Lange Pistole 08 (Artillery Luger)

Here is a Luger rig I owned for years, it is one that I very much regret selling. The adoption of the Lange Pistole 08 or LP 08, the "Artillery Luger," was authorized by the Kaiser on the 2nd of July 1913. This P08 variation was equipped with a 7.9 inch barrel, an 8-position tangent rear sight calibrated to 800 meters and a board-type shoulder stock with an attached leather holster. In the event of close combat, the pistol was intended to be used as a carbine with the shoulder stock attached to a lug mounted on the heel of the pistol frame. While initially intended for use by German artillery units who could not be encumbered by the long and heavy K.98 rifle, the LP 08 was also used by Aviation units (prior to equipping aircraft with machine guns) as well as the Infantry, primarily on the Western front during World War I. The famous infantry Stoßtruppen units frequently employed the Artillery Luger equipped with a new large magazine – the 32-round Trommelmagazin or 'snail' drum. Production of the LP 08 ended in 1918 with the end of the war.