both companies in the field of weapons production are very closely intertwined. Lowe acquired controlling stakes in Mauser and Deutsche Patronenfabrik Lorenz, a German ammunition manufacturer. The result of these acquisitions was the creation of DWM.

Georg Luger and Hugo Borchardt were friends and colleagues at Lowe's firm, and both had a serious interest in the creation (and not without success) of self-loading weapons and cartridges for them.

Russian M1906, Bulgarian 08,
American Eagle, Portuguese Maritime Portugal-Marine.

Borchardt, a German by birth and an American by nationality, worked for several small companies before moving on to work for the large American firm Winchester Repeating Arms Co. His first patent, obtained while working at the Winchester factories, was the design of a machine for cutting grooves for lubrication on the surface of lead bullets. He also designed the 1878 Sharps rifle. In 1890, after working in various companies, Borchardt went to work for the Lowe company, where he created a self-loading pistol of his own name.

Georg Luger, an Austrian, entered the world of weapons through his collaboration with Ferdinand von Mannlicher. By the time he joined Lowe in 1891, Luger had been experimenting with rifle bolt designs for 20 years. Luger used Borchardt's design as the base for his own pistol. The Luger pistol was smaller and lighter than the bulky Borchardt pistol, and as a result, the Luger pistol had a much greater military potential.

Anatomy of a Luger

Automatic pistol Borchardt M.1893 cal. 7.65 mm.
The prototype of the famous Parabellum.

The Luger pistol is a self-loading, detachable-magazine-fed, short-travel, hard-locking automatic weapon. The barrel is locked by a crank mechanism that is in the dead center position at the time of the shot. After a short rollback of the moving parts, the levers are removed from the dead center position upon impact with a protrusion on the fixed frame of the pistol and fold up, unlocking the bolt. In this case, the entire reloading cycle is carried out - removing and ejecting the spent cartridge case, sending a new cartridge into the barrel.

The most characteristic outward signs Luger pistols have a slightly conical barrel, tapering towards the muzzle, and a strongly tilted back handle that accommodates a magazine. The large angle of the grip contributed to the natural hold of the pistol when aiming and a softly felt recoil.

Over the course of a long period of service, Luger pistols have undergone relatively few modifications, which indicates the initial thoughtfulness of the design.

"Lugers" in foreign military service

Borchardt-Luger (Parabellum) M.1914 cal. 9 mm. carbine
model with a 32-round Leer disc magazine. Indigenous
modernization of the Borchardt pistol on the wings
the talent of engineer Georg Luger.

Although DWM's main goal was to secure German military contracts for the supply of Luger pistols, in reality this only happened after a number of other countries adopted these pistols. In 1900, the armies of Bulgaria and Switzerland were the first to express interest in self-loading Luger pistols for adoption. In both cases, the pistols were chambered for 7.65mm bottle-cased cartridges, known in the US as .30 Luger. Both versions had 120mm barrels and were manufactured by DWM, whose logo was stamped on the top of the rear locking lever. Swiss pistols also carried a stamp in the form of a Swiss cross against the background of the sun in the upper part of the chamber. Bulgarian pistols in the same place carried the coat of arms of the Bulgarian royal house. In both of these countries, commercial versions of the same pistol were also sold.

In addition to Bulgaria and Switzerland, Luger pistols were also purchased by Brazil, Holland, Portugal, Russia and Turkey.

American "Lugers"

In 1900, Luger pistols were also submitted for testing in the United States. They performed well enough for the Americans to order 1,000 more pistols to continue testing until 1908. The main dissatisfaction of the Americans was caused by too small, in their opinion, the caliber of the pistol. Around the same period, a number of pistols were sold on the US commercial market.

P 08 pistols carefully modified by Mauser can be recognized
according to the old hallmarks of the military departments. But in front on the handles
they all have new data and together with a factory certificate
Mauser in Oberndorf are stored in a plastic case.

As a result of desires for a higher caliber, DWM developed a new 9mm cartridge in 1902, commonly known as the 9x19mm Parabellum. The name "Parabellum" comes from the Latin proverb "Si vis pacem, para bellum", meaning "If you want peace, prepare for war" and served as the motto of the DWM company. Subsequently, the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge became the most massive ammunition for pistols and submachine guns in the world.

The new 9mm Luger pistols, however, did not receive the warm welcome in the US that the DWM had hoped for. The Americans recognized the accuracy of the Lugers, but expressed dissatisfaction with the constant delays in firing. The need to use both hands to reload weapons and eliminate delays made this pistol completely useless in the eyes of American cavalrymen. Colt revolvers remained the main short-barreled weapon of the US Army until the introduction of the Colt M1911 pistol.

In 1907, a small number of Luger pistols were chambered in the new American .45 ACP cartridge to compete in a government competition for a new pistol for the US Army. As you know, Colt pistols won this competition. All "American" Lugers carried the American coat of arms on the upper side of the chamber.

While the attempt to sell Lugers to the US military ended in failure, these same pistols were sold quite successfully in the civilian market. Among the major American importers and distributors of Luger pistols were Abercrombie Fitch and Stoeger, the latter even registering the trademark "Luger" in its name.

German military "Lugers"

Perhaps the most unusual butt design for a pistol
was patented by Josef Benke from Budapest and
Georg Thiemann from Berlin in 1926.
The wooden cheeks of the handle were removed and replaced with steel
construction details, made integral with the parts,
covering the trigger guard.
In this form, this weapon was controlled with one hand.

The unsuccessful debut of Luger in the USA was not repeated in his native land, where these pistols had a completely different fate. DWM unsuccessfully tried to sell the Lugers German army, which, without much success, tested various versions of this pistol for several years. The fleet, as usual, had its own opinion, different from the army. In December 1904, the German Navy officially adopted the 9 mm Luger-Borchardt pistol under the designation "9 × 19 mm Pistole, Marine-Model 1904, systeme Borchard Luger". "Marine" Lugers had barrels 150 mm long, unique two-position sights with range settings for 100 and 200 meters, and an extractor that also played the role of a cartridge indicator in the chamber. Early Navy Lugers had side locking bosses with flat ends and an anti-bounce mechanism.

In 1906, an improved version of the pistol appeared - "Marine-Model neue art" ( a new version), which had a spiral helical return spring instead of the earlier flat one and did not have an anti-bounce mechanism. Pistols of 1906 remained the main model of the company until the appearance of the famous Pistole 08.

The appearance of the P.08 brought not too many changes compared to the 1906 model. The most notable innovation was the disappearance of the automatic safety at the rear of the grip. As a result, to put the weapon on the safety, it was necessary to turn the safety lever down. Otherwise, there were almost no differences between the R.08 and its predecessor.

P.08 pistols had 100 mm barrels and used 9 mm cartridges. At first, these pistols did not have shutter lag, since the old-style delay has been removed from the design. Later, this problem was solved by introducing a spring-loaded delay, which, under the influence of the magazine feeder platform, rose up and engaged with a cutout in the pistol bolt.

The German Navy received its own version of the P.08, which, compared to early naval models, lost the automatic safety on the handle, but retained a two-position sight and a 150 mm barrel. All military versions of the R.08 were equipped with a special holster that had a side pocket for a spare magazine and a separate compartment for accessories.

P 08 pistol with plastic grips.

In 1914, naval model pistols began to be produced with 200 mm barrels, and such pistols were designated Model 1914 or Model 08/14. Pistols of the 1914 model of the year differed from the P.08 in an elongated barrel and a special adjustable tangent sight located on the breech breech. A special holster attached to pistols of the 1914 model of the year could also be used as an attached butt to a pistol, in addition, special drum magazines were produced - snails with a capacity of 32 rounds. These magazines were later abandoned due to their bulkiness and their tendency to delay firing.

