For those of us who don’t have the kind of discretionary income that would allow us to purchase all of the classic firearms we ever wanted, Umarex is one company that provides the ultimate in replica guns that don’t just look good on display. They are extremely fun to shoot as well. Let me introduce you to one of their recent releases – the P.08 Blowback. Now, Umarex has an all-metal non-blowback Luger replica in their lineup, but this blowback model is so much cooler in my opinion. Of course, adding the blowback feature expends the CO2 faster and cuts velocity down to approximately 300 fps out of the 4 inch barrel, but that is more than adequate for a plinker. Let’s face it, these guns are designed to look real and spew BBs, not be taken to a 10 meter match.
The details: This Luger is the same size as the original it copies. It weighs in at 1.9 pounds, also very close to the original. The 12 gram CO2 cartridge and 21 BBs are contained in the drop-free metal magazine. Once the last BB is fired, the toggle locks back, also just like the real Luger. The safety lever on the left side functions as the original does by disengaging the trigger. To keep the lines clean, the piercing screw hides inside the base of the magazine and is turned by the supplied hex wrench. It sports black checkered plastic grips similar to the later wartime versions. Markings were authentic with a ’42’ on the toggle link and 2 digit numbers on the side plate and take down lever in keeping with how Luger parts were serial numbered to insure all parts stayed with the same pistol. The trigger is true to the original being semi-circular and as wide as the trigger guard. The clear and easy to read Owner’s manual is printed in English, Spanish & French. Users are cautioned not to disassemble the pistol, but it does field strip similarly to the real thing (to a point). Additional chips toward the coolness factor as long as you know the proper way to field strip a Luger.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed this pistol and have added it to my collection. The accuracy was good at 20 feet and it made short work of soda cans. Unfortunately, the give up of gas bled off to cycle the action causes the P.08 to go through cartridges more rapidly than many other CO2 replicas. At my altitude of a mile above sea level, I averaged in the range of 50+ shots per 12 gram cartridge. With rapid fire, that average drops but this pistol just makes you want to shoot rapid fire. Initially I did experience several jams but that problem seems corrected after break in.
Our friends at AofA carry Umarex products so please contact them to purchase or for further information: www.airgunsofarizona.com. The MSRP on this model is: $109.95 and it carries a limited 90 day warranty.
This realistic replica is recommended for ages 16 and up which makes sense, due to its realism. It would be a very bad idea to brandish any of these Legend replicas in a public venue. We can only hope anyone above 16 would have the common sense and respect for guns not to pull such a move.