Editing Luger pistol (section)

== History ==
In 1897, after the success of the [[Borchardt C-93]], as the first mass-produced [[semi-automatic pistol]],{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=10}} the Swiss military began to look for a semi-automatic pistol to replace their issued pistol, the [[Ordonnanzrevolver 1872]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=12}} Georg Luger, working for the German company [[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]], provided the Borchardt-Luger design, which during Swiss military trials, was found to be more accurate and reliable than competing designs such as the [[Mannlicher M1901]] and [[Mauser C96]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=12}} 20 examples of the Borchardt-Luger were sent to Switzerland in 1899, and after a revision to reduce its weight, was adopted the following year as the Ordonnanzpistole 1900.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=13}} The Luger remained in Swiss service until 1949, when it was replaced by the [[SIG P210]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=13}}

=== German adoption trials ===
In 1898, Germany adopted a total of 145 C93 pistols, but found that it jammed too often to be effective.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=19}} In 1901, testing of the Luger commenced, alongside an improved version of the C93, in which the Luger was found to be both lighter and more reliable.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=19}} Following a change in caliber from [[7.65×21mm Parabellum]] to [[9×19mm Parabellum]], the Luger was adopted by the [[Imperial German Navy]] as the ''Selbstlade-Pistole Modell 1904, and'' later simply the ''Pistole 1904''.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=20}} The [[Imperial German Army|Army]] delayed their adoption, as Mauser requested time to develop a new pistol of their own, which was finished in 1907.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=21}} However, the new pistol was still found to be less desirable than the Luger, and on 22 August 1908, [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] signed an order for 50,000 Lugers for the German Army, with orders to produce a total of 170,000.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=22}}

=== U.S. trials ===
In 1901, DWM sent two Lugers to the United States, who were also interested in a semi-automatic pistol.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=15}} After doing well in testing, a total of 1,000 pistols and 200,000 rounds were purchased for use by the [[Military Academy at West Point]], and several other forts. The Luger was unpopular, with most troops preferring their [[.38 Long Colt]] revolvers, resulting in the Luger being recalled in 1905.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=16}}

In 1906, the United States evaluated several domestic and foreign-made semi-automatic pistols, including the [[Colt M1900]], [[Steyr Mannlicher M1894]], and an entry from [[Mauser]].<ref name=":0" /> This was in response to combat reports which stated that the .38 caliber revolvers used in the 1899–1902 [[Philippine–American War|Philippine Insurrection]] lacked [[stopping power]]. Due to the findings in the [[Thompson–LaGarde Tests]], the military required a handgun in .45 (11.25mm) caliber.

In 1906 and 1907, the U.S. Army held trials for a large-caliber semi-automatic pistol. At least two, and possibly three, Parabellum Model 1902/1906 pattern pistols were brought to the U.S. by Georg Luger for the 1907 trials, each chambered in [[.45 ACP]] caliber.<ref name="DAT" /> Prior to his arrival, the U.S. [[Frankford Arsenal]] had provided Luger with 5,000 rounds of .45 ammunition for experimentation and to serve as a guide for chambering measurements.<ref name="DAT" /> Finding numerous defects in this prototype ammunition (U.S. authorities later were forced to produce new ammunition for the 1907 trials), Luger had DWM pull the bullets of these cartridges and had them re-loaded with a special faster-burning powder in new brass cases.<ref name="AR">American Rifleman, ''The 1907 Pistol Trials,'', (Feb 2001) www.nramuseum.com/media/940450/1907%20pistol%20trials.pdf</ref> Luger brought 746 rounds of this new ammunition to the March 1907 trials with his .45 Luger pistol.<ref name="DAT" /><ref name="AR" /> Two test .45 Luger pistols, bearing serial numbers 1 and 2, are known to have been used in the 1907 tests.<ref name="AR" /> Although the .45 Luger passed the firing tests, it was ranked below the Colt/Browning and Savage pistols in number of malfunctions and misfires, though Army officials conceded that the .45 Luger performed satisfactorily with the DWM-loaded ammunition:<ref name="AR" /> "The Luger automatic pistol, although it possesses manifest advantages in many particulars, is not recommended for service tests because its certainty of action, even with Luger ammunition, it is not considered satisfactory, because of the final seating of the cartridge is not by positive spring action, and because the powder stated by Mr. Luger to be necessary, for its satisfactory use is not now obtainable in this country."<ref>Appendix, ''U.S. Army Annual Report for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 1907 (1907)'', p. 89</ref> DWM and Luger later rejected an invitation by Army officials to produce 200 pistols in .45 caliber for further competition against the Colt and Savage submissions, at which point DWM effectively withdrew from the U.S. trials.<ref name="DAT" /><ref name="AR" />