After the First World War, the Lugers remained in service with the German army and continued to be produced in this role until 1942, when they were replaced in production by Walter R.38 pistols.

Until the 1960s, pistols produced jointly by Interarms and Mauser for the United States were completely identical to the original Lugers, but modern collectors consider them more likely to be replicas.

Manufacturers

While DWM was Germany's main manufacturer of Lugers, a number of other companies were brought into production to meet wartime needs. Here is a short list of them (manufacturer's names were usually stamped on the top surface of the locking levers):
- DWM (Deutsche Waffen und Munitionfabrik) - Karlsruhe, Germany
- Erfert Arsenal - Erfert, Germany
- Spandau - Spandau, Germany
- Simpson & Co - Suhl, Germany
- Mauser - Oberndorf, Germany
- Krieghoff (H.Krieghoff waffenfabrik) - Suhl, Germany

In addition, several foreign companies held licenses to manufacture Lugers:
- Vickers (Vickers - Armstrong Limited) - UK
- Waffenfabrik Bern - Switzerland

Caliber

The most common calibers for Luger pistols are 9x19mm and 7.65x22mm, both bearing the Luger name or the "Parabellum" name, a trademark of DWM. In addition, there were variants chambered for .32 ACP (7.65x17 mm Browning), .380 ACP (9x17 mm Browning Short) and .45 ACP, but all of them are extremely rare. No less rare are conversion kits chambered for .22 LR cartridges (5.6 mm rimfire), as well as chambered for Flaubert caliber 4 and 6 millimeters.

Trunks

Pistol 08, taken apart for cleaning,
the left side of the handle has been removed.

Luger pistols were produced with the barrels of the most different lengths. The most popular were the 95,100mm and 120mm barrels found on both military and commercial models. Navy and special deluxe models had 150mm barrels, while 1914 Artillery Lugers and some commercial models had 200mm barrels. Luger carbines, as a rule, had barrels 300 millimeters long and detachable butt and forend. Commercial carbines of 1920 had tables from 300 to 500 millimeters long. The shortest-barreled Luger had a barrel length of 82 mm and existed in a single copy. It was the personal pistol of Georg Luger himself, adorned with his monogram.

Sights and trim

Luger pistols with barrels 150 mm or less in length had non-adjustable sights. Artillery Lugers of the 1914 model of the year, as well as commercial long-barreled pistols and carbines, had tangent rear sights installed in the area of the breech breech.

Most Lugers, although not all, had a groove on the back of the handle for attaching a detachable stock.

All Lugers had high quality finishes and precise fitting of moving parts. Metal surfaces are blued, some pistols were decorated with engraving. The cheeks of the handles are mostly wooden, with a neat fine notch, however, pistols produced during the Second World War may have plastic cheeks.

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Front-line officers, veterans of the NKVD, intelligence and SMERSH are familiar with this pistol. Created at the beginning of the century, designed extremely well, passed through two world wars and claimed many lives. "Parabellum" is still used today. To the uninitiated, he is a mystery. The unusual design of the pistol and the stories of those who fired it give rise to legends and speculation about the power of this weapon. Its sinister design has an alluring power. Communication with him can change the character of a person. Parabellum is unique. In the entire history of the development of automatic weapons, no one has invented a pistol with a more original, efficient and ergonomic design. This weapon system has been arousing the professional interest of military combatants, sports shooters, gunsmiths and, of course, intelligence officers for almost a hundred years.

It so happened that this pistol was designed in succession by two German engineers. In 1893, the inventor Hugo Borchardt patented an automatic pistol with an unusual barrel locking system based on the dead center principle of moving parts - the bolt, connecting rod and bloodworm. The mechanical system was calculated mathematically, worked exceptionally reliably, had a very high accuracy of battle and impressive bullet penetration. But, as gunsmiths know, only beautiful weapon. Borchardt's pistol design was disgusting. There was no weight balance as such, and therefore the pistol, which had an ideal fight from the machine, did not hit at all when shooting "by hand". It was an "ugly duckling", just a working model of a successful engineering idea.

Seven years later, in 1900, Borchardt's theoretical concept was embodied in a real weapon system by another German designer Georg Luger, who completely changed the layout of the weapon. The pistol grip acquired an optimal angle of inclination and was orthopedically adjusted to the average size of the shooter's palm. The designer placed a return spring in the tilted handle, which made it possible to significantly reduce the dimensions of the weapon and the mass of moving parts. It was possible to lower the barrel along the axis as much as possible - and the throwing angle during the shot decreased. The center of gravity shifted forward - and the weapon acquired an impeccable weight balance. The gun was reduced in size, became light and comfortable. All this was achieved while maintaining the reliability, accuracy and design capacity of the system. Georg Luger pursued the goal of creating a portable, ultra-precise and long-range fire weapon for athletes, foresters, hunters and travelers, suitable for survival in difficult conditions, capable of suppressing the enemy at the maximum distance of a pistol fight. But that was not all. The gun was created for commercial purposes - in order to be bought. An unknown, but talented designer in his own way, obviously worked on it. The appearance of this weapon tuned the psyche to the medieval Teutonic cruelty characteristic of German aristocrats. The gun conveyed to its owner an incomprehensible destructive psychoenergetics - it inspired a feeling of offensive aggressiveness to those who held it in their hands. It received the corresponding commercial name "Parabellum" (from the Latin saying: "Si vis pacem, para bellum" - "If you want peace, prepare for war"). The ugly duckling has turned into a kite.

In a civilian commercial version, Parabellum was produced (and is still produced) in 7.65 mm caliber. At one time, it favorably differed in weight, linear and ballistic characteristics from other automatic weapons.

The Kaiser's military in German took a practical approach to the original design. They suggested that the inventor increase the caliber of the system to 9 mm and recommended that the pistol be adopted by the Bundeswehr. A 9 mm cartridge with a "cut cone" bullet was specially developed for the pistol (with a flat front platform that crushes the tissue of a live target on impact and causes shock). With the increase in the caliber of the Parabellum, its striking qualities have increased so much that they still impress in our time. In 1908, this weapon system was adopted by the German army under the code name "Pistol 08m (die Pistole 08). The combat qualities of the new weapon were fully manifested in the maneuverable partisan and semi-partisan large-scale conflicts that swept across the globe after the First World War. At that time best weapon there was no such class. "Parabellum" began to be produced in China, Mexico, Iran, Turkey, Spain. He was in service in Switzerland, Holland, Bulgaria and other states under the name "Borchardt-Luger".

The automation of the pistol is based on a short backward stroke of the barrel. The movable system of the weapon is made up of a barrel with a receiver, inside which parts of the locking mechanism and the percussion mechanism are mounted. The barrel with a front sight on the muzzle is connected to the receiver using a threaded connection. The receiver has the shape of a fork. Inside the fork, a bolt with a percussion mechanism and an ejector is placed and moves. The shutter is articulated with the connecting rod, and the latter with a bloodworm. The bloodworm has a massive tooth that interacts with the beveled surface of the pistol frame when the movable system is braked after a rollback. All hinge-lever connection on the device is a crank mechanism, in which the shutter is a slider. The barrel and receiver assembled with their parts can move in the grooves in the longitudinal direction. The bloodworm at the junction with the connecting rod has two rollers with a knurled surface, made with it as one piece, which give the weapon unusual view. Two deep cuts on these frames allow the bloodworm to lie down on the receiver so that the axis of the middle hinge becomes lower than the axes of the front and rear hinges.

