Steyr Pistols

[Xringfighter]

I've heard that the designer of the Steyr pistols was a protege of Gaston Glock. Supposedly he left and improved upon the design. I recently shot a Steyr .40 and was impressed. It has trapezoidal slide rails, Those Trapezoidal sights, A great trigger reset and it sits really low in my hand. What gives? Why are these pistols not more popular?

 

[JHansenAK47]

The name Steyr isn't well known they kind of disappeared in the 80s from the US market. Their pistols were designed to compete directly with the glock and they cost as much or a little more than a glock. (Not talking CDNN) Then they had that HS50 incident with Iran/Iraq and had to reform their US operation. That and people are reluctant to buy a gun that might not have any support in 5 years. Parts are nonexistant outside of Steyr USA. They are good guns and function well, but people don't know who Steyr is and aren't going to go with something they know nothing about.

 

[Xringfighter]

Yeah, just found it, Wilhelm Bubits, Glock protege. Okay so Steyr sold guns to Iran. Didn't we fully kit out the Mujahadeen?

 

[phantomak47]

The only problem with them, resides in the magazines, some have different size springs that cause a lot of problems. Go to the steyr club forum and there should be a sticky about them. Other than that, they seem to be a somewhat solid firearm, but I read enough negative reviews that it put me off a bit as I was intending on getting one from CDNN.

 

[Mortech]

I own a Steyr M357 , except for tossing brass at my head when I first owned it , its been totally flawless . Its a nice compact pistol for CCW .

 

[Dollar An Hour]

I own a Steyr M9-A1 and a Glock 19. If you like the Steyr trigger reset, you'll love Glock's as it is far more crisp, pronounced and short. Steyr is a bit vague-feeling by comparison. Glock's finish is more durable and the Glocks will run drier and dirtier in my experience.

Also I prefer the mag release on the Glock.

Ergonomically, the Steyr is very comfy (the only area in beats Glock IMHO), and both Glock & Steyr are soft shooters for their caliber.

 

[Ed DCB]

The HS 50 supplied to Iran was pure BS..

US forces contradict newspaper report: “No Austrian weapons found with terrorists.”

By Alexander U. Mathé



Vienna. Having started as Steyrgate now ends up as a soap bubble. An English newspaper had reported in February that armour piercing sniper rifles made by the Austrian company Steyr Mannlicher were found in the hands of Iraqi terrorists. But now the US Central Command, being responsible for the forces at the golf, is contrary with that article. “No Austrian weapons have been found in Iraq,” declared Lieutenant Scott Miller on Thursday under discussion with the “Wiener Zeitung”. “There have been relevant rumours but these rumours have not been confirmed.” Further details have not been announced yet.



Austria also taken off the pillory



Steyr-owner Franz Holzschuh was highly delighted for having been taken off the pillory but he is not going to further observe the affair. “Let sleeping dogs lie. I am glad that dust has settled on the case,” says Holzschuh. However, he reacted visibly relieved due to the clarification of the case that had discredited Steyr Mannlicher as well as the Austrian Government.



The “Daily Telegraph” had reported in February that more than 100 sniper rifles model HS50 had been found in Bagdad in the course of a raid by the US troops. The rifles derived supposedly from a shipment to the Iranian security forces in 2005 that had been approved by the Austrian government. Unfortunately, the editor of the relevant article was not reachable for a statement.



The case was politically relevant as England and the USA had vehemently criticized the business with Iran. Both considered that the rifles could end up in the hands of terrorists in Iraq.



The newspaper report seemed to confirm this apprehension and affirm the embargo imposed by the USA against Steyr Mannlicher. The embargo shall, by the way, expire at the end of this year.

With friendly permission of Wiener Zeitung

 

[Ed DCB]

I like my Steyr, low bore axis, accuracy, reliability, nothing to complain about.



One of my friends in AL shoots Steyr for two decades and had a GB 80 that he replaced by a SIG when it was complety worn out, he never had a failure with it.

The designer of the M9 was not a protegé of Glock, they separated because GG did not like to hear the words "improvement" and "Glock" in the same sentence from what I heard..

