Luger

Stick it to me Part 2

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Stick it to me Part 2 Part 3

Stick magazines vs. CO2 BB magazines in Blowback Action Pistols

By Dennis Adler

Comparable guns and an incomparable gun; the two versions of the Umarex P.08 Parabellum with stick and self-contained magazines, the Walther PPS and S&W M&P 40 with stick and self-contained magazines, respectively, and a pistol that has to equal, the Walther P.38.

Consider that the P.38 blowback action CO2 model has been around since 2012 and the Walther PPS since 2014, and neither has suffered in sales or popularity because they have stick magazines; maybe there is a reason why Umarex hasn’t made a change. I can’t speak for Umarex or the company’s marketing strategy, but they did update the PPK/S with an internal seating screw and clean up that gun’s exterior lines last year. I guess that’s something, but the PPK/S has never been a performance gun, its only claim to fame is its name and having been the very first blowback action CO2 air pistol 18 years ago. The newer Walther PPS, however, was in many ways a game changer in 2014. I saw it before its U.S. introduction when I visited the Umarex factory in Germany and tested a pre-production prototype (along with many other CO2 models and new Walther centerfire pistols that have since come to market). I knew then, despite its stick magazine that it was going to be a success on every other level, just like the P.38 that had preceded it two years earlier. read more

Stick it to me Part 1

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Stick it to me Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Stick magazines vs. CO2 BB magazines in Blowback Action Pistols

By Dennis Adler

Despite having stick magazines, these three Umarex blowback action CO2 models, the Luger P.08, Walther P.38 and Walther PPS excel in authentic styling and features. No molded-in pieces here, and they fit original holsters. There’s a lot to be said for these three, especially at their retail price point. (WWII holsters courtesy World War Supply, PPS holster by Galco)

During my recent comparison between CO2 and Nitrogen for cold weather shooting I ended up using one blowback action pistol with a stick magazine and another with a self-contained CO2 BB magazine, and there proved to be a definite difference in overall performance. Was this a coincidence in my choice of guns? Perhaps, but this question led me to look at the motivations behind building otherwise new CO2 pistols that use older-style stick magazines as possibly being more than a manufacturing convenience, or an effort to build a lower price-point blowback action pistol. Maybe there is a more sporting notion behind it, too. read more

War Dogs – The Classic German Luger and Mauser Part 3

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War Dogs – The Classic German Luger and Mauser Part 3 Part 2  Part 1

Downrange with the WWII Mauser Broomhandle Model 712 and Luger P.08

By Dennis Adler

Both the Luger and Mauser designs date back to the late 19th century, the Broomhandle going through numerous changes from 1896 to 1937 but remaining very similar in design, even the Model 712 with its removable box magazine. The 712 is the basis for the latest Umarex WWII version of the Broomhandle. The WWII Umarex Luger P.08 is also a solid representation of the 1908 version of the Luger, which eliminated the grip strap safety.

The idea of a selective fire machine pistol (a fully auto handgun as opposed to a fully auto submachine gun) dates back to the very early 1900s. There had been several German models, like the Steyr M1912, offering selective fire mechanisms long before the Broomhandle Mauser in 1932. The Model 712 came with a standard 10 round magazine allowing the pistol to fit inside the wooden shoulder stock and an extended capacity 20 round magazine, which was advantageous when discharging the gun on full auto. read more

War Dogs – The Classic German Luger and Mauser Part 2

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War Dogs – The Classic German Luger and Mauser Part 2 Part 1

The WWII Broomhandle Mauser Model 712 and Luger P.08

By Dennis Adler

The Umarex Legends WWII series now includes the Mauser Model 712 Broomhandle. The enhanced finish on both CO2 models gives them an even more realistic appearance, especially the P.08 with its aged dark brown grips. The Model 712 is again so accurate in detail that an original Mauser wooden shoulder stock will mount and lock into the rear pistol grip channel.

