Steyr M9, 9mm: a sleeper quality product?

Whether it be movies or music, guns or cars... Cult classics all live the same fate.

They basically are good enough but not great enough, for one reason or another... and their existence is propped up by their small group of very loyal fans. But it's coolness comes from being the unpopular underdog.

I've handled and shot the Steyr. It's a decent gun. Definitely has a cool factor being not very main stream. But that's why it's cool, because it obscure.

It's not a bad gun, but I felt the trigger was mediocre, the grip angle awful (same critique of Glocks), felt blocky and clumsy. But the sights were cool. And it was fairly accurate.

If I got one, it'd be to collect, not to shoot. I find the other Euro strikers in the PPQ and VP9 far superior. And if I want a Euro collector, I'm going P99.

As far as marketing, I think it was marketed as far as a smaller firm (in the USA) like Steyr could. I remember seeing them in magazine ads back in the day. But I think the law of diminishing returns would show not to sink millions in ad money when they wouldn't sell many.

Again, it will be much more cool as an obscure "connoisseur" shooter's choice than being the next mass market wonder pistol.

I think it's nice to let it be a Mini Cooper in a world of Toyota Camry.

Seems like these pistols are floating to the top again.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/steyr-m9a1-opinions.857994/

I have had one for a number of years now. I got it because the grip frame design was very ergonomic, the sights were different (in an interesting sort of way), and the price was right. Downside was the trigger was just so-so, the safety is in a bad location (inside the trigger guard is not a good place), and at the time no real factory support. When I read in the manual that the gun came with two magazines and I only received one with the gun, I had to contact three different importers to get my spare magazine.

I had an m40a1 and the grip was the selling point for me.
My dealer couldn't get rid of them as it was released in the peak of the Glock craze and lack of after market parts really hurt it.

Personally I think they are superior to the more popular Austrian pistol, and cheaper too.

But more to your question, regardless of which pistol is "better", Steyr's marketing is inversely proportional to Glock's. As good as Glock markets their product, Steyr ignores it. A more practical issue in previous years was the lack of support, as Steyr has gone through several importers, and been unavailable for several periods before finding their current importer.

I shoot my Steyr pistols very well, much better my other modern pistols.

I think Steyr didn't understand the US market and failed to sell their fine pistol. They are about to release a new MF version that will feature replaceable grip panels to adjust your grip.

fine gun, unconventional sights, wonderful low bore axis, I feel the trigger is slightly better than most glocks. Marketing wasn't great and it was just lost in a sea of fine auto pistols. If it was a car it would have been a saab. If I was going to leave it stock, would I take it over a glock, sure, but I like to be different. Would I take it over a vp9, a ppq, a cz p10, p09(or 07) canik tp9? no.

It's about marketing...and the fact that Glock built up such a massive head start that nobody has been able to really catch up.

Glock has the name recognition and the reputation of quality and standing behind their guns.

Ruger’s quality is... uneven. But I know that they also will stand behind their product. And they make cheap yet conceptually great guns - LCP pretty much defined the pocketable .380 category.

Steyr is... what exactly. Saab is not a good comparison as it was pretty unique when it came to the States, had a great marketing campaign, and decent dealership support. Steyr is good but not really unique, zero marketing, and apparently little support.

I own a small bunch of them. an older m40 with weird safety over the trigger, a newer version m40 an m357, a m9, a l9, and a s9. i just like them. they can be problematic. most of the oder issues seem to have been solved in newer version guns. I still see lots of talk on a common ejecting shells issues. sometimes at your head or poorly in general. lots of fixes for that involving all kinds of shady tree gunsmithing and sending back.

the trapezoidal sights I enjoy for what they are.

they are bulky though so carrying use is limited compared to other pistols. visually they are a love or hate not much middle ground.

as much as I enjoy them i dont find them really any better than glocks. the diehards on the forum for steyrs hold on to that mantra though. think I even used to be one of those until I got over the fandomness of them.

trigger pull is a bit better and the low bore axis is better, but its minor improvements for the shooting I do. I guess it's all debatable of course.

one of the biggest advantages I've found is for folks with smaller hands and I'm one of them. reach to the trigger and grip comfort is quite good compared to other full size pistols such as a sig p226 as a random example.

now the caracal I found to be a major advancement in feel and trigger in the first version, also the higher cap magazine, but all the recalls changed some of those advantages Ive found. now it's a basically an almost dead brand. still have one of those. the 2nd recall replacement version.

jhb said:

as much as I enjoy them i dont find them really any better than glocks. the diehards on the forum for steyrs hold on to that mantra though. think I even used to be one of those until I got over the fandomness of them.

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To me, it's not that they're better than Glocks; Glocks are great guns, and the best you can say is that the Steyrs are at least as good. They have a few features that may either be advantages or disadvantages compared to the equivalent Glock, depending on the idiosyncrasies of the person pulling the trigger.

What it comes down to is that when I put them next to each other on the range, I consistently shoot the Steyr noticeably better. Is the difference insurmountable? No! I'm certain that if I had to, say if I were a police officer that was issued a Glock, I could train the effect away.

But I'm not. I'm a single dad who also works full-time and already has far less time to train and practice than I'd like. So I might as well carry the one I shoot better, because why start with a disadvantage, however insignificant it may be in the real world?

“I consistently shoot the Steyr noticeably better. “

That’s what matters.

There can be more than one really good gun. And in most circumstances, YMMV is the king.

kemikos said:

To me, it's not that they're better than Glocks; Glocks are great guns, and the best you can say is that the Steyrs are at least as good. They have a few features that may either be advantages or disadvantages compared to the equivalent Glock, depending on the idiosyncrasies of the person pulling the trigger.

What it comes down to is that when I put them next to each other on the range, I consistently shoot the Steyr noticeably better. Is the difference insurmountable? No! I'm certain that if I had to, say if I were a police officer that was issued a Glock, I could train the effect away.

But I'm not. I'm a single dad who also works full-time and already has far less time to train and practice than I'd like. So I might as well carry the one I shoot better, because why start with a disadvantage, however insignificant it may be in the real world?

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I shoot them about equal myself. I stand by all my statements and experiences with many steyrs.

Neat looking guns. Probably suffer the same fate as the Walther P99. Not enough marketing, just a “funky euro gun” with no exposure in the US and greatly overshadowed by the Gaston lineup.