Ok...well, to start off, I am by no means a professional shooter, nor a professional gun-review-writer...but since I am always touting the merits of this particular pistol, I figured I might as well give some REAL data....and pictures!! Pictures are always fun!!
I am rather new to shooting, and likewise rather new to this forum...but in the limited amount of time I have been pistol shooting, I have made every effort to get as much trigger time with as many guns as I possilbly can...However, my knowledge base is most likely a tad skinnier than some of you other forum go-ers.
Anyhoo...the Steyr M9 specs:
Length x Height x Width 7,1 x 5,1 x 1,2 inch
Weight empty approx. 780 g approx.
Barrel length 102 mm, 4 inch
Caliber 9x19, also available in 357 SIG. 40 S&W
Magazine capacity 9x19 - 10 rounds
Grip frame synthetic material
Trigger system Reset-Action System (double action with direct trigger)
Trigger pull 4,0mm, 0,16 inch (fixed)
Safety 3 safety conditions for individual selection
Sights triangular/trapezoid
Price purchased: $337 USD January 2002
Number of rounds fired thus far: 1000+ FMJ Winchester White box, approx 100 rounds of various self defense ammo, CorBon, Winchester JHP, etc..
Failures to date: 1 (one) FTF : bad primer on WWB ammo.
Ergonomics
Far and away the most comfortable and easily pointable mid frame auto I have ever fired. The large palm swell, hand-web cutout, grip angle, and low bore axis make this gun feel very natural in the hand. I have added a hogue handall rubber slip on grip for the added palm swells and texture. This makes the grip "fill" the hand much more nicely, and gives a more solid purchase with wet or greasy hands. The grip angle causes the barrel to "line up" with the forearm much more naturally than similar sized autos. There is no unnatural "cocking" of the wrist required to gain a quick sight picture.
Speaking of sights....
The trapezoidal sights seem to be a bain....I have seen this feature either sell the gun right away, or turn off buyers immediately. I belong to the former crowd. I loved them as soon as I first held the gun in a ready to fire position. I think they give a very quick target acquisition, with no thought required.
Accuracy
As I said before, I am not a professional gun reviewer, so I regret to inform you that I do not have any actual target group measurements...I suppose I could get out some of my old targets and measure them, but finding them is the key...ya right. I do however have one pic that I snapped of a pretty good grouping that I will attach in a subsequent post.
All in all, I have been rather amazed at the accuracy of the M9....I have made groupings that look much better than the ones I make with my Ruger 22 pistol. There is no trick to it...the bullet goes where the sights are aimed...plain and simple.
Wear and tear
As of right now.... 1000+ rounds after I brought it home, I am pleased with the lack of wear on the pistol as a whole. My friends XD had an almost completely silver breech after only 300 or so rounds...The breech of the M9 shows 99.9% of the blued finish intact and unscathed. A small corner shows slight wear on the blued finish.
There is NO visible wear on the frame or slide rails, nor to any of the other internal components.
There is SLIGHT wear of the blueing in the barrel itself.
There wil be pictures in subsequent posts so you can see and decide for yourself.
Random stuff
From what I have read, and the pictures I have seen, the Steyr pistol apparently has a better supported chamber than that of it's distant cousin, the Glock. Especially for the 40 caliber. I would assume this means that there is less chance of a KB in the Steyr. Time will tell.
The "in the trigger guard" safety is of some concern certain people...Some people would rather have thier finger outside of the trigger guard while removing their safety. I dont feel this is a problem, I will not "un safe" my gun until I am commited to firing, and the quickness of this design does not concern me at all. Also the ambidextrious nature of the design lends itself to lefties, as I am one.
Take down is the fastest I have ever seen...faster than a SIG...and way easier. The integrated gun lock seems like a rather "liberal" thing to do...but I dont mind it...You dont have to use it if you dont want to, the same as the manual safety. If you dont want to use any of these safeties, there is always the Glock style trigger safety that is ever present.
Recoil is almost nonexistant....shooting the M9 is like shooting a pellet gun, and shooting the 40, like a 9. 2nd shot target acquisition is incredibly fast and accurate.
Overall impressions
I love my Steyr M9...with the availability of super cheap 9mm ammunition (WWB @ 10.00 per 100) I find myself shooting it as much as my Ruger 22 pistol. That accounts for the massive quantity of trigger time I have had in a relatively short period of time. And with the unbelievably little wear I have seen thus far, I do not feel at all bad putting 200+ rounds through it every time I go out shooting. I have been extremely satisfied with my purchase, and at the price (340) I think it was a wonderful buy. I am seriously considering picking up the M357 when it becomes available at my local gun shops.
