Revision as of 12:23, 12 March 2024

Borchardt-Luger pistol prototype - 7.65x21mm Parabellum

The Parabellum pistol was developed by Georg Luger on behalf of Ludwig Loewe & Co (later renamed DWM) as an improvement of the Borchardt pistol of 1893, primarily reworking its large overhanging rear end and extremely straight grip angle, and carrying over its distinctive toggle action system. Parabellum was the pistol's name in most languages around the world, however it was instead referred to as simply the Luger pistol by an American importer a few years later, which has resulted in this being the standard common usage name within the English-speaking world.

The earliest prototypes were developed just before the turn of the century, with the initial Modell 1900 entering production in that year; Switzerland adopted a slightly modified version of this model. Between 1900 and 1906 several notable though relatively minor improvements were made to the design, culminating in the definitive Modell 1906. In terms of visual identification, the "new model" can be most easily differentiated from the "old model" in the following ways: The cocking knobs are symmetrical in depth as opposed to the scalloped shape towards the front (and feature checkering), the main spring's change from a leaf spring to a coil spring resulted in the deletion of the anti-bounce spring on the right toggle knob, and the frame was redesigned for weight. The frame change is most obvious between the trigger guard and barrel, with the old model having a consistent curve, while the new model features straight lines with a slight curve where they meet (also resulting in less visible surface area around the disassembly lever).

During these first years the pistol was tested by numerous other nations, all interested in replacing their revolvers with a self-loading pistol. Due to some nations' insistence on larger calibres, the bottlenecked 7.65x21mm cartridge was turned into a straight-walled cartridge in order to maximize bore diameter without having to redesign the fundamentals of the pistol. This compromise resulted in the now-ubiquitous 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge. A much-redesigned .45 ACP variant was, however, later developed for US pistol trials. Other variations such as longer barrel pistols with detachable stocks were also tested by various nations in this time, such as Chile.

As covered in their own sections below, variants of the Parabellum were soon adopted by Germany as the P 04, P 08, and LP 08. It should be noted that although it is common to use P 08 (or rather near universally "P08" due to the English language's common lack of respect for the space in period German designations) as a catch-all term for Luger pistols, these are designations specific to the German military variants. The Parabellum/Luger was a commercial pistol that was in turn adopted by numerous militaries (with their own design details and designations, such as the Dutch M.11), and while Germany was easily the largest user of the pistol, and especially in film and TV theirs are by far the most common, this distinction is important.

The Luger pistol and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

P 04

P 04 (early-war) - 9x19mm Parabellum

P 04 (late-war) - 9x19mm Parabellum

P 04 (early-war) with stock - 9x19mm Parabellum

Following the Swiss adoption and early German Army testing, the German Navy adopted a variant of the Parabellum as the P 04 (Pistole 04). It featured a longer 150mm barrel, unique rear sight adjustable between 100m and 200m, shoulder stock lug, and matching stock/holster combo. It was chambered for the new 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge, making the P 04 the world's first military-adopted 9x19mm pistol. DWM would also release the same pattern (differing only in markings) on the commercial market as the Marine-Modell 1904.

Despite this notable historic status the P 04 is often "forgotten", simply referred to as the "Navy Luger" / "Marine Luger", or even incorrectly as a "Navy P08" or "six inch P08". These misidentifications are extremely common, including on this website, and extend to other spaces such as airsoft replicas.

The P 04 existed in three variations. As adopted it featured the "old model" frame and a grip safety, however when more were ordered at the outbreak of the Great War the grip safety was deleted, and finally additional batches ordered towards the end of the war updated the "old model" frame to the "new model" frame (standardizing with the Army's P 08 frame). With Germany forced to massively downsize its armament after the war the P 04 was retired, and the Navy standardized on the Army's P 08 and LP 08.

In terms of identification, a P 04 can be differentiated from a P 08 by its longer barrel, large rear sight, early frame (pre-war and early-war), and grip safety (pre-war).

Specifications

Type: Pistol, pistol carbine

Caliber: 9x19mm Parabellum

Barrel length: 150mm (5.9")

Capacity: 8-round detachable box magazine

Fire mode: Semi-auto

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
West of Shanghai	Boris Karloff	General Wu Yen Fang		1937
	Richard Loo	Mr. Cheng
	Beverly Roberts	Jane Creed
Branded to Kill		Ambushers	Replica gun with approximate similarity	1967
The Exterminator			seen in a weapon box	1980
Flame and Citron	Mads Mikkelsen	Jørgen 'Citron' Haagen Schmith		2008
Emden Men	Oliver Korittke	Maat Kluthe		2012

Television

Title	Actor	Character	Note/Episode	Date
The Caravan of Sailors	Oliver Kniffki	Helmuth von Mücke		2006
Peaky Blinders - Season 2		Sabini's gangsters		2014

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Notation	Release Date
Velvet Assassin			2009
The Saboteur	Kruger Pistol		2009

Animation

Title	Voice Actor	Characters	Notation	Date
Atlantis: The Lost Empire				2001

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
Phantom: The Animation	Scythe Master		2004
High School of the Dead			2010
Coppelion	Ibara Naruse	Dart Gun	2013

P 08

P 08 - 9x19mm Parabellum

P 08 - 9x19mm Parabellum. This is a 1917 dated handgun.

P 08 with black grips - 9x19mm Parabellum

P 08 with nickel finish and black grips - 9x19mm Parabellum

Following the Navy's P 04, the German Army adopted their own variant of the Parabellum as the P 08 (Pistole 08). The P 08 is nearly identical to the finalized Modell 1906 commercial pattern of the time, differing in the deletion of the grip safety and addition of a shoulder stock lug. The P 08 replaced the horrendously outdated Reichsrevolver, and would serve through World War I and II. Although officially replaced by the Walther P38 going into WWII, the iconic P 08 would continue to serve until the end of that war.

While "Luger P 08" or simply "Luger" are used as conversational/colloquial terms and for clarity, strictly speaking "Luger" (and "Parabellum") is not part of the German military designation. As noted above, although the P 08 is a nation-specific military variant of a commercial gun, due to its long service life and iconic position in history and pop culture, the P 08 is essentially the de facto "normal" Luger variant, and makes up the vast majority of Luger pistols featured in film and television.

It can sometimes be seen standing in for the Japanese Nambu Type 14 due to its roughly similar silhouette, though they are not related designs.

Specifications

Type: Pistol

Caliber: 9x19mm Parabellum

Barrel length: 100mm (3.9")

Capacity: 8-round detachable box magazine

Fire mode: Semi-auto