Strange Police P-08
 

Curious about these accessories and what their purpose may be? They look like some kind of gauges. All I can guess is that this is police P08 and that it has some unit markings but that is all. Guys let me pick your brains because that is what I am enjoying immensely. :o

SIGP2101

The muzzle fitting appears to be the sub-caliber device to convert to .22 rimfire.

The curious thing is that the holster appears to be designed to fit the gun with the device attached.

Hi Joe, It looks like a Gomann sub-caliber insert device. Sub caliber training devices were used extensively by the German Police, not only for reasons of economy, but also because of a shortage of ranges suitable for high powered ammunition. Regards, Norm

According to: http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/police_unit_marks.html

"LS.AI" is the unit mark from Allenstein Landjaegerei school.

Book is Schmidtt's "Weapon Technology Teaching Book for the Police Officer" published in Berlin in 1928.

So this could well be a complete training rig!

There doesn't appear to be much of a hole in the barrel inserts. Could they be a group of blank firing attachments, perhaps tuned to create different malfunctions?

Nice! Marc

I beleive that the sub-caliber training device shown n the photo is actually 4mm in bore size and used special 4mm cartridges... The device is a single shot, and does not function the Luger for use with a magazine.

Alanint, I think the angle of the photo makes it look like the holster is longer than it actually is... in other words, an optical illusion. With the sub-caliber device fitted that barrel length is almost 6 inches long... it would require a holster the same size as a Navy Luger to accomodate the assembled device and gun IMHO.

What would be other four metal thingies shown between holster and book?
I am inclined to accept that those could be blank firing adopters as mentioned by Marc.

I agree with the above replies. An outstanding assemblage!!

Norme, do you referring to something like this?

Second pic looks exactly like attachment inside the barrel of that P-08. That is .22 adapter indeed. Other 4 objects on that picture I have no idea what they may be for. They do not look like 4mm adapter as John suggested. (first pic) Little dimples in the middle remind me more of lathe dead center tool used to machine those.

John is still right. This is a 4mm adapter, not .22 caliber....

Hi Joe, "Pistole Parabellum" by Görtz/Sturgess, (published, by the way, in your native Canada), devotes a huge amount of space, almost 80 pages, to the various manufacturers of sub-caliber training devices. Although it's hard to be sure, the one in your original picture looks closest to the Gomann design. Regards, Norm

These conversion kits were usually indeed made for the 4mm M20 cartridge.

RWS also offered a similar barrel for a specially developed .22 centrefire round. This was basically a .22lr round (same dimensions), but with a center fire primer inserted into the case. This allowed the pistol to fire the round using the original (centered) firing pin.

Keep in mind that these can also be used to clean the gun without hurting the front muzzle (you remove the 4mm barrel and nut) or so I have been told and they look essentially the same to me (I have one of each).


Ed