In the forward position, the shutter is locked, since the connecting rod and the bloodworm form an obtuse angle between them, with the apex down. When fired, the pressure of the powder gases is transmitted through the sleeve to the bolt. The receiver prevents an increase in the obtuse angle between the hinge and the bloodworm, and under the action of the recoil force, the entire system described above in the locked state moves back by about 6 mm. Unlocking begins after the bullet leaves the barrel, when the bloodworm rollers "run into" the profile surfaces of the frame. The bloodworm begins to turn upwards with the rollers, the articulated-lever connection quickly passes through the dead position, after which the bloodworm receives a sharp increase in angular velocity due to the curvilinearity of the profile surfaces. The connecting rod and bloodworm are folded, the shutter opens. When the bolt is opened, the connecting rod cocks the drummer with a cocking tooth. The bloodworm is connected by means of a transmission lever to a return spring located in the handle, which returns the movable system to its original position after the recoil energy stops. When moving forward, the bolt picks up a cartridge from the magazine and sends it into the barrel. When the trigger is pressed, the gear lever mounted in the trigger cover acts on the uncoupler of the trigger lever mounted on the receiver. The trigger lever rotates on the axis, releases the drummer, breaking the primer. There is a shot, and the reloading process begins again. When the barrel moves with the receiver back relative to the frame, the uncoupler "runs" on the side surface of the gear lever and is installed inside the body. In this position, shooting is still impossible - you need to release the trigger.

In this case, the transfer lever moves to the side and releases the uncoupler, which, under the action of a spring, enters from the trigger lever housing and becomes under the transfer lever. If you now press the trigger, the shot will repeat. The trigger mechanism allows only single fire. Fuse in the "Gesichert" position - the flag is lowered, the fuse bar blocks the trigger lever. Locking the cocked drummer is very reliable.

To load the "Parabellum" press the magazine latch, then remove the magazine, equip it with cartridges. The equipped store is inserted into the handle. The bloodworm grabs the rollers, moves up and down as far as it will go and is released. The weapon is ready to fire. An indicator of the presence of a cartridge in the chamber is the raised position of the ejector. This opens the inscription "Geladen" -charged. When the last cartridge is used up, the shutter is locked by the shutter delay and the movable system stops in the movable position. In order to close the shutter, it is necessary to remove or slightly release the magazine and slightly feed the bloodworm back. In the presence of cartridges in the store and an open movable system, the bloodworm is also fed back by the rollers - while the shutter leaves the shutter delay.

"Parabellum" works very reliably. The supply of a cartridge from the magazine to the chamber eliminates distortions and sticking of cartridges - in the cramped space of the fork of the steel box, the cartridge simply has nowhere to "get out". The gun is not afraid of sand and dust - they are "blowed" up after a shot from a small opening window of the receiver following the spent cartridge case by the residual pressure of powder gases. Resource "Parabellum" is 25 thousand shots. Interestingly, the older and more "slapped" the mechanism, the softer its recoil and, accordingly, it "throws" less when fired. Due to the inevitable backlash between the parts of the moving system, the recoil momentum sequentially acts on each of them and is not felt so sharply. With a well-maintained and well-groomed bore, the wear of the mechanism has practically no effect on the accuracy of the battle.

Care, conservation, cleaning and lubrication of "Parabellum" are carried out in the usual manner. It should be noted that German weapons steel, unlike Russian, is very "likes to rust." Therefore, it has to be cleaned more carefully. The bore of the "Parabellum" is not chrome plated. The Germans, just like us, did not know how to chrome barrels in those days. The design of the "Parabellum" is thought out to the smallest detail and calculated with true German precision. In fact, this is a compact firearm, where the work of parts and mechanisms is based on the strictest engineering calculation. Each detail, its mechanical and weight balance in the process of interaction with other parts and mechanisms, metal resistance, are carefully calculated. From a mechanical point of view, the system is ideal - it uses the energy of the powder charge to the maximum to eject the bullet and to the minimum - to reload the weapon. This is achieved due to the relatively small mass of the shutter and the specifics of its interaction with other moving parts. A weapon system designed only in this way could accelerate a relatively heavy (7.9 g) bullet to a speed of 330 m / s. short - 85 mm barrel. The barrel itself is drilled into a light taper and is processed very cleanly. The accuracy of the Parabellum combat is absolute and has not been surpassed on combat automatic pistols so far - the spread of bullets at a distance of 25 meters fits into the diameter of a five-kopeck coin. The main sample - short-barreled holster "Parabellum" confidently "gets" the target in the head at a distance of up to 100 meters. Pistols were also produced with a barrel length of 200 mm and an aiming bar, like a rifle, notched at a distance of 300 meters, with initial speed conventional bullet 390 m / s. With an attached butt-holster, such a pistol was actually a light automatic carbine. There was also a training version of the Parabellum in 5.6 mm caliber and a special model with a silencer for silent shooting.

Pistols produced before the war at various factories in Germany were of very high quality, with a large margin of safety with the highest manufacturing accuracy, and impeccable cleanliness of the working surfaces of parts. "Parabellums", let in in other countries from much worse materials, made not so carefully, also fired quite decently - the quality of the shooting was determined by the engineering calculation incorporated in the design.

Cartridges 9x19, used for firing from the "Parabellum" (they are called "08 Parabellum"), in terms of performance characteristics and design features, turned out to be perhaps the most practical for pistol automation. The cartridge case of such ammunition tapers slightly from the middle of the body to the muzzle (by 0.3 mm), which provides easier extraction after firing. With the advent of submachine guns designed for this cartridge, the production of ammunition with a "sheared cone" bullet ceased, and Germany switched to the production of "08 Parabellum" cartridges with an ogival (egg-shaped) bullet, most suitable for the automatic operation of a submachine gun. These cartridges turned out to be so successful that since then they have been used to fire from the vast majority of systems of pistols and submachine guns.Before the war, the Germans produced a variant of such ammunition with a powder charge increased by 20% - the so-called "carbine cartridge 08". Parabellumah" the bullet of such a cartridge accelerated to a speed of 470-500 m / s.

Features of the mechanism provide the pistol with a high rate of fire and an increased effect of the bullet on the target at long distances for pistol fire. It was designed for trained and trained shooters, but even for a beginner, it is easy to shoot and easy to hit. Thanks to the orthopedic handle, "Parabellum" sits in the hand like a glove. The barrel is located low - almost at the level of the shooting hand. The locking system opens up, and therefore the weapon "knocks" slightly when fired. From "Parabellum" you can conduct rapid rapid fire. Some inconvenience of loading is compensated by the amazing accuracy of shooting - at a distance of line of sight in the forest where he aimed, he hit there. Moreover, he hit immediately, from the first shot. It is very good to shoot back from this pistol, keeping the enemy at a respectful distance. The inclined handle allows you to effectively shoot offhand from the stomach, without aiming, at the silhouette, by ear in the dark. This weapon is ideal when shooting at running targets. The mechanical strength of the pistol allows it to be used as a brass knuckles in hand-to-hand contact. Therefore, "Parabellum" was indispensable for front-line scouts, saboteurs, performers of special missions, mercenaries and terrorists.

In essence, "Parabellum" was a weapon of an aristocratic hunter, but it was possible to hunt from it only on people. His appearance and the physical sensations it evoked aroused feelings of confident superiority and brutal inflexibility, in accordance with the Fascist theory of the superman. These qualities of the weapon amused both the sports passion of the German rangers in the fight against poorly armed partisans, and the bloodthirstiness of the SS officials, who had fun shooting at the civilian population.

