1915 4inch artillery luger /??? PICS...
 

OK. I found a way to post pics. just not in the link here. if you click on my profile and look in my albums..I have 5 pictures.. any info on this one would be great..
email direct..
ducrnd@yahoo.com

Kevin,
The original 8" barrel was cut down to 4". I've read that it was done after WWI to comply with the Treaty of Versailles. I don't know if this is fact are not.

Wow...They don't get much stranger than that... :eek:

More a 'Mortar Luger' than an Artillery Luger... :)

Front sight doesn't look high enough to be any help in sighting...

Is the front sight dovetailed to the barrel??? Or just brazed right on???...Offhand, I would think a gunshop mod rather than anything done by German armorers...

I would send that gun to Luger Doc for a new barrel and use the artillery rear sight parts in part exchange. Then you would have a gun you actually shoot

The Spandau arsenal did rebarrel / shorten a number of LP08 pistols, but this was done by removing the original LP08-barrel with rear sight and replacing them with a normal 4-inch barrel and a regular rear toggle piece with integrated rear sight.

This looks like a home job to me. I would have it fitted with a replacement long barrel. Artilleries are great to shoot, especially with the stock attached. Since you have the full rear sight blade, that will cut the costs of a replacement quite a bit.

Ok.... Front sight IS Dove tailed into the barrel,,,, and if they were cut down after WW I for treaty reason... then why have seen mid 20's long barrel one ??? Just asking because " " I KNOW'z NUTHINGZ , NUUUUUTHINGZ" "
( Hogan's hero's referance there...)

Oh .. another... then if these were a cut down.... why haven't I seen more of these...
I have seen alot of pre WWI and post WWI , but never a short barrel like this.?? just asking....

The conversions were made in order to compy to IACC (interallied control commission) scrutiny and was only done 'for show' to a number of artilleries in official Reichswehr possession. Of course, the Germans didn't show the IACC everything, they kept large stashes of firearms hidden until the need arose. Many artilleries that were stashed away were later reissued to the navy.

Foreign sales were not a real problem, so DWM was free to export guns and barrels (and they did anyway, forbidden or not) to other countries.

This particular conversion shown is certainly not one of the official conversions. I'm quite sure it is a home job, performed in the US.

These short barreled LP08s show up in the oddest places. Here is the cover of a paperback whodunit from 1989.

Wow, and a rare lefthanded version as well :)

Nice book cover!

We have seen one similarly cut artillery model on the forum some years ago, but it did not have a front sight installed at all.

IIRC, the story was that the gun had been in the possession of the French resistance and had the barrel cut to make it concealable. Those guys didn't do much long distance shooting anyway... they tended to carry out their assassinations at muzzle to skin distances...

if it were mine, I would send the upper receiver to Lugerdoc, and he will assemble a reproduction Artillery barrel on it and use the original rear sight assembly. It will make a really fine Artillery shooter in it's original form.

Sharp eye Gerben...I wondered if anyone would pick up on that!:)

I've seen a couple 4" "LPO8" before and alway thought that the conversion might be a result of a bulge in the area that was removed. I've also seen many 7&1/2" barrelled LPO8 where the barrel was cut off just aft of the front sight base, most likely due to a frozen up fine tune front sight, and a fixed C96 sight was installed. I do have a few of these barrels with exc bores available, but i'm sold out of both orig & new repro 8" LPO8 barrels. Finally, I did once owe a "left hand" pattern home made (or Brenner pass special) 16+" barrelled non-self loading luger in .30 Carbine caliber. The barrelled receiver was fixed and you had to pull back the toggle to load the next round. TH

Herbert Werle in Germany still makes reproductions of luger barrels, including the LP08 version.

http://www.waffen-werle.de/inhalt/preise.htm

Here is another LP08 with barrel shortened in a way that preserved the original front sight.
http://luger.gunboards.com/showthrea...highlight=lp08
John

Left-handed Luger. Ok, I guess I'm ignorant but what makes it left-handed?

Actually, I'd love to own a shortened (Baby) Artillery. I think it looks cute. :)

...........Never mind. I see he meant the pamphlet cover..........

The Luger on the front cover has been printed as a reverse (mirror) image.

I wish it was in english, I need a bloody artillery barrel! :eek:

I get an error msg on that page when I try to view the images...I am logged in, but the images seem to be missing...

Did anyone save them??? Please post here if so...Thank You! :)

Oh...It's jcoe's thread... :D

jcoe - do you still have those pics??? Could you post them for us...please??? :p

Curss, Werle speaks English. Just pop him an email :)

Eventhough it is an artillery (according to serial number, notch cut, front sights, etc...) with a 4" barrel, can a stock still be attached legally??

NO, barrel length will always be the determining factor in legality

Thank you

You could just buy a new artillery barrel, put your rear sights on it, have it blued, and have yourself a nice Artillery shooter...

One went for $157 on GB a week or so ago...Interestingly, it was sold by Sarco...I have one of their artillery barrels, and they are very nice...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=206332493

Alternately, you could swap the 4" barrel + sight + toggle (if your toggle does not have the rear sight) for a regular 4" barrel + toggle...I'm sure there is someone here on this forum who has the parts and could perform the swap... :p