BACKGROUND: The P08 Luger pistol was developed by George Luger who has served in the Austro-Hungarian army before gaining employment with the Ludwig Löwe & Cie armaments factory in Berlin in 1891. While employed with the Löwe firm Luger examined the Borchardt pistol they manufactured which had proven to be troublesome due to its awkward recoil and bolt return system. Luger redesigned the Borchardt pistol with a cleaner design and systems and in 1899 the first Borchardt-Luger pistol was tested. The Borchardt-Luger pistol underwent minor modifications and was accepted by the Swiss army in 1900. Further modifications in 1902 resulted in the Luger being re-calibered from 7.65mm to the standard 9mm Parabellum cartridge. The new Luger pistol was adopted by the Imperial German Navy in 1904 and by the German army in 1908, which led to its official designation, "P08". The P08 Luger pistol saw service through-out WWI, during the Reichswehr, (National Defence {Force}), era, (Circa 1919-1933), and on into the Third Reich. As with other pistols an integral component of the P08 were specific hand grips. The P08 pistol hand grips were originally constructed of press formed or carved wood, generally walnut, while most later production pistols were outfitted with molded bakelite grips. Of Note: Although popular, the P08 pistol was expensive to produce and the design of the toggle breech made it prone to dirt entry after firing which affected its performance. In 1938 the weapons firm of Carl Walther developed the P38 pistol as a replacement for the P08. Although the P38 never fully replaced the P08, manufacture of the Luger was discontinued in 1943.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The grips consist of both the, uniquely shaped, left and right hand side, molded black bakelite construction P08 Luger hand grips. The contoured grips both have roughly the same shape with minor variations and are roughly, 4 5/8" tall and 1 1/2" wide. The obverse of both of the grips have repeating, embossed and impressed, vertical grooves for a secure grip. The left grip has three semi-circular, cut-out, screw attachment ports while the right grip only has two. The reverse of both grips have raised and recessed, panels to fit the pistol frame. The grips are in overall very good condition with minor age toning. The grips have no visible markings. Produced by the Russians to replace broken grips on captured P08's.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $179.00