I found myself a very pretty Steyr-Mannlicher M1905 at a gun show a month ago, got stripper clips in from Sarco last week, and some Argentine ammo yesterday. Now I just have to wait another 10 days before I have a chance to hit the range to try it out!
I'm more excited about this pistol than I have been about any other new gun in quite a while. I really like the looks, and it feels really good in the hand. Based on some limited testing, the clips seem to load pretty smoothly, unlike many clip-fed pistols. The ammo feeds cleanly into the mag, without needing a bunch of cajoling and without cartridges popping out of the clip halfway down. Best of all, and by what must be total accident for a military handgun this old, I can actually operate the safety catch easily and effectively from my left-handed firing grip. If it shoots as nicely as it handles, I will totally be finding a good leatherworker to make a custom OWB holster to carry it and a clip of spare ammo. I will SO wear this to fancy parties!
I'm more excited about this pistol than I have been about any other new gun in quite a while. I really like the looks, and it feels really good in the hand. Based on some limited testing, the clips seem to load pretty smoothly, unlike many clip-fed pistols. The ammo feeds cleanly into the mag, without needing a bunch of cajoling and without cartridges popping out of the clip halfway down. Best of all, and by what must be total accident for a military handgun this old, I can actually operate the safety catch easily and effectively from my left-handed firing grip. If it shoots as nicely as it handles, I will totally be finding a good leatherworker to make a custom OWB holster to carry it and a clip of spare ammo. I will SO wear this to fancy parties!