At the front, this pistol did not particularly show itself. Its accuracy and range turned out to be unclaimed against the background of the work of other automatic weapons that solve tactical problems with an increased density of fire. However, our officers did not miss the opportunity to remove the "Parabellum from the killed German - as a personal holster weapon, it was incomparably better than the service TT."

Operatives, ours and German, did not like Parabellum. It was not suitable for carrying in a pocket, there was no self-cocking, which was so necessary for a sudden oncoming collision, it was impossible to use one hand to bring the weapon into the "combat" position. The fuse did not turn on inconveniently and did not lock the moving parts - when the fuse was on, the shutter opened. In case of severe contamination, in frost, with a defective cartridge, thickening of the lubricant, the bloodworm did not lock the bolt completely - the uncoupler reached the gear lever, and in this position the locking system stopped, because the force of the return spring was not enough. At long distances, this did not play a role - to send a cartridge, it was enough to slap the bloodworm with your hand from above, but at close ranges of a detective battle "point blank" any delay could be the last.

"Parabellum" was difficult to manufacture. Its manufacturing technology required many milling operations. Even the store was milled. Therefore, since 1938, the Germans have given preference to the not so accurate and ergonomic, but more practical and adapted to conducting sudden fire at close range, the Walter R-38, although the Parabellum continued to be produced until the last days of the war. I saw such an ersatz pistol produced in 1945 with plastic grips and a magazine stamped from roofing iron.

After the Second World War, the production of combat pistols "Parabellum" was discontinued. It was not modernized - no one managed to create a more advanced automation system. Attempts by other designers to design weapons that work on the same principle were unsuccessful. The concept of the relationship between the design of the Parabellum and the layout of its movement remained unsolved. The phenomenon of the impact of the external design of this pistol on the psyche of the shooter has not yet been studied. In many countries, the combat version of the Parabellum has been declared a weapon of targeted destruction and banned from use. Despite the fact that over the past 50 years a huge number of these pistols have been sent for remelting, the Parabellum has survived to this day. Interest in him does not disappear: "Parabellum" is an object of desire for weapons collectors and a salable item in military antiques stores. There are such weapons in museums, and in ... the arsenals of special forces - for especially precise work.

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An excellent pistol in all respects! But, very capricious! It is very painful for cleanliness! Two clips must be cleaned, otherwise there will be delays and misfires!

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Export modifications of Luger pistols

Pistol Luger Model 1900 supplied to the Swiss Army

Switzerland was the first country to adopt the Georg Luger pistol into service with its army. Model No. 3 (Versuchsmodelle 3 - from German. Experimental model), presented for the Swiss trials of 1898 - 1899. personally by Georg Luger, was severely criticized because of heavy weight, not enough good balance and, in particular, large dimensions. These shortcomings made the weapon not practical for military use. Returning to Berlin, Georg Luger immediately began to work on improving the design. After carrying out the necessary tests of the modified pistol, in 1899 a contract was signed with DWM for the supply of 3000 pistols for the Swiss army. Pistols Borchardt-Luger model 1900 caliber 7.65 mm were in service for a long time, as they had no analogues at that time in terms of a combination of such high combat and service performance. A feature of the Swiss pistols was the platform under the safety lever in the position of the possibility of a shot, which was not covered with bluing until 1920, when the inscription “GESICHER” and the usual bluing appeared in place of the “fire” position.

Swiss models were produced with an automatic lever safety even after it was abandoned in the P.08 model, which was adopted by the German army. These Lugers were identified by a Swiss cross made above the chamber in the center of the divergent sunbeams. After 1909, the cross was depicted in the center of a stylized shield. Weapons produced for the army were supplied with a test sample in the form of a small cross or an image of a "cartouche" - a cross with Latin letter"V" below it, framed. Before the First World War, Switzerland, which turned out to be the most important and largest partner of DWM, was supplied with about 15,000 Lugers of various models. After, in connection with the First World War, Germany needed a large number of weapons and supplies to other countries ceased, Switzerland set up its own production of Lugers.

Model 06/24 manufactured in Bern

Swiss Luger Model 1929

Lugers for the Dutch army received the designation "pistol M11". There were two contracts in total. Pistols of the first contract - "1923 DUTCH", were assembled by the English company Vickers & Co. The second Dutch contract of 1934 or "1934 MAUSER DUTCH CONTRACT" - pistols manufactured by Mauser, produced from 1936 to 1940. Caliber - 9 mm, 1000 pieces were produced. The history of pistols of the first contract is especially interesting. The Versailles restrictions in force at that time made it almost impossible to supply such weapons from Germany. As a result, the Dutch government began to work on this problem with the famous British company Vickers. However, having no technical documentation, she had to create her own, which significantly delayed the implementation of the contract. The British were forced to start purchasing parts for assembling pistols in Germany, but the barrels were supplied by the British company Elswick. The assembly process and markings were carried out at the factories of Vickers & Co., and a feature of this weapon was the word "GELADEN" stamped on both sides of the ejector.

In the "safe" position of the flag fuse lever, where standard models have the inscription "GESICHERT", "RUST" was set. Executed above the image of an arrow indicating a "safe position", this inscription can be translated as "break". On the left front of the receiver was a "W" sign with a crown crowning it. 3820 of these pistols were produced. This is how the British made and assembled pistols with the appropriate stamps were supplied by the British to the Netherlands since 1920. However, more interesting part The history of this weapon is connected with the Second World War. A number of these pistols were delivered to the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia), stationed there at that time, to the armed forces of the Netherlands. On these pistols, the upper surface of the connecting rod is inscribed VICKERSLTD. On the upper back of the barrel was the year of manufacture and serial number. Since 1930, a brass plate with the Dutch markings has been fixed on the left side of the receiver of these pistols. A fairly large number of these weapons were captured as trophies by the Japanese army during the 1941 offensive. In 1941 - 1942. trophy Parabellums were re-marked. On the surface of the bolt box, above the chamber, the Imperial chrysanthemum is stamped.

Luger manufactured by Mauser under a Dutch contract in 1934

Portuguese Luger caliber 7.65 mm model 1906, designated M2

Portugal conducted a series of tests of pistols designed by Georg Luger in 1901-1902. For this purpose, one hundred copies were delivered. By 1908, approximately 5,000 120mm Parabellum model 1906 pistols chambered in the 7.65mm Luger cartridge had been received by the Portuguese Army. The designation "M2" on the top of the receiver, above the chamber, crowned the image of the Portuguese crown. The ejector had the inscription "CARREGADA". The position of the lever of the flag fuse was not indicated in any way. Shortly after receiving the first order for the army, the Portuguese Navy received not much less than a thousand 9mm Luger pistols with a 100mm barrel. Such models had the designation "MP" on the left front side of the receiver, and an anchor was depicted above the chamber with a crown above it. After the change of political regime in Portugal, the designation "MP" was replaced by "RP" (Republic of Portugal - Portuguese Republic), and the crowns and "M2" were also removed.

In South America, Luger pistols also became widespread. 200 - 250 early P.08 pistols were produced for Bolivia. On the receiver, above the chamber of these models, the inscription "EJERCITO DE BOLIVIA" is inscribed, on the ejector - "CARGADO", the "safe" position of the safety lever is indicated by the inscription "SEGURO". Brazilian government in 1904 - 1905 expressed interest in testing Georg Luger pistols. In 1907, a contract was signed for the supply of 5,000 pistols. A distinctive feature of such weapons is the inscription "CARREGADA" on the ejector. Between 1901 and 1903 the Mexican government brought several copies of Borchardt-Luger model 1900 pistols for testing, which were successfully completed in 1905, after which about 200 of these pistols were used by cavalry and artillery troops. A distinctive feature of the "Mexican" lugers is the inscription "EJERCITOMEXICANO" on the left side of the receiver.