There was a moment Steyr had been in a difficult position like many armament manufacturers, look at Colt or SIG..

HTH

 

[Conqueror]

I had an M40A1 and sold it. I regret that decision daily; it was an awesome pistol.

 

[skinewmexico]

Steyr is well known in the world for their high-quality tactical weapons, just not well known among the mall-ninja/Fuddite world. And I'm pretty sure when their pistols came out, they were substantially higher priced than a Glock, as Steyr almost always has very expensive weapons. I've been happy with both of the Steyrs I got from CDNN, except for the sights. I tried and tried, but I couldn't make that marketing pitch for those sights work at the range. I ended up replacing the trapezoid sights with 3 dots.

 

[Storm]

Steyr is well known in the world for their high-quality tactical weapons, just not well known among the mall-ninja/Fuddite world.

And the M/S/A1 was preceded by another outstanding pistol, the GB. Steyr has always been below the radar, and that has been part of the problem.

 

[Ed DCB]

I never shot with the triangular sights since I ordered my Steyr with night sights like all my firearms.

 

[Ed DCB]

I like these Ghost International holsters. Their Ghost III modular system is really practical.
http://www.caracal-consulting.com/caracal-accessories/caracal-accessories.html

 

[Skofnung]

I had one of the old style M9s a few years ago. I liked it just fine, but the neutered magazines and full sized frame seemed superfluous to me at the time and I traded it off. This was pre AWB sunset.

The only trouble I ever had with it was the same as Motech, brass kept beaning me on the head at first.

I think I might pick up another if the price is right.

 

[Prince Yamato]

I had one of the old style M9s a few years ago. I liked it just fine, but the neutered magazines and full sized frame seemed superfluous to me at the time and I traded it off. This was pre AWB sunset.

I think this is why the gun is not real popular. It came out without any pre-ban mags. So when your decision rested between a full-size gun that held 15-17 rounds and one that only held 10, the decision about which to trade in, became easy.

I played with one at a gun show and it seemed pretty high-quality to me. It was a solid feeling weapon and felt very natural to point.

 

[Skofnung]

I actually found the build quality to be better than a Glock. Don't get me wrong, I like and own Glocks, but the M9 felt more solid and better finished.

 

[sigma 40ve]

I have the old model 9mm and 40 S&W. Bought the 9mm new and the 40 used. I like them both. My wife "stole" the 9mm from me, now it's hers, she says. The 9mm had all over the place ejection at first, now it throws each particular load in the same place.

FWIW, I spoke with the Steyr rep at the NRA convention and he told me that they would repair any of the old models that had any problems. Good pistols IMO.

 

[nuj]

hello to all here i the forum, i'm jun from the philippines, i have a steyr M9-A1 9mm and had a failure of the firing pin, it broke for short, had one built by a local gunsmith and had the broken pin repalced, aside from this the ejected brass goes everywhere. as of now i've stopped using the gun and using instead ng HS40 tactical.
heres the firing pin http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii166/mraldnyt/IMG_0597.jpg
and heres the gun http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii166/mraldnyt/IMG_0574.jpg
broken pin and one made by my gunsmith IMG]http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii166/mraldnyt/oldnewpin.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Shadan7]

Excellent pistols.

I have and carry both a S9 (slightly smaller than the M series) and a M357 by Steyr. Excellent pistols, both. I only recently picked up the M357 (.357 Sig) barely used, but have put thousands of rounds through my S9 (9mm). Yeah, the AWB mags were a bit of a beotch, but there are ways around that. In 40+ years of owning/shooting guns of almost every sort, I have rarely found anything as well made. I think CDNN still has some of the M series available for like $329, and at that price they're a steal.

7

 

[briang2ad]

Why they are not popular

1. They are competing against MUCH competition who has saturated the market with guns and advertising, while they did not.

2. People want support and really want ooodles of accessories - this is not there - Glock accessories might as well be at Walmart. XD is picking up, and SW ain't far behind, etc. Mags ain't cheap - most will pay $30 a piece before shipping. I lucked out on Gunbroker for a couple.

