Steyr M-A1?

[CTS1911]

Anyone had any experience with the Steyr M-A1?

 

[Zundfolge]

My EDC is an S40 and I've also got an M40 (both guns are pre-A1)

I've found my Steyrs to be reliable, accurate and all around good shooters. Trigger is better than a Glock and I happen to like the odd sights (which is the one thing that people complain about the most).

 

[LightningMan]

I have an older M40 and while its accurate and the trigger is quite good, I can't always get rounds to fully chamber sometimes while shooting it. It stops anywhere from 1/8" to 1/4" from closed. I can't figure out why, as I have installed a new factory recoil spring, use a Lee factory crimp die and bulge buster die for my reloads. BTW this happens with factory rounds too. I really think this pistol would work better with a duel recoil spring setup like the 4" barreled XD's. Anyone with some suggestions as I really like the way this gun feels & shoots. LM

 

[Haycreek]

Try some new mags

 

[broken]

i know where a .40 caliber steyr is for 249.00,looks like new,sights are kinda funky but that doesnt keep me from thinking about it versas a sigma for the same price.hmmm.

 

[rellascout]

I have owned a few Steyr M guns and I liked them but they are not anywhere near as reliable as Glocks.

They have better ergos and a better trigger but they have some bugs in the design. My S40 suffered fame damage and had to be replaced. My M9's safety located above the trigger would engage itself due to a poor spring design. They removed this feature from the MA1 model IIRC.

Steyr makes good guns but has a terrible marketing & service department which has left them with very little market presence....

2 of the 3 that I owned has issues. One was replaced, S40, due to extensive frame damage. The other had intermitten problems with the safety located above the trigger. It would engage sometimes upon presentation of the gun this was a S9.

The 3rd was an M9 which was 100%.

I tried to love them but in the end I sold all of them and moved on. At the time Steyr had lost its importer for the 3rd time before opening up their own importer in GA. The guns have huge potential but without the proper support from the company they will never thrive.

I think that they missed their time window. There was a time that with proper marketing they could have give Glock a run for their money. These pistols are now $550+ and are hard to find. In the market today there are just too many good poly guns with better market presence and support. I consider them a lost opportunity.

If you can get them for under $300 they are well worth the money.

 

[Snowdog]

I can't always get rounds to fully chamber sometimes while shooting it. It stops anywhere from 1/8" to 1/4" from closed.

I had that exact problem and it was insanely exasperating as I couldn't (at first) nail down the culprit. I'd have to to push the rear of the slide every 10 or so rounds due to the issue you described which of course prevented me from using it in any defensive role.

Then someone here suggested I visit BTGuiderods to look into a non-captured spring and guide rod combo, which I did.
I purchased a stainless rod and a loose (though stock) spring.

Bingo! Problem solved. Several boxes have gone through the pistol with no hint of the previous issues.
I suspect the problem was related to the captured spring assembly. Retracting the slide slightly, I noticed there was very little resistance within the first few millimeters of travel. I thought that if the spring was able to push directly on slide rather than have it's tension restricted within the assembly, there would be more tention during those last few millimeters

I've filled the hiking role with an M&P40c, but now that the M40 is now completely reliable, I'm sure I'll find some use for it. It's a great pistol.

 

[LightningMan]

snowdog, I did buy a BTguiderod, but I got the captured version for the Steyr pistol. That didn't help, but I will look into a non-captured version. LM

 

[breacher]

Rellascout- how did you damage a Steyr frame? they have tough steel subframes unlike Glocks.

OP- take your slide apart, striker out, and clean the channel and all the parts. mine did the same and after I cleaned the gunk and brass outta the channel the striker was able to fully cock. when it didn't the slide could hang up as the striker stopped on the sear

 

[Zundfolge]

Rellascout- how did you damage a Steyr frame? they have tough steel subframes unlike Glocks.

The early S40s suffered damage to the polymer frame in front of where the steel frame ended. There were two blocks of polymer that the front edge of the slide would impact on recoil (wasn't a problem on the 9mm guns). I sent one back to Steyr over it (and they replaced the frame with what I understand is the last pre-A1 S40 frame in North America).

They fixed that problem before the A1. The A1 guns are fine (S, M and the new goofy European compact the C).

Just note that Steyrs thrive on a LOT more lube than Glocks (which you can almost run dry).


As for the Steyr VS Sigma ... I'd take a Steyr that had been dragged behind a pickup on a gravel road for ten miles before a brand new, shiny, pristine Sigma and a free bottle of single malt.

