Want a firing replica of one of the Allied Forces' most desired war trophies of World War II? The Umarex Legends P-08 is another finely detailed military replica that fires and looks very realistic to the battlefield Luger. I have to say this replica is probably the sweetest historical pistol lookalike that I have fired.
Once upon a time, the Luger was considered by many to be the “starting point” of semi-automatic pistols. I had the pleasure of handling one years ago when visiting with my wife’s family. Her aunt’s father took one as a trophy while in Europe during the war. I recall being impressed how quickly it fit into my hand and how easily it was handled. It felt very much like the Ruger MKII, which I love and have taken a lot of small game with. I suspect Bill Ruger also liked the feel of the Luger and that may have influenced his design of my favorite rimfire pistol.
The Legends P-08 is a great replica of this fine piece of military history and attention to detail was given to the scale—even the toggle lock action on the airgun version of this firearm.
Specifications:
Velocity: Up to 400+ feet per second (fps)
Length: 8.5 inches
Weight: 1.8 pounds
Caliber: .177
Magazine capacity: 21 steel BBs
Sights: Fixed blades with front sight coming to a narrow peak
Powered by CO2
Trigger Pull: Approximately 6.2 pounds
Grips: Textured black plastic
Overview
Right out of the box this air pistol felt great. Directions were very thorough, as all of the Legends products I have reviewed have been. The design appears to be very accurate to the real German P-08.
Operation is very simple, and a hex key is included to load the CO2. Just get some CO2 and BBs as well as some targets to get busy enjoying this gun ... because it’s super easy to operate.
I set up few cans to just get a feel for how it worked and where I would need to hold when shooting targets for my testing. I was hitting the can in short order pretty much every time at 15 yards. The trigger pull was by far the best I have experienced on an air pistol. It was even better than some regular handguns! The pull was crisp and smooth and the trigger broke at no more than 6.8 pounds and once I found it to break at just under 6 pounds.
I fired three types of BBs through it. All fed fine and there were no misfires or hangups, nor any jams whatsoever. The CO2 lasted on average about 30 shots. If I shot slower, the CO2 would last 35 shots. It would be nice if the CO2 lasted longer but I was happy with it due to being a pistol and how much gas I know had to be used to work that Toggle Lock action. The blowback action was cool. However, it did take a bit of getting used to, as the sights would temporarily disappear when firing.
The gun felt great in my hand and the weight was not excessive by any means. This pistol was honestly a joy to shoot. As I get to shoot a lot of airguns, I sometimes may not regularly shoot the same gun a lot. This one is on the short list to be shot often.
During my tests I fired Hornady black-plated steel BBs and found they had an average group of 2” at 15 yards. The Crosman Copperhead BBs did not shoot as well at all, with groups nearing 4”, with a flyer even worse than that. The Air Venturi Anti Rust coated Steel BBs did not group well either. These grouped with most at 3”, but I had three flyers out to 4” after repeated tests. I am finding out that ammo makes a big difference in every gun I test, sometimes within the same model of gun! So, if you get one of these airguns, try a few types of BBs to see what works best. The CO2 I used was both Umarex and Air Venturi brands.
The particular gun I tested shot to the left by a few inches, but that was easily rectified by my hold when I shot at cans and other targets.
Pros
The price point of this gun is $69.99! The trigger is awesome. The lack of jams, misfires or other issues from a semiautomatic airgun is refreshing. It is reliable and easy to operate. The attention to detail on the gun is impressive too. Parts fit tightly.
Cons
There was only one thing I could nitpick about and that was the front sight blade, which, while historically accurate, is very narrow and gets lost on dark targets or in dim light. If you get one of these and really want to shoot it a lot and shoot quicker or in dim light, you can always take a dab of orange or white paint to the front sight blade and the problem will be solved. I did this to my Ruger MK II decades ago and I cannot tell you how many squirrels, rabbits and even a few foxes and coyotes were taken because of it.
In closing, this is an excellent purchase at the price point and an air pistol well worth displaying and firing as well. UmarexUSA.com