3. Just not much print/web out there on it. Go to the Steyr site - its been down for three days (just when my gun broke).

I have an M9A1. It is a WAYYYY COOOL gun. But, it had trigger "stacking". Tried polishing the striker spring assembly - no luck. Firing pin broke from dry firing it. Steyr was on it, and sent me a new assembly pronto. Then Upon reassembly it would not reset the trigger - I cleaned the assembly again, was careful about the trigger bar, and it works again. Trigger not quite as crisp, but the initial takeup is smoother and more consistent with new striker. Overall, fit and finish is excellent. Look on par with Glock and new XD. You MIGHT find the trigger as good and MAYBE better than Glock - some have. I'm not sure about mine until I shoot it again. But, it IS better than my XD trigger. I like the OD slide - it looks cool - don't know if it will wear as good as a 3rd Gen Glock though. You CAN take the whole thing down to the trigger/inner subassembly in minutes and hose everything out easily. You can field strip it in seconds - easiest gun out there. I like the sights, but it takes some getting used to. I have old eyes, and the big triangle is decent. Wish the triangles came in H^3. When you pick one up, the ergos will make you want it!

My son has a G19. Great gun. Lighter. I find no difference in recoil - some claim it (Steyr) feels like a 22 in recoil - not me. It does have a lower bore axis, but doesn't feel any better to me. BUT - it does well, and shoots well. If I had ONE gun, I'd probably get a G19 - because it is proven, lighter, a bit simpler, and support is out the yingyang. And this is the rub, and why they aren't everywhere. I have other guns, and I like different (I have CZs and Macs) so no biggee.

It IS very cool. The stout inner trigger/rail piece seems sound. SAI WILL support this gun - they sent the parts to me asap and are good on the phone, and fun to deal with. They are accurate and reliable from what I can tell, and the case head support is ABSOLUTELY the best I have seen on ANY firearm. They feel great in picking them up - they are the HP of the tupperware crowd - thin grip and it forces your hand high. I MAY put some skateboard tape on, but might NOT have to. Trigger can be quite good, and if someone does some work on them, it might be the best in a striker gun. BUT... no one does them to my knowledge. For me, it is good for now.

I sure hope the Steyr site comes back up...

 

[Z-Michigan]

I have the first gen M9, which I got via CDNN for a nice price. I'm reasonably happy with it. It is well made, fairly compact, about G19 sized, and goes bang reliably. Unfortunately, it throws brass right in my eyes (well, safety glasses) when its dirty from >50rds of shooting. I also find that the steeply angled grip doesn't point naturally for me; I'm much better with 1911 angles, or revolvers. It is a good quality gun but I don't really love it. I keep it because of potential (iffy) collector value, and because I basically never sell any guns.

My wife has an XD9. I like it a lot better, and that is my personal pic in striker-fired plastic guns, at least from what I've seen and shot so far (which includes a lot of Glocks).

 

[Modgod]

Steyr Extractor Brassy Head Solution

Z-Mich,

I had the same trouble with brass coming at the eyeballs or more like landing in my hair until I cleaned the extractor per instructions posted on Steyrclub. I've had one incident since over about 100 rounds. SAI who supports both generations of guns quite well said for me to clean it and then if it didn't stop they'd send me some new parts (extractor?) free. Mine is an M-357 bought used and other than misdirected casings, has been flawless.

I'd like to find it's twin in the S-compact but they're rare and even the S-9's & 40's are overpriced resale ($400+), saw a 9 the other day somewhat rought for 385.

I'm hopefull the S-A1 series comes our way in Sep as rumored elsewhere.

Good luck and give SAI a call, they're always helpful. Ask to talk to the gunsmilth, after a quick quiz they'll put him on the phone, great small outfit.

 

[finfanatic]

Steyr GB

Can't speak for the latest pistols, but I have a GB I purchased new in 1987 (I think), and it is the most accurate pistol out of the box I have ever owned.

The barrel is fixed.






Only problem is I have misplaced (lost) some mags, and only have two left.