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M2 caliber 9 mm supplied to the Portuguese Navy

Parabellum pattern 1906, also known as Luger 1906 Russian Contract

Supplied to Russia Parabellum of 1906, caliber 9 mm, allowed to be worn by officers in the ranks in accordance with the “highest approved” order No. 74 in 1907

A number of 9mm and 7.65mm 1906 models were sold to France. Above the chamber there was a stylized image of a lily with the inscription "St Etienne", made in a scroll, below it. The full name of the company was applied on top of the trunk. There was an inscription in French on the ejector: "CHARGE".

Russia in the period from 1906 to 1909 received under the contract about 1000 Parabellum model 1906 pistols in 9 mm caliber. This weapon was marked on the top of the receiver, above the chamber, in the form of crossed Mosin rifles. For pistols supplied to Russia, frames of the Bulgarian order were used. Therefore, the "safe" position of the safety lever is indicated by the inscription "OGЪНЪ", as in the Bulgarian model. This inscription is visible when the fuse is off. The ejector bears the inscription "CHARGE". Between 1906 and 1907 9 mm pistols of the 1906 model, adapted for firing in automatic mode, supplied in accordance with the Russian order, were tested. The test results showed an extremely low accuracy of automatic pistols, as a result of which they were considered unsuitable for combat use and further work was stopped.

As in the two previous photos, this sample of 1906 in caliber 9 mm was supplied to Russia and is called by collectors "Russian Contract"

Model 1908, made under contract with Bulgaria in 1939

In 1901 - 1902. The Bulgarian authorities purchased Borchardt-Luger model 1900 pistols of 7.65 mm caliber with a barrel length of 120 mm in the amount of 1000 copies. Due to specifics political relations The contract was carried out by commercial delivery. The pistols had the Bulgarian princely coat of arms above the chamber and a stylized German DWM logo. Between 1000 and 1500 Parabellum model 1906 pistols in 7.65mm were modified in 1908. Starting with these pistols, the ejectors of all models were now marked with the inscription "PLEN" (the third letter of the Bulgarian alphabet). In connection with the beginning of the war of liberation by Bulgaria in 1910, another 10,000 pistols of the 1908 model were ordered. This weapon was equipped with a sling swivel attached to the lower rear edge of the handle. The contract was completed in two deliveries of 5,000 pistols each. In 1939, 300 pistols of the 1908 model of the 9 mm caliber and with a barrel length of 102 mm were delivered to Bulgaria.

The adoption of the Georg Luger pistol by the Swiss army and the huge, constantly growing popularity of John Browning pistols at that time, forced the US government to begin testing pistols in order to adopt the best model for armament of its army instead of revolvers. Two Borchardt-Luger model 1900 pistols were delivered to the USA by Hans Tauscher, a DWM representative, on March 9, 1901. Three officers, including Captain John Thompson, who later designed the famous submachine gun, tested the pistol and fired more than 2,000 shots. The tests included firing in difficult operating conditions and high-speed firing. As a result, the gun was recognized as fit for adoption. For field tests in 1902, 1,000 pistols and 200,000 cartridges for them were ordered. This batch was subsequently distributed to several military schools and shooting schools.

In 1900, the German designer Luger decided to improve the Borchardt pistol and develop a new layout for such weapons. The result of the joint work of Luger and Borchardt was the world famous automatic pistol of the Luger system, or as it is also called Parabellum. His device made it possible to use the energy of the powder charge to eject the bullet to the maximum, while reloading the weapon using a minimum amount of energy. This was achieved by the presence of a shutter with a small mass and the peculiarities of its interaction with other moving parts.

The pistol had very good linear and ballistic characteristics, demonstrated excellent accuracy and accuracy of fire, had solid bullet penetration and a high rate of fire.
The designer made changes to the weapon blueprints:

the pistol grip was conveniently fitted to the shooter's arm and had an optimal angle of inclination (a gentle angle of 120⁰), it housed a return spring and a detachable magazine;
the trunk was carried out as lowered as possible along the axis, its locking system was carried out using levers on a swivel joint;
the spring of the barrel locking mechanism was made of lamellar and was attached to the bolt with the help of an articulated lever.

Some collection samples (replicas) of the Luger-Parabellum system are still being produced today.

Design specifics, principle of operation

Automation "Parabellum" works according to the scheme of recoil of the barrel with its short stroke back and locking by a system of articulated levers (crank mechanism). The barrel with the receiver constitutes the movable system of the pistol, inside which the parts of the percussion mechanism and the locking mechanism are mounted. The connection of the receiver with the barrel is made using a thread. Inside the receiver, a bolt with an ejector and a percussion mechanism is placed and moves. The barrel channel was locked by hinges.

The device of a single trigger mechanism includes: a trigger, a gear lever, a cylindrical drummer with a striker, a mainspring with a guide rod, and a trigger lever with a disconnector that allows only single fire.

The safety device of the latest samples consists of a fuse lever with a flag and a fuse itself. The fuse was placed in the left wall of the frame, in an inclined groove, and its lever was pivotally connected to it with its front shoulder.

The spent cartridge case extraction mechanism consists of a spring reflector and an ejector with a spring.

The box magazine of the Luger pistol is located in its handle and is loaded with 8 cartridges arranged in a single row. When all cartridges are used up, the shutter stops at the shutter delay in the rear position.

Features of various modifications of Parabellums

The earliest model of the Borchardt-Luger pistol was produced in 1900 and was adopted by the Swiss army. Its characteristic features were: a spring ejector located on the upper flat surface of the bolt, a frame and flag fuse blocking the receiver (sear). This model had a barrel length of 122 mm and was designed for a 7.65 x 21 mm cartridge.

The pistol of 1902 was created chambered for 9 mm, so the muzzle was made thicker and shorter, its length was 102 mm. The number of rifling in the bore was increased from 4 to 6, and the length of the receiver and frame became equal.

In the Parabellum version of the 1904 model, an automatic fuse appears, which is a lever with the possibility of swinging on an axis fixed at the bottom of the handle. If necessary, put the weapon on the fuse, its lever turned flag forward. At the same time, the protrusion on the automatic fuse was in contact with its lever arm, which made it impossible to turn it. To remove the fuse, it was necessary to turn its lever with a flag back. This happens automatically when the hand grips the pistol grip. At the same time, the heel of the fuse itself is recessed and its tooth releases the trigger lever.

For the 1904 model, the cartridge case ejector was changed - the spring type was replaced with a vertical tooth ejector. The sight of the pistol has become a flip with the ability to set the firing distance to 100 or 200 meters.

Changes were made to the drawings of the 1906 model: the return spring in the handle became not lamellar, but cylindrical, twisted, the design of the fuse and its location were changed (it began to be located at the bottom and lock the sear). The Parabellum of the new model was made in two variations - chambered for a 7.65 mm caliber cartridge with a barrel length of 122 mm and a 9 mm caliber cartridge with a barrel length of 102 mm.

The pistol of the 1908 model had only the flag safety, and the automatic safety was removed. Characteristic special details were an extractor, which is combined with an indicator of the presence of cartridges in the chamber and a return spring made of cylindrical.

