Steyr handgun: Need your wisdom

[bensdad]

Hi folks. I'm considering adding a Steyr L-A1 to my collection. Please share youre experiences with this firearm. I fiddled with a couple at the gun store the other day, and loved the look and feel. One of the two that I played with had a sloppier trigger than the other. It also had something wrong with the reset (unpredictable). I'd prefer the 40s&w. Anyway, what's the skinny on this cute little piece of tupperware?

 

[Pilot]

I had a Steyr M9 a few years ago. I'm not much of a polymer fan, so prefer either steel or alloy framed pistols, and I sold it. It was a good pistol, however, and one I somewhat regret selling as I did like the ergos. I prefer a lower bore axis, and the Steyrs have them. Mine was reliable, reasonably accurate, but the trigger had that plasticky feel, but maybe it needed to be broken in a bit. I put a few hundred rounds through it then sold it, so not much experience. It did seem well made, and a good value.

Don't get caught up in calibers. 9MM is fine, as are .40 and .45ACP.

 

[PGT]

I've almost bought a C-A1 more than once. Full size grip, shorter barrel. Supposedly, the trigger on the C-A1 is different than the other models (better)

 

[bannockburn]

I still have an M9 that I got a number of years ago. What really sold me on the gun was the great feel and balance of the design itself. It was almost as if I was placing my hand in a custom fit glove everytime I held it. I also was fascinated with the pyramidal shaped sights as I found them quite easy and fast to pick up on. The trigger has been just okay; a little stiffer but slighty cleaner than the one on my Glock 17.

 

[Fishbed77]

My cousin has a Gen 1 M9 in .40S&W and he loves it. His has been 100% reliable and he's had it for a long time. He prefers it over his Glocks.

The trigger and ergos are better than a Glock, but like a Glock, it's a blocky, chunky pistol. It's handles .40S&W recoil well. Personally, I like the standard trapezoidal sights. The only real downside is the price and availability of mags. They are expensive and hard to find.

 

[silicosys4]

I really like my M40. It has been reliable for me so far, and I was lucky enough to score some 12 rd mags out of my LGS's "bargain bin", so it has been win-win for me all around. Mags are available for $30, cdnnsports and others have them.

 

[CZguy]

I've had a M9-A1 for about three years, and it's my favorite polymer pistol. In fact I sold my Glock because the Steyr fit my hand better, had a better trigger, and had much better sights.

In my opinion the Steyr is a very well made and designed pistol, that just wasn't marketed properly.

 

[Girodin]

I really like the m9 and the A1 series guns I've shot. Steyrs are very underrated IMHO.

 

[OcelotZ3]

I like my M9A1 a lot. The price was right at the time too, something like $340 (new).

 

[blackrussian]

I have an M40-A1 with the loaded chamber indicator.
First time firing had issues with the extractor. Called SAI and they shipped a revised extractor for free. That fixed all issues with extraction.
The LCI feature has been removed from the current generation of the pistol. For a good reason: the LCI spring is stiff enough to act upon the recoil spring and allow the slide to stay back. Some have suggested milling/filing the LCI pin as a fix.

The current production guns do not have the aforementioned issues.