You didn’t have to be a German soldier or a member of the French underground to have a Model 712 in the 1940s. The Broomhandle Mauser design transcended wars, ideologies and nations; it was one of the most advanced handguns of its era. The Model 712 Broomhandles had been used by explorers, adventurers, expeditionary forces, and individuals everywhere in the world from 1932 until well after WWII, even though all Broomhandle manufacturing at Mauser had ended in 1937. In addition to other Broomhandle models, Mauser produced nearly 100,000 Model 712 pistols, a great many of which were sold to the Chinese in the 1930s, but the Model 712 and other Broomhandle models in 7.63mm and 9mm were also being used prior to, during and after WWII in countries as far flung as England, France and Italy, Austria, Turkey, Persia and the Middle East, in Finland, Norway, Indonesia, Siam (Thailand), Russia, the United States, and South America. Not as ubiquitous as the semi-auto models, the 712 was in that same rare category as the fixed magazine 20-shot models introduced in the early part of the 20th century and long before the 712 with its detachable box magazine. (Two years earlier Mauser had built a small number of Model 1930 semi-autos with the same removable box magazine that would be used on the selective fire Model 1932). The Umarex Mauser Model 712, particularly the WWII limited edition with weathered finish, looks even more like a real Model 1932 Mauser. read more

War Dogs – The Classic German Luger and Mauser Part 1

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War Dogs – The Classic German Luger and Mauser Part 1 Part 2

The WWII Broomhandle Mauser Model 712 and Luger P.08

By Dennis Adler

Recreating legendary firearms in .177 caliber is a specialty of Umarex, and their Umarex Legends models now have the WWII Edition M712 (right) and Luger P.08. While the P.08 remained very much the same, there were many Broomhandle variations.

If you watch WWII movies, you would think that the only handguns German soldiers ever used were Lugers, Walther P.38s and PPKs, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Germany is home to some of the world’s most legendary armsmakers, and indeed the Georg Luger-designed toggle link action semi-auto was one of Germany’s principal sidearms from 1908 throughout WWII, but the guns at hand were far more extensive than many realize. In addition to the 9mm Walther P.38 semiautomatic pistol, which wasn’t even adopted until after the start of WWII, officers also had the Walther PP, and PPK, the .380 ACP Astra 300, 9mm Largo Astra 400, and .380 ACP Mauser HSc. In addition to Lugers and P.38s, soldiers in the field who were issued sidearms could have carried the 9mm Parabellum Astra 600, 9mm Browning Hi-Power, which were manufactured during the occupation of the FN factory in Belgium. Earlier Browning FN pistols like the 32 ACP Models 1910 and 1922 were also put into service during the war. read more

Five top blowback action semi-autos

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Five top blowback action semi-autos…

with the easiest to load magazines!

By Dennis Adler

Five different guns all with one thing in common, a self-contained CO2 BB magazine that is easy to load. Clockwise from bottom left, Umarex P.08 Parabellum, Umarex Beretta M92A1, Sig Sauer P226 X-Five, Tanfoglio Limited Custom and Swiss Arms SA 1911 TRS.

Blowback action semi autos burn through .177 caliber rounds almost as fast as a selective fire model on full auto. That’s a great part of their appeal; a realistic airgun experience that simulates the cartridge-firing model’s operation. A semi-auto is a fast gun to shoot and reload, which is why they are generally preferred over revolvers. But even with a self-contained CO2 BB magazine, like all five of the airguns featured here, the reloading experience can vary from slow to excruciatingly slow. Not with loading the magazine into the gun, that’s 100 percent accurate in every respect, but rather with loading the BBs into the magazine! Pressing anywhere from 8 to 15 rounds of 9mm, .40 S&W or .45ACP into a cartridge magazine is no picnic either, but each round goes on top of the other and gets pushed down into the magazine compressing the follower spring as you go. If CO2 BB magazines worked the same way, loading would be pretty straightforward. But that isn’t the way BBs load into a self-contained CO2 BB magazine. read more

War Dogs Part 5 The P.08 and P.38

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War Dogs Part 5

On the firing line – Luger P.08 vs. Walther P.38

By Dennis Adler

The Umarex Walther P.38 (right) and Gletcher (and Umarex) P.08 Parabellum are nearly identical in overall design, dimensions and operation to the original 9mm pistols.
The Umarex Walther P.38 (right) and Gletcher (and Umarex) P.08 Parabellum are nearly identical in overall design, dimensions and operation to the original 9mm pistols.

 Between the Walther P.38 and Luger P.08 we have two preeminent German handgun designs; two very different approaches to a 9mm military sidearm, nearly half a century apart from each other and  built by two of the most famous armsmakers of all time. Packing all that history into a pair of CO2- powered, .177 caliber blowback action handguns is a tall order, but Umarex and Gletcher have managed to do exceptional work on each design. read more