I am rather new to shooting, and likewise rather new to this forum...but in the limited amount of time I have been pistol shooting, I have made every effort to get as much trigger time with as many guns as I possilbly can...However, my knowledge base is most likely a tad skinnier than some of you other forum go-ers.
Anyhoo...the Steyr M9 specs:
Length x Height x Width 7,1 x 5,1 x 1,2 inch
Weight empty approx. 780 g approx.
Barrel length 102 mm, 4 inch
Caliber 9x19, also available in 357 SIG. 40 S&W
Magazine capacity 9x19 - 10 rounds
Grip frame synthetic material
Trigger system Reset-Action System (double action with direct trigger)
Trigger pull 4,0mm, 0,16 inch (fixed)
Safety 3 safety conditions for individual selection
Sights triangular/trapezoid
Price purchased: $337 USD January 2002
Number of rounds fired thus far: 1000+ FMJ Winchester White box, approx 100 rounds of various self defense ammo, CorBon, Winchester JHP, etc..
Failures to date: 1 (one) FTF : bad primer on WWB ammo.
Ergonomics
Far and away the most comfortable and easily pointable mid frame auto I have ever fired. The large palm swell, hand-web cutout, grip angle, and low bore axis make this gun feel very natural in the hand. I have added a hogue handall rubber slip on grip for the added palm swells and texture. This makes the grip "fill" the hand much more nicely, and gives a more solid purchase with wet or greasy hands. The grip angle causes the barrel to "line up" with the forearm much more naturally than similar sized autos. There is no unnatural "cocking" of the wrist required to gain a quick sight picture.
Speaking of sights....
The trapezoidal sights seem to be a bain....I have seen this feature either sell the gun right away, or turn off buyers immediately. I belong to the former crowd. I loved them as soon as I first held the gun in a ready to fire position. I think they give a very quick target acquisition, with no thought required.
Accuracy
As I said before, I am not a professional gun reviewer, so I regret to inform you that I do not have any actual target group measurements...I suppose I could get out some of my old targets and measure them, but finding them is the key...ya right. I do however have one pic that I snapped of a pretty good grouping that I will attach in a subsequent post.
All in all, I have been rather amazed at the accuracy of the M9....I have made groupings that look much better than the ones I make with my Ruger 22 pistol. There is no trick to it...the bullet goes where the sights are aimed...plain and simple.
Wear and tear
As of right now.... 1000+ rounds after I brought it home, I am pleased with the lack of wear on the pistol as a whole. My friends XD had an almost completely silver breech after only 300 or so rounds...The breech of the M9 shows 99.9% of the blued finish intact and unscathed. A small corner shows slight wear on the blued finish.
There is NO visible wear on the frame or slide rails, nor to any of the other internal components.
There is SLIGHT wear of the blueing in the barrel itself.
There wil be pictures in subsequent posts so you can see and decide for yourself.
Random stuff
From what I have read, and the pictures I have seen, the Steyr pistol apparently has a better supported chamber than that of it's distant cousin, the Glock. Especially for the 40 caliber. I would assume this means that there is less chance of a KB in the Steyr. Time will tell.
The "in the trigger guard" safety is of some concern certain people...Some people would rather have thier finger outside of the trigger guard while removing their safety. I dont feel this is a problem, I will not "un safe" my gun until I am commited to firing, and the quickness of this design does not concern me at all. Also the ambidextrious nature of the design lends itself to lefties, as I am one.
Take down is the fastest I have ever seen...faster than a SIG...and way easier. The integrated gun lock seems like a rather "liberal" thing to do...but I dont mind it...You dont have to use it if you dont want to, the same as the manual safety. If you dont want to use any of these safeties, there is always the Glock style trigger safety that is ever present.
Recoil is almost nonexistant....shooting the M9 is like shooting a pellet gun, and shooting the 40, like a 9. 2nd shot target acquisition is incredibly fast and accurate.
Overall impressions
I love my Steyr M9...with the availability of super cheap 9mm ammunition (WWB @ 10.00 per 100) I find myself shooting it as much as my Ruger 22 pistol. That accounts for the massive quantity of trigger time I have had in a relatively short period of time. And with the unbelievably little wear I have seen thus far, I do not feel at all bad putting 200+ rounds through it every time I go out shooting. I have been extremely satisfied with my purchase, and at the price (340) I think it was a wonderful buy. I am seriously considering picking up the M357 when it becomes available at my local gun shops.
