Fully Auto LP 08

[Patrick]

I�´ve been asked to search the Spandau Archive for material on the fully-auto LP 08 project that the GPK and Georg Luger were working on towards the end of WWI. As the last Spandau prototype was sold by the French owner to the U.S.some time ago, before it could be properly inspected here, I was wondering if anyone could provide further information? Patrick

I don't know about select fire LPO8s at Spandau, but one of the luger books does show the patent drawings of the brothers Echavaria from Mexico.

[SteveM]

Walter has a discussion of the several types in the book "Luger". Spandau is mentioned as a demonstration location to the Gewehr-Prufungs-Kommission. It used a standard P08 action modified to fire automatically and was fed from a standard trommelmagazin. No further details as to the outcome were given.


SteveM

[Patrick]

The German collector, author and Luger expert Kornmayer sent me two articles describing some of the different patents and with details of a fully auto LP 08 that was taken by French partisans in the Alps off a dead German officer. One of the last living members of the Spandau Gewehr Pr�¼fungs Kommission stated that he had been responsible for a collection of these auto Lugers.One of these had been issued to the German officer.It was later sold to the U.S. Patrick

[SteveM]

Patrick,

This is mentioned in Walters book. Was it an individual who

got posession of this or a museum?


SteveM

[Patrick]

Steve, that�´s what I�´d like to find out as there�´s very little in the way of documentation. Maybe it�´s in a museum or maybe the owner would be willing to provide some details. Or maybe there�´s even been an article on it at some time in the U.S. Patrick

[DAVID]

In my volume of Luger Variations at page 27, Jones notes:


"Since the Luger was not desiged as a machine pistol (where a rapid rate of fire is the primary concern), it is felt that the toggle action was designed to operate sluggishly in order that the full benefit of the locked breach principle might be realized."


At page 140 a photo of a 4 in. experimental machine pistol is shown with the selector switch on the side plate and using an extended sear bar. No mention was made of any barrel length longer than 4 in. David.

To correct my previous responce on this matter, see chapter 12 (pages 141-147) of Datig's "The Luger Pistol" which discusses the work of the Mexican brother Navarro.

[mauro]

Patrick,

you can find a full description of Fully Auto Luger in "La connaissance du Luger" by Mr. Henrotin (page 67). This prototype Pistol is also presented in "l'Amateur d'armes" n�° 26. Some pictures of prototype number 9 are presented in "Le Luger, un pistolet de l�©gende" by La gazette des armes (page 37). The pistol perfectly restored is sold by Mr. Paul Regner.

Please let me know if you need some others information.

Mauro

[Patrick]

Many thanks to all of you for the information. I�´ll keep the Board posted if anything further turns up.Patrick