Artillery model pistol "Parabellum"

The artillery model of the P08 Parabellum pistol-carbine (“long pistol”) was produced by the German arms company DWM in 1913 and was intended to arm non-commissioned officers of flight units, field artillery and machine gun crews in Germany.

Since 1917, the long Luger-Parabellum pistol with a caliber of 9 mm began to be equipped with an attachable tromel magazine (the disk magazine of the Leer system) with 32 rounds, an attached flat holster-butt and had an increased firing range. A specific feature of the pistol was an obliquely mounted sector sight rail, which automatically took into account the lateral deflection of the bullet when setting the firing distance. An adjustable sight was placed on the barrel in front of the chamber and had notches for a firing range of up to 800 meters.

The artillery model had the following technical and ballistic characteristics:

barrel length / total length - 200 mm / 324 mm;
length with attached holster-butt - 680 mm;
weight with a magazine without cartridges - 1.12 kg;
drum capacity - 8/32 rounds;
maximum pressure in the bore - 2.200 kg / cm2;
muzzle velocity - 380 m/s;
rate of fire - 30 rds / min.

Dismantling "Parabellums"

To disassemble any Luger-Parabellum pistol, you must first completely remove the magazine and unload it, the drummer must be lowered from the cocking, the fuse must be turned off. Incomplete disassembly is done like this.

Take out the store. To do this, press the latch to the right, then remove it from the handle by the bottom head.
Removing the trigger cover. To separate, they take the pistol in their right hand and pull its moving mechanisms back. By turning the barrel delay with the flag down, move the trigger cover to the left and disconnect it. When separating the trigger cover from a Parabellum pistol with an automatic safety, you need to make sure that it is recessed.
The moving part is disconnected. To separate it, the pistol is taken in the right hand and by moving the movable part forward, they separate it with all the details from the frame.
Disassembly of the moving part. To do this, the axis of the bloodworm is removed to the left and the bolt with the bloodworm and connecting rod is removed from the receiver moving backward.
Drummer department. With the help of any metal rod, the emphasis of the mainspring is recessed and rotated a quarter of a turn. Overcoming its resistance, the shutter is disconnected from the mainspring and the stop. Then the drummer is removed from the bolt.

Complete disassembly, due to its complexity (the presence of a large number of parts of complex shape), is rarely performed and is resorted to in exceptional cases (heavy pollution, rusting or breakage). It is performed in this way.

After partial disassembly, the ejector is separated. To do this, a pin is knocked out with a thin drift, while the ejector moves forward and disconnects along with the spring.
The trigger, its spring and the barrel delay are separated when they are moved to the left.
The trigger lever is separated after removing its spring.
Separate the shutter delay. To do this, it is raised and then taken out of the nest.
Remove cheeks. To do this, unscrew their mounting screws.
Separate the fuse lever and the fuse itself.

P.08 pistol issued in 1910

To equip the German Imperial Army, which needed modern and effective personal weapons, new tests of the Parabellum model 1906 pistol were launched in 1906. New pattern for the armed forces, compared with the model of 1906, had several differences. According to the requirements of the military, the automatic grip safety was excluded from the design of the weapon in order to increase the safety of handling weapons in the troops. The barrel length was 100 mm. Tests showed a small number of delays in firing, mainly caused by the use of low-quality cartridges and the careless handling of weapons by inexperienced soldiers.

On August 22, 1908, the pistol was put into service as a standard short-barreled weapon of the Kaiser army under the name "Pistole Parabellum P.08". The needs of the army in personal weapons were so great that since 1911 the factories of the Erfurt Arsenal were connected to the manufacture of the P.08. Then the state arsenal in Spandau began the production of parts and components. Shooting was most effective at a distance of up to 50 meters. When hit from 10 meters at an angle of 90 °, the bullet pierced a German steel helmet, from 25 meters - a pine tree 150 mm thick. The accuracy of the battle at a distance of 50 meters was 50 mm. The pistol demonstrated a high rate of fire - 48 unaimed shots in 28 seconds.

Along with military models, commercial models with a barrel length from 100 to 150 mm, chambered for 7.65 × 22 and 9 × 19, continued to be produced. At the beginning of the First World War, several changes were made to the design of the pistol. Since 1914, on the back of the P.08 handle, as in the "Naval Model" of 1904, a ledge appeared with grooves for attaching a holster-butt. The weapon was equipped with a slide delay that kept it in its rearmost position after all the cartridges were used up from the magazine. There were also models of 7.65-mm caliber, equipped with silencers designed by Maxim, both with rubber seals, and with a multi-chamber design without seals.

Commercial Parabellum with automatic grip safety made by DWM in 1913

Army P.08 issue of 1916 already without an automatic grip safety and with a holster-butt mount

The outbreak of war and heavy losses during the battles caused an even greater need for large supplies to the troops small arms. However, even the involvement of other factories in the production of Parabellums did not correct the situation with the lack of personal weapons. As a result, the army began to use non-standard models adopted as weapons of a limited standard, such as the Mauser C-96, Walther mod. 6 and Dreyse mod. 1910, firing standard 9 × 19 cartridges, as well as other models of the same companies, but in 7.65 mm caliber. Until 1918, DWM produced 908,275 P.08 pistols for the army and about 1,500 for the civilian arms market. Until 1918, the Erfurt arsenal produced about 663,600 pieces. In total, more than one and a half million P.08 pistols were produced from 1908 to 1918.

After the end of the First World War, the restrictions imposed on the military industry and the German army did not allow the production of pistols with a caliber of more than 8 mm and with a barrel length of more than 100 mm. Only one firm, Simson und Co, in Suhl, which has a permit for the production of small arms, was able to establish the production of Luger pistols after receiving machine tools, tools and documentation from the Erfurt Arsenal. The Zimson firm produced pistols in small batches, mainly assembling weapons from large stocks of parts left in warehouses and repairing old P.08s.

DWM, which until the end of the First World War was the largest manufacturer of P.08, as a result of the cessation of the production of weapons and the export of machine tools and tools by the victorious countries as trophies, switched to the manufacture of civilian goods. However, at one of the Berlin factories, she secretly managed to establish a small production of Luger pistols for the civilian arms market. Various variants were sold both in Europe and in the USA. Parabellums at that time were also supplied to the armies of European states - the Netherlands and Finland.

P.08 pistol manufactured by the Erfurt Arsenal in 1917

P.08 with detached magazine and open bolt on slide stop

Since 1925, the production of Parabellums has been started by Heinrich Krieghoff, which has been producing high-quality hunting rifles since 1886. Production was started after obtaining a license for the production of Luger pistols. Until 1935, the number of pistols produced was small, and the Parabellums themselves came mainly to the civilian arms market in various countries of the world. However, after receiving an order for 10,000 Parabellums for the Luftwaffe, production increased dramatically. The fact that the contract was received by Heinrich Krieghoff, and not Mauser-Werke A.G., at a slightly lower cost and higher quality of the products of the Suhl gunsmiths, is explained by the personal interest of the Luftwaffe chief, Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering.

However, only about 9200 pistols were delivered to the Third Reich air force, since production facilities were largely occupied with large orders for automatic weapon, for example, MG.131 machine guns and FG 42 automatic rifles. Approximately 1300 Parabellums manufactured by Krieghoff went on commercial sale in 1936-1937. P.08 pistols from Heinrich Krieghoff can be easily distinguished by the use of brown or black plastic grip plates with a smooth border for the most part. It should be noted that DWM / BKIW produced, between 1928 and 1934, Lugers with magazine fuses. These pistols, intended for the police, were stamped "S.M." or "Schultzpolizizei Münster".