The fate of the .45 Luger, serial number 1 is unknown, as it was not returned and is believed to have been destroyed during testing. The .45 Luger prototype serial number 2, believed to have been a back-up to Serial Number 1, survived the 1907 trials and is in private ownership. Its rarity gives its value of around US$1 million at the time the "Million Dollar Guns" episode of the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]]'s ''[[Tales of the Gun]]'' was filmed,<ref>{{cite web|title=Tales of the Gun: Million Dollar Guns|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycZtUsJmFM|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401054941/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycZtUsJmFM|archive-date=2019-04-01|publisher=History Channel|via=YouTube}}</ref> recheck by ''[[Guns & Ammo]]'' as of 1994.<ref>{{cite web|last=James|first=Garry|date=October 2010|title=Would you Shoot the Million Dollar Luger|url=http://archives.gunsandammo.com/content/would-you-shoot-milliondollar-luger|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604051822/http://archives.gunsandammo.com/content/would-you-shoot-milliondollar-luger|archive-date=4 June 2013|work=[[Guns & Ammo]]|publisher=InterMedia Outdoors}}</ref> At least two .45 caliber Luger pistols were manufactured later for possible commercial or military sales; one is exhibited at the R. W. Norton Art Gallery, in [[Shreveport]], Louisiana. The other was sold in 2010 and remains in a private collection. A single .45 Luger carbine is also known to exist.<ref>{{cite web|title=Investment Firearm – .45 Luger Carbine|url=http://gmund.rennlist.com/luger/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041115220142/http://gmund.rennlist.com/luger/|archive-date=15 November 2004|website=rennlist.com}}</ref>

=== German combat use ===
The first known instance of the Luger being used in combat was during the [[Maji Maji Rebellion]] in 1905-1907.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38}} Therein, it was somewhat poorly received, as it was thought to be too heavy to be used quickly, in particular because the grip safety had to be held tightly, reducing accuracy, leading to the removal of the safety in the P08 model.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38}}

At the beginning of [[World War I]], not all units of the German Army had been equipped with the Luger, leading to an acceleration in production.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38-40}} Alongside the P08, Germany also developed the LP08, a version with a [[Stock (firearms)|stock]] and longer barrel that could also accept [[Drum magazine|drum magazines]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=40}} The LP08 was used by the [[Luftstreitkräfte]] during the early days of the war, before planes were equipped with [[machine guns]], although due to a lack of pre-war production, the LP08 was much less commonly used than the P08.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38-40}} The main user of the LP08 was the Army, who used its drum magazine to deliver a high rate of fire at a close range, a concept which would lead to the development of the [[Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|Stormtroopers]] and the [[MP 18]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=40}} After the end of the war, Germany signed the [[Treaty of Versailles]], which restricted the size of their army – the treaty specified that the German Army could only have 50,000 pistols, and prohibited [[submachine guns]] and pistols with stocks altogether.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=47}} 

As the Luger was expensive to produce, Germany started to look for a replacement as early as 1927, settling on the [[Walther P38]] in 1938, which offered similar performance to the Luger, but took almost half the time to produce.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=50}} Moving the production lines to the P38 once World War II started took longer than expected, leading to the P08 remaining in production until September 1942, and pre-existing copies remained in service until the end of the war.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=51}} In [[East Germany]], the P08 was used by the [[Volkspolizei]], mostly from ex-Nazi stocks, but they produced a small number up until 1953.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=59}}