1908 Bulgarian Contract

When Bulgaria proclaimed its independence from the Ottoman Empire on 22 September 1908, its status was promoted to that of a kingdom and Knyaz Ferdinand I assumed the title of tsar. The country was now able to focus on completing its national unification by turning its attention towards the lands populated by Bulgarians that remained under Ottoman control.

The opening stages of the First Balkan War began with decisive Allied victories in both Thrace and Macedonia. Within a month the Ottomans found themselves driven back by the Bulgarians to within 40 kilometers from Constantinople and badly beaten by the Serbians and the Greeks. A relatively short armistice brought no conclusion to the conflict and fighting once again broke out in January 1913. A major Ottoman counter offensive was defeated by the Bulgarians, who also seized the fortress of Adrianople in March and finally forced the Ottoman Empire to admit defeat and return to the peace table. While the Bulgarian Army was still fighting a new challenge arose from the north - Romania demanded territorial compensations from Bulgaria for its neutrality during the war. A conference, which was held in Sankt Petersburg, sought to resolve the dispute by rewarding Romania the Bulgarian town of Silistra but this decision greatly antagonized both countries and sowed the seed of further enmity between them. The formal ending of the war was marked by the signing of the London Peace Treaty which bestowed to the allies all Ottoman territory to the west of the Midia-Enos line with the exception of Albania.


The barrel length is 4" (100mm) and is chambered for 9mm. The serial number appears on the front of the frame, with the side plate and locking lever was numbered in the "commercial manner". This Luger is all matching including the magazine's. This Luger does not have a stock lug and includes a hold-open.

The extractor is marked "пьлень" on the left side and the safety is marked "ОГЪНЪ" for safe which appears on the Russian model." with the safe position being upward.

This example has all matching numbers. The barrel is numbered and proofed and matches the frame. The first toggle link is marked with the Bulgarian monogram, and there is the "V" rear sight on the last toggle link.

There were two orders of the M1911 (Bulgarian designation) of 5,000 Parabellums. The second delivery in 1912 were marked with the "C" Suffix for no known reason except to separate the orders as the numbering started at 1-5000 the second time. The lanyard loop on the bottom is the only variation of the Luger that has this characteristic.

This unusual variation of the Bulgarian Holster has the large belt loop. the front flap is sewn to cover the extra magazine and the rear is cut open to enable attachment of the lanyard suggesting it was a Calvary officer's model and perhaps a special order holster as there are no proof marks at all on the holster. Most of these holsters were a local purchase but were similar by design.



The Rampant Lion that appears on the 1st toggle represents the only variation where the Parabellums maker's mark does not appear. However a 10,000 Luger order makes room for variations. The DWM Scroll as it appears above the chamber, again only on the 1908 Bulgarian.

Above Left: The two magazines are in good condition, both with blank bottoms. Above Right: The serial number is visible under the barrel and the last two digits are on the bottom of the locking lever and side plate.

The evolution of the Bulgarian Holster began with the (Lower Right) full flapped for the 1903/1906 that contained a cleaning rod slot and a separate pocket over the extra magazine. The standard 1908 holster [Lower Right] had a standard flap that had the flap that buttoned over the extra magazine pouch. The Offered Holster is a variation apparently made for a Calvary Officer with the rear of the Parabellum exposed for the lanyard and cut for a more convenient draw. The top is sewn to cover the extra magazine. See Bender: "Luger Holsters and Accessories of the 20th Century"


The extractor is marked "ЛЪДЕВНЪ" the Bulgarian word for loaded. The Bulgarians referred to the 1908 model as Model 1911 as was given the P.08 Imperial German Army Luger adapted by the Bulgarian military in 1911. The Bulgarian contract was awarded in 1911 for 10,000 P.08 style Bulgarian Lugers, with slight modifications requested by the Bulgarian military. the 1st Group were numbered 1-5000 while the 2nd group had a Latin "C" suffix.


The inside of the gun is clean and well cared for. The exterior shows honest wear on the muzzle, barrel and high points on the sides. The barrel is shiny and shows distinct lands and grooves. The Luger has all matching numbers including the magazine. The magazine is silver sleeved and with a wood based and are in good condition.

Left: This shows the Luger in full recoil and the application of the Russian/Bulgarian Cyrillic letters ОГЪНЪ on the thumb safety where the appears in the old configuration where Safe is down. During WWII the Bulgarian Lugers were modified with the barrels changed out to 9mm for all models and the thumb safety modified to the down position (Up to Fire). This has all the original characteristics.

The right side bears only the Rampant Lion of the Bulgarian acceptance.

A Front and rear view of the Bulgarian M1911 original variation

The unusual characteristics of the lanyard loop at the bottom of the rear frame and the safety in the pre-1904 up position with the Russian/Bulgarian Cyrillic lettering.

There are minimal proofs on the '08 Bulgarian with the Rampant Lion on the left side and the hidden serial numbers on the left. Usually Bulgarians are found in a strongly worn condition having been put through two wars of service and not treated well during their service. This variation gives us a chance at a pre-modified original Bulgarian, the pride of most collectors due to its unique and distinctive design.

The 1908 Bulgarian is the only Parabellum with the DWM scrolled logo over the chamber and the Country Crest on he 1st toggle link. Apparently there was no tradition that stood in the way of making a sale. In September 1915, when Bulgaria entered the war, Bulgaria's war stack included 3957 Parabellums of a contract for 10,000 Parabellums in two lots.