 

[nwilliams]

I have a Steyr M9 and I love it! Great ergonomics and very accurate with very little muzzle flip. They are a bit odd to look at and were never really marketed very well, however most people who own one are extremely satisfied. It's also my understanding that Steyr has outstanding CS, so should you ever have a problem they will take care of you.

The Steyr M series was designed by Wilhelm Bubits who worked for Glock and then went on to design the Steyr M and most recently the Caracal.

Here are my two Bubits pistols side by side, the Steyr M9 and Caracal C.

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

^^how's that caracal treating you?

 

[rellascout]

The early S40s suffered damage to the polymer frame in front of where the steel frame ended. There were two blocks of polymer that the front edge of the slide would impact on recoil (wasn't a problem on the 9mm guns). I sent one back to Steyr over it (and they replaced the frame with what I understand is the last pre-A1 S40 frame in North America).

Bingo... it took them over 6 months to replace my S40.

 

[nwilliams]

^^how's that caracal treating you?

I have passed the 1k round mark with it and not a single malfunction of any kind as of yet. I've tried just about every major brand of ammo I can find and it feeds it all without a problem, even Tula ammo works fine in it. So far I'm 100% satisfied with it.

 

[Zundfolge]

Bingo... it took them over 6 months to replace my S40.

Took them two weeks to get me a new frame ... this was about a month before Steyr Arms in GA died again.

The Caracal intrigues me ... but I just can't get myself to give money to people that want to kill me because I won't submit to their religion (or at least any MORE money ... still gotta buy gas ).

 

[nwilliams]

The Caracal intrigues me ... but I just can't get myself to give money to people that want to kill me because I won't submit to their religion

The gun comes from the UAE, not exactly the axis of evil in that region of the world. Just because a product comes out of the Middle East doesn't mean that you are funding terrorism and supporting those who wish to kill us. The UAE is one of the strongest allies to the US in the Middle East, I have no problem whatsoever buying a product that's made there.

Anyway let's keep this thread on track and not get into a political, religious or sociological debate.

Back to the Steyr M......

 

[JustinJ]

"The gun comes from the UAE, not exactly the axis of evil in that region of the world. Just because a product comes out of the Middle East doesn't mean that you are funding terrorism and supporting those who wish to kill us."

Well put. Accusing all people of one ethnicity of wanting to kill others for not submitting to their religion is very narrow minded and against the rules.

 

[Zundfolge]

Just because a product comes out of the Middle East doesn't mean that you are funding terrorism and supporting those who wish to kill us.

I'm not going to argue the point further. My only point is simply that the reason I DON'T own a Caracal has nothing to do with the quality of the pistol itself. It is a fine piece (other than the odd rear sight which precludes one from replacing the sights with aftermarket sights should you not like the "straight 8" style stock ones).

Back to the Steyr M......

Yes.

These pistols are now $550+ and are hard to find. In the market today there are just too many good poly guns with better market presence and support. I consider them a lost opportunity.

If you can get them for under $300 they are well worth the money.

This is reasonable advice.

However, if you're looking for something unique and its not going to be your only gun then the Steyr is worth the $550+ they're going for. They may not be as reliable as a Glock (but honestly what is?) but they are more accurate, more ergonomic, with better triggers ... and prettier . And they aren't exactly unreliable.

 

[LightningMan]

breacher quote; OP- take your slide apart, striker out, and clean the channel and all the parts. mine did the same and after I cleaned the gunk and brass outta the channel the striker was able to fully cock. when it didn't the slide could hang up as the striker stopped on the sear
I'm not sure how to do that.
Zundfolge quote; The early S40s suffered damage to the polymer frame in front of where the steel frame ended. There were two blocks of polymer that the front edge of the slide would impact on recoil (wasn't a problem on the 9mm guns). I sent one back to Steyr over it (and they replaced the frame with what I understand is the last pre-A1 S40 frame in North America).
I have an early Steyr M40 serial # 84XX and it has those two blocks of polymer, but I don't see any problems with mine. LM

 

[rellascout]

M40 did not have the same battering issues the S40 had. I have seen several reports of frame damage on the S40 but never heard of the same issue on M40s.

I assume the shorter barrel and smaller frame contributed to the issues in the S guns.

 

[Zundfolge]

rellascout is correct, the frame battering problem was unique to the S40 (and I would assume the few rare S357s ... assuming there are any). The M9, S9, M357, M-A1, S-A1 and C-A1 are all fine.