Welcome, in case you are a newcomer to this enjoyable bi-weekly phase of AllOutdoor.com! The final time round was chronicling the Savage 101 pistol (it appears to be like like a revolver however it isn’t!) with its historical past, variations, relationship particulars, elements, and vary time. You possibly can revisit that multi-part sequence by utilizing the hyperlinks under. At present we’re delving into the fascinating historical past of the Steyr M1912 pistol, also referred to as the Steyr-Hahn. This rugged 2.6 lb, 8.5″ lengthy Austrian navy sidearm noticed motion in each World Warfare I and World Warfare II, enjoying a pivotal position for the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later Germany. Let’s take a journey via its storied previous.
Current Content material in Curious Relics:
Welcome to our recurring sequence of “Curious Relics.” Right here, we wish to share all of our experiences, data, misadventures, and fervour for older firearms that one may categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that’s a minimum of 50 years previous based on the ATF. Hopefully alongside the best way you may garner a better appreciation for older firearms like we do, and concurrently you may educate us issues as nicely via sharing your individual experience and ideas within the Feedback. Understanding the firearms of previous, their significance, and their growth which result in lots of the arms we now cherish right this moment is extremely fascinating and we hope you take pleasure in what we’ve to share, too!
Historical past Abridged: Steyr 1912
The Steyr M1912 emerged from a lineage of progressive semi-automatic pistol designs by Steyr Mannlicher within the early twentieth century. Developed in 1911 by Karel Krnka, its origins will be traced again to the Roth-Steyr M1907 (Krinka additionally designed), from which the M1912 drew inspiration from with its rotating barrel lockup system. The M1912 additionally included components just like the entrance locking wedge discovered on early Colt pistols just like the 1902 mannequin, in addition to the slide serrations and lanyard loop paying homage to the Mannlicher 1905.
Lot 1479: Roth-Steyr Mannequin 1907 Semi-Computerized Pistol – Distinctive Roth-Steyr Mannequin 1907 Semi-Computerized Pistol. (n.d.-t). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved Could 27, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/4091/1479/rothsteyr-model-1907-semiautomatic-pistol.
Lot 3569: Colt – 1902 Fascinating Early Manufacturing – Colt Navy Mannequin 1902 Semi-Computerized Pistol. (n.d.-ac). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved Could 27, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/70/3569/colt-1902.
Lot 2702: Steyr Argentine Contract Mannequin 1905 Mannlicher Pistol. (n.d.-z). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved Could 27, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/1036/2702/steyr-argentine-contract-model-1905-mannlicher-pistol.
Regardless of these borrowed design cues, the M1912 was a definite creation initially submitted for Austrian navy trials in 1911 however initially rejected. Nevertheless, the outbreak of World Warfare I in 1914 left Austria-Hungary scrambling for a contemporary service pistol to exchange their out of date black powder revolvers. Enter the Steyr M1912 and its 9x23mm Steyr cartridge, swiftly adopted in 1912 as the usual sidearm.
What made the Steyr M1912 so distinctive was not simply its unconventional fastened 8-round inside journal fed by stripper clips (much like the Mauser C96), paired with its rotating barrel quick recoil operation. It’s operated by a system of quick recoil with the barrel unlocking from the slide by rotating after firing. Its rotating barrel system, whereas complicated to fabricate, provided potential accuracy advantages over tilting barrel designs like Browning’s. The barrel would rotate 20 levels till a lug hit a cease wedge, permitting the slide to proceed rearward and eject the spent casing. Between 1912 and 1919, Steyr churned out round 300,000 of those pistols for Austro-Hungarian forces to enhance their old-school Rast & Gasser M1898 revolvers on the frontlines of WWI’s bloody trenches.
Lot 247: Rast & Gasser 1898 Revolver 8 mm – Rast & Gasser Mannequin 1898 Double Motion Revolver. (n.d.-e). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved Could 27, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/2009/247/rast-gasser-1898-revolver-8-mm.
The M1912’s status for sturdiness meant it remained in excessive demand even after the conflict’s finish. When Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the Wehrmacht ordered 60,000 present M1912s to be rechambered for the 9mm Parabellum spherical and marked with the distinctive “08” proof. Renamed the 9mm P12(Ö), these hardened survivors continued service via the tip of WWII in 1945.
It was among the many first profitable navy autoloading pistols, evolving from Steyr’s pioneering M1900/1901 Mannlicher fashions. Its rotating barrel system influenced different distinctive designs just like the Mexican Obregon and Czechoslovakian CZ-24.
Lot 1668: CZ Mannequin 24 Semi-Computerized Pistol with Kriegsmarine Markings – CZ Mannequin 24 Semi-Computerized Pistol with Very Scarce Kriegsmarine Markings. (n.d.-u). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved Could 27, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/79/1668/cz-model-24-semiautomatic-pistol-with-kriegsmarine-markings.
From a collector’s perspective, the M1912 provides an interesting mixture of historic pedigree and attainable pricing in comparison with related WWI/WWII handguns. Nevertheless, one standard deterrent is the unusual 9mm Steyr chambering. Some homeowners threat firing the same however usually hotter 9mm Largo ammunition via their M1912s, which might doubtlessly harm the pistol. Finding correct 9mm Steyr cartridges poses a problem. Nicely-constructed examples have a tendency to stay useful regardless of their age when fed the proper ammunition. Whether or not issued to Austro-Hungarian trench fighters or German forces a long time later, the Steyr M1912 represented cutting-edge firearm engineering for its period.
Finish of Half One: Steyr M1912
The M1912’s unbelievable journey from a rejected prototype to a battle-proven wartime companion is a testomony to necessity being the mom of invention. Whereas unconventional, its strong mechanisms and hardy 9mm chambering made the “Steyr Hammer” greater than match for the chaotic battlefields it served on. This underappreciated gem deserves its place within the pantheon of influential navy pistol designs.
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics phase knowledgeable in addition to entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We didn’t simply understand how weapons have been imagined to look and performance. It was a protracted and tedious course of that has formed the world we stay in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm on the market that you simply really feel doesn’t get a lot notoriety? What ought to our subsequent Curious Relics subject cowl? As at all times, tell us your whole ideas within the Feedback under! We at all times respect your suggestions.