In the 1930s, the famous German arms firm Mauser-Werke A.G. was involved in the manufacture of Luger pistols. based in Oberndorf am Neckar, formerly DWM's biggest competitor on the German arms market. Mauser-Werke A.G. receives the rights to production, machine equipment, necessary tools and documentation. On May 1, 1930, the Mauser factories began mass production of the P.08. At first, pistols were made mainly for the civilian market and export deliveries to countries such as Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Latvia and Iran. Only a small part was intended for the army. After the victory of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, all restrictions of the Versailles Peace Treaty were de facto lifted from German arms manufacturers. As a result, mass production of the P.08 for the armed forces was launched at the Mauser factories. The pistols used 9x19 cartridges and had 98mm barrels.

Parabellum pistol made by Mauser-Werke A.G. in 1934

Cartridges 9mm Parabellum manufactured by Hugo Schneider A.G., issued in 1944

In addition to the standard version P.08, in the early 1930s Mauser-Werke A.G. began production of a special version for the secret police of the Weimar Republic - a pistol with an expansion-type silencer. These weapons began to receive special services, such as the SD, the Gestapo and military intelligence - the Abwehr. Especially for training shooting from the P.08, ERMA developed a kit that made it possible to shoot cheap small-caliber 5.6-mm rimfire cartridges instead of the standard 9 × 19. A bolt delay was introduced into the design of the P.08, which eliminates the movement of the bolt forward when the magazine is removed, which increased the rate of fire and safety in handling when disassembling the weapon.

Since the mid-1930s, in order to maintain secrecy in the context of rearming the army and preparing for a new military conflict, Mauser-Werke A.G. introduced new rules for marking weapons and began putting new stamps on pistols, such as "S / 42" and "byf". The Mauser P.08, produced from 1941 to 1942, marked "byf", with black Bakelite grips, is known by the unofficial name "Black Widow", translated as "Black Widow". The biggest problem with mass production of the P.08, which also existed in the First world war became labor intensive and high cost. So, the manufacture of one pistol took 12.5 man-hours, 778 separate operations, of which 136 were performed manually, and 6.1 kg of metal was also needed, while the mass of the weapon itself was 890 grams.

It is noteworthy that with the cost of one P.08 with two stores amounting to 17.8 Reichsmarks, Mauser supplied it to the state at a price of 32 Reichsmarks. This situation with purchase prices brought huge profits to the owners and shareholders of the P.08 manufacturer, but at the same time caused constant criticism from the weapons department. It was the high purchase price, the high investment of time and a significant share of manual labor in production that became the main reasons for the start of work on the design of a new pistol for the German army and, subsequently, its adoption to replace the P.08. As a result, Walther created the P.38 pistol, which entered service in 1939. However, it never completely replaced the P.08 until 1942. And after the cessation of mass production, Parabellums were assembled from stocks of parts and, continuing to be in service with the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, were used by officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers of various military specialties, SS troops, special services and police until the end of World War II.

Waffen SS soldier with Parabellum, Kursk region, 1943

P.08 "Black Widow" produced by Mauser-Werke A.G. from 1941 to 1942

In total, about 2,818,000 pistols of the Georg Luger system were produced in Germany. Manufacturers: DWM (Deutsche Waffen und Munitionfabrik) - Karlsruhe, Germany; Erfurt Arsenal - Erfurt, Germany (produced P.08 from 1911 to 1918); Spandau - Spandau, Germany; Simpson & Co - Suhl, Germany (produced until 1934, when the plants were confiscated due to the Jewish origin of the owners and transferred to the Krieghoff firm); Mauser - Oberndorf, Germany; Krieghoff (H.Krieghoff waffenfabrik) - Suhl, Germany (produced from 1935 to 1945); In addition, several foreign companies had licenses to manufacture Lugers: Vickers (Vickers-Armstrong Limited) - Great Britain, as well as Waffenfabrik Bern - Switzerland. Luger pistols various options and calibers were in service with Switzerland, Portugal, Finland, Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia, Afghanistan and other countries of the world, everywhere enjoying a well-deserved reputation as an excellent defense and attack weapon.

Since 1970, Mauser has resumed the production of Luger pistols thanks to a complete set of technical documentation for the P.08, rescued from the occupation authorities in 1945 by an employee of the company, August Weiss. At first it was mass production, which over time gave way to the release of limited edition pistols in an elite version with excellent surface finish and intricate engraving. Stainless steel copies of Parabellum were made in the USA by Mitchell Arms. Individual gunsmiths such as John Martz, Mike Krause and Herbert Werle have been involved in the manufacture and improvement of various versions of the Luger pistol and continue to work with these weapons.

Specifications Parabellum model 1906

Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Weapon length: 217 mm
Barrel length: 100 mm
Weapon height: 135 mm
Weapon Width: 40mm
Weight without cartridges: 890 g
Magazine capacity: 8 rounds

Pistols and revolvers [Selection, design, operation Pilyugin Vladimir Ilyich

Pistol Parabellum

Rice. 5. Pistol Parabellum ("marine model", barrel length 150 mm)

The German Parabellum (P-08) is one of the most famous pistols in modern history.

Its "progenitor" was a pistol designed by G. Borchardt, an engineer of the Berlin company Ludwig Lewe and Co., which appeared in 1893. The automation of this weapon was built on the principle of using recoil energy with a short barrel stroke, locking was carried out by an original shutter with a system of levers folding when unlocking. The lamellar return spring, located at the rear of the weapon, acted on the levers through a special earring. It was supposed to be used with an attached butt. The pistol was designed for a new, rather powerful cartridge with a 7.65 mm bottle-shaped cartridge case, equipped with low-smoke powder. Borchardt’s weapon turned out to be quite “capable”, but it had a fair amount of dimensions and weight, its ergonomics left much to be desired, and in general, its design clearly needed improvement, which was carried out in 1898-1900 by G. Luger, actually creating a new model.

The Borchardt-Luger pistol was designed for a new 7.65x22 mm bottle-shaped cartridge case loaded with smokeless powder (later better known as 7.65 Para), based on the Borchardt pistol cartridge, and quickly gained popularity. The Swiss army was the first to adopt it. In 1902, a 9-mm version of the pistol appeared for 9x19 mm ammunition (aka 9 mm Parabellum, 9 mm Para, 9 mm Luger, etc.), which later became widespread and still remains the most common pistol cartridge in the world.

The pistol began to be actively sold on the civilian market and began to appear in the catalogs under the name Parabellum. Interestingly, the very name "Parabellum" is part of a Latin proverb "Si vispacem, para bellum" ("If you want peace, prepare for war").

Since 1904, 9-mm pistol models began to enter service with the army of the German Empire. It was the first to be adopted by machine gunners in the navy (the “marine” model was distinguished by a barrel length of 150 mm versus 98 mm for the basic modification and a fully flip-over 100 and 200 m).

And in 1908, the P-08 modification, which became the most common, became the standard model of a pistol in the German army. The P-08 had a number of significant differences from the early Parabellum models: the automatic fuse was abolished on it, the lamellar return spring was replaced by a twisted one, the ejector began to simultaneously serve as an indicator of the presence of a cartridge in the chamber.

In addition to Germany and Switzerland, the pistol was in service with the armies of Holland, Bulgaria, Greece, Finland, and a number of other countries. It took part in all wars and major armed conflicts of the 20th century and continues to be used to this day (for example, there is numerous evidence of its use during conflicts in former Yugoslavia). As trophies, many P-08s also came to our country during the First World War and the Great Patriotic War. In Germany, the production of Parabellums for the needs of the army continued from 1904 to 1942 (from 1918 to 1933, in accordance with the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, only 7.65 mm pistols with a 98 mm barrel were produced), and they were produced by the arms industry giant Mauser and several others. firms.

The popularity of the pistol in the civilian arms market (of course, in the West, we practically do not have this market) is still very high.

This popularity was confirmed by the resumption of production of the P-08 at the Mauser company from the seventies of the 20th century.

In addition, a number of companies in Europe and the United States are engaged in the production of Parabellum clones and customization of pistols.

Main tactical and technical characteristics:

Features of the kinematic scheme

Parabellum has a high reliability of automation and a powerful cartridge. In addition, it is very convenient and accurate when shooting, thanks to a rather strong inclination of the handle, a low aiming line, a good center of gravity, a relatively low mass and a length of movement of the moving parts. The pistol has a long shooting life, is easy to maintain, incomplete assembly is carried out without tools. Nevertheless, the Borchardt-Luger system did not receive further development in the "weapon for the army". The pistol's open architecture, with a virtually external action and firing mechanism, makes the Parabellum extremely susceptible to contamination; in addition, the design has many complex-shaped parts manufactured on a milling machine, which makes it quite expensive to mass-produce. Still the gun, having finished its " army service”, is not going to lose ground to fashionable novelties, enjoying well-deserved love from gun lovers and shooters of various categories.

As mentioned above, the operation of the Parabellum automation is ensured by the recoil of the short-stroke barrel. Locking is carried out in an original way; thanks to this scheme, the Parabellum got its characteristic appearance - it can hardly be confused with any other weapon. In fact, the locking mechanism of the pistol is a kind of crank mechanism, in which the shutter plays the role of a slider. Only one more successful use of the “crank-and-rod” locking of the barrel is known - but also in a very famous weapon - the legendary Maxim machine gun of the 1910 model!

2. Receiver

5. Drummer with mainspring

6. Ejector

8. Crank

9. Reflector

10. Sear with disconnector and sear spring

11. Shutter lag

12. Transfer lever return spring

13. Earring

14. Fuse and its box

15. Lid

16. Barrel delay

17. Trigger

18. Trigger lever

19. Return spring

21. Shop latch

22. Store latch spring

23. Cheek handle

24. Shop

Rice. 6. The main parts of the pistol P-08 (Parabellum)

In the locked position, the swivel is located just below the “dead center”, resting on the side cylindrical protrusions of the crank against the upper ends of the walls of the receiver. Thus, the shutter securely locks the barrel, resting through the line "rod - crank" into the receiver. The hitch “barrel with receiver - bolt with levers” rolls back until the side projections of the crank reach the lifting profile “ridges” at the rear of the frame. The crank rises and passes the "dead center". With further rotation of the crank, unlocking occurs. The course of the receiver is limited by the receiver delay, the crank rotates to its extreme rear position - almost perpendicular to the axis of the bore. When the moving parts move to the rear position, the sleeve is extracted and removed, the return spring is compressed through the lever system. The connecting rod, turning, cocks the drummer with its protrusion. When the moving parts return to the forward position, the next cartridge is sent to the chamber, the drummer becomes cocked on the sear (the principle of separation will be described later), the swivel of the levers passes the "dead center" by locking.

During all the processes described above, the return spring located at the back of the handle interacts with the moving parts through an original system that includes a transmission lever and an earring, the axis of which is fixed in the rod of the connecting rod, next to its axis of rotation. In this case, the upper arm of the lever interacts with the receiver, and the earring coupled with it interacts with the crank.

When there is a cartridge in the chamber and the ejector tooth is engaged with the flange groove of the sleeve, the ejector lever protrudes above the upper surface of the bolt, while the inscription is visible on the side "Geladen"- "loaded". Thus, the ejector signals the presence of a cartridge in the chamber.

The shock and trigger mechanisms of the Parabellum are also very original. The design lacks such a detail as a trigger. The sear acts directly with the striker's combat platoon. The Borchardt-Luger pistol is the most successful automatic pistol of its time with a striker mechanism. It is worth noting that after an eighty-year break (the vast majority of the pistols that appeared during this time, and the military - almost all, belong to the trigger systems), modern designers again turned to this scheme. Such modern designs as the Austrian Glock, the German Heckler-Koch or the domestic GSH-18 have a similar design.

As for the trigger mechanism, its originality is due, firstly, to the location of the drummer, which is strongly shifted forward (combat platoon is almost above the trigger) and, secondly, to the original principle of disengagement. When the trigger is pressed, the latter rotates the spring-loaded trigger lever in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the barrel, which, in turn, rotates the sear with its vertical shoulder, acting on the spring-loaded disconnector plunger protruding in its front part. The sear, turning in a horizontal plane, disengages from the cocking of the trigger, which, under the influence of the mainspring, rushes forward and breaks the primer of the cartridge.

When the bolt and receiver return to the front position under the action of the return spring (with the trigger pressed), no shot occurs, since the uncoupler plunger, having bumped into the turned trigger lever, sinks into the body of the sear. Thus, separation takes place. Releasing the trigger, the shooter releases the lever, which, returning to its original position, gives the plunger the opportunity to exit the sear channel. After that, the pistol is ready for the next shot.

After all the cartridges have been used up, the magazine feeder, with a protrusion located on the right, turns the shutter delay lever, stopping the shutter in the rear position. After changing the magazine, slightly pull the crank of the locking mechanism and release the shutter. The next cartridge is sent to the chamber, the drummer becomes cocked.

The fuse box is located on the left rear of the frame. In the "protection" position, the sear and the receiver with the shutter are blocked. On many pistols in the "safety" position under the flag, an inscription appears informing about this. "Gesichert".

The sights in the basic version of the Parabellum are non-adjustable, but in some models there are flip-over rear sights for 100 and 200 m (for example, on the "marine" model) or adjustable sights ("artillery" model, long-barreled commercial versions).

The box magazine holds eight rounds in a row. The magazine latch button is located at the base of the safety bracket. For use by the military, high-capacity magazines were developed, including a drum magazine for thirty-two rounds, for use on long-barreled pistols equipped with an attached butt. They have not received wide practical distribution.

The Parabellum was produced with barrels ranging in length from 98 to 400 mm, and the long-barreled models intended for the civilian market were equipped with a butt and forearm, approaching the properties of a light carbine.

The main calibers for Parabellum pistols are 7.65 and 9 mm. In the US, sometimes there are versions chambered for .45 AKP. They also produce a sports version of the .22LR pistol.

For incomplete disassembly pistol, it is necessary to remove the magazine from the pistol handle and, having retracted the bolt, make sure that there is no cartridge in the chamber. Without releasing the shutter, pull the trigger and slowly return the shutter to its original position. Slightly take the bolt with the receiver back and, turning the receiver delay, separate the cover. Moving the moving parts of the gun forward, separate them from the frame. Separate the crank axle. Separate the connecting rod, crank and bolt from the receiver. The pistol is assembled in the reverse order.

Shooting Expert Impressions

One of the best pistols of the last century. Very ergonomic. Due to the correct tilt of the handle and the location of the shutter above the hand, the center of gravity is almost in the center of the hand. Pleasant and comfortable in the hand. Having a low sighting line and a barrel located almost along the line of the hand, it is convenient for aiming and shooting, both “at a glance”, and for aimed shooting. During shooting, the recoil goes along the line of the arm to the shoulder, which achieves aiming accuracy, high accuracy and the practical absence of barrel throws. With proper possession of weapons, shooting accuracy is achieved at a distance of up to 100 meters without a stop. High reliability and easy handling.

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