Welcome, in case you are a newcomer to this enjoyable bi-weekly phase of AllOutdoor.com! Final time round we dove into the historical past of certainly one of my favourite World Battle One period firearms, the Steyr 1912. The Steyr 1912 is an unsightly duckling in an enormous array of pistols attempting to determine what an actual pistol ought to be. By way of its life and repair, it actually didn’t see a lot so far as footprint change nevertheless there are nonetheless variants to interrupt down. That being mentioned let’s dive proper in!
Current Content material in Curious Relics:
Welcome to our recurring collection of “Curious Relics.” Right here, we wish to share all of our experiences, data, misadventures, and fervour for older firearms that one would possibly categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that’s not less than 50 years outdated in response to the ATF. Hopefully alongside the way in which you’ll be able to garner a higher appreciation for older firearms like we do, and concurrently you’ll be able to train us issues as effectively by sharing your personal experience and ideas within the Feedback. Understanding the firearms of outdated, their significance, and their improvement which result in lots of the arms we now cherish at the moment is extremely fascinating and we hope you get pleasure from what we’ve to share, too!
Variations: Steyr 1912
Steyr 1912 (Steyr M1912, Steyr Hahn, Steyr Hammer): Our particular pistol at the moment. Designed in 1911, manufacturing started in 1912, and it was adopted by the Austrian army in 1914…after they already rejected it throughout an earlier submission. Seems that going to battle could make a rustic much less choosy. Anyway, roughly 300,000 of those guys had been produced from 1912 till 1945. They had been chambered for the 9mm Steyr cartridge (dimensionally much like 9mm Largo however sometimes approach much less potent) and it held eight rounds after being top-loaded through stripper clip. Industrial fashions did exist all through their manufacturing nevertheless their gross sales had been primarily military-related.
Chilean Steyr Mannequin 1911: Manufactured from 1912 by 1913. Round 5000 of those had been ordered. Nearly completely equivalent to the Austrian manufacturing weapons however won’t have Austrian proofs. They’ll have a Chilean crest in between the slide wedge and the serial quantity on the left-hand facet. It would have “MOD. 1911” shut by the date of manufacture on the left facet as effectively. On the appropriate facet, it’s going to have a Chilean army marking.
Lot 449: Chilean Contract Steyr Mannequin 1911 Semi-Computerized Pistol. (n.d.-m). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved June 11, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/47/449/chilean-contract-steyr-model-1911-semiautomatic-pistol.
Romanian Steyr 1912: My pistol is definitely a Romanian mannequin however once they introduced again/imported them their markings had been modified and floor off. Round 12,000 of those had been ordered in 1913 and manufacturing was carried out all through World Battle One. It’s much like the Chilean mannequin with a Romanian crest in the identical spot because the Chilean mannequin. Beneath the crest can be “Md. 1912” and its date of manufacture towards the rear i.e. “Steyr 1916”. Romanian proof marks will change the Austrian ones.
Lot 507: Romania Contract Steyr Mannequin 1911 Semi-Computerized Pistol. (n.d.-p). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved June 11, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/47/507/romania-contract-steyr-model-1911-semiautomatic-pistol.
Braviarin Steyr 1912 (additionally known as the 1916): Completely equivalent to the Austrian manufacturing weapons and could have Austrian proofs however primarily will lack the letter suffix after the serial quantity. These had been ordered from 1916 by 1918 and can be marked as such, nonetheless within the 9mm Steyr chambering.
Steyr 1912 “P12” (additionally known as the M1912 08): That is the explanation these guys had been even produced into World Battle II. When the Nazis took Austria they seized manufacturing of the Steyr 1912 and requested some modifications be made. Primarily or not it’s within the more and more frequent and already accepted 9mm Parabellum (9×19, 9mm Luger, and so forth) cartridge. This concerned a barrel swap and the recoil springs modified. Some becoming could have been wanted for the journal mechanism however probably nothing too drastic.
These transformed weapons had been stamped with an “08” on the left-hand facet of the slide in between the slide wedge and the serial quantity. “08” due to the German adoption of the Luger P08 in 1908 in 9mm Parabellum. These conversions had been completely meant for Austrian police use through the German occupation. These could have the entire typical Austrian markings plus new German proofs and the anticipated Eagle/Swastika markings.
Lot 2775: Three Steyr-Hahn Semi-Computerized Pistols – B) Police Marked Steyr-Hahn Mannequin 1911 Pistol. (n.d.-af). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved June 11, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/1035/2775/three-steyrhahn-semiautomatic-pistols.
Maschinenpistole M.12 Patrone 16: (additionally known as the Repetierpistole 1916): These extraordinarily uncommon examples of a real variant/change arose in 1916. They’re distinctly totally different in that though they resembled a typical Steyr 1912 (I imply they had been) they had been additionally modified to be full auto, fitted for a shoulder inventory, and had a brand new floorplate that prolonged the journal capability to 16 rounds nonetheless fed by an eight-round stripper clip simply twice.
Commissioned on the finish of 1915, this machine pistol was developed by the Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft underneath Main Franz Xaver Fuchs. It featured a fireplace selector on the appropriate facet of the set off group, enabling an automated hearth fee of about 800 rounds per minute. By February 1916, a batch of fifty prototypes was delivered for subject trials, and after profitable assessments, an order of 5,000 models was positioned. These had been primarily issued to Tyrolean regiments preventing within the Alps on the Italian Entrance.
The M.12/P16’s prolonged 16-round journal, whereas an enchancment, nonetheless required frequent reloading, which may very well be cumbersome within the warmth of battle. Regardless of studies of large-scale manufacturing, it’s believed that fewer than 1,000 models had been made, with most destroyed after World Battle I. The weapon noticed restricted use post-war, together with by Austrian SS troops throughout World Battle II. At the moment, surviving examples are extremely uncommon and extremely prized by collectors.
Doppelpistole M.12: Arguably much more of a prototype than the Repetierpistole 1916, this was apparently trying the identical factor the Italian Villar-Perosa was. It was two Repetierpistole 1916 pistols mounted facet by facet (just one with a inventory) on a steel body and was probably meant for plane use or alternatively a kind of suppressive weapon use on the battlefield. Nonetheless, these didn’t make it to fight and in the event that they did there have been so few and so cumbersome it was by no means worthy of observe.
Doppelpistole. (n.d.). firearms.96. {photograph}. Retrieved June 11, 2024, from http://firearms.96.lt/pages/m12p16.
Word: It ought to be talked about that SOME World Battle Two period Steyr 1912 pistols that had their grips changed could have vertical serrated grips fairly than checkered ones. My private gun had the World Battle Two ones so I gave it a swap in some unspecified time in the future.
Finish of Half II: Steyr 1912
There you’ve gotten it of us. All of the Steyr 1912 variations I might observe down. This pugly-looking gun has a mushy spot in my coronary heart as a result of it was one of many first World Battle One-era firearms I ever purchased. It’s not fairly, has its Romanian mark floor off, and components right here and there don’t match nevertheless it’s such a snug unassuming pistol and I can’t wait to take it to the vary quickly and let you know all what it’s prefer to shoot! See you quickly.
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics phase knowledgeable in addition to entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We didn’t simply notice how weapons had been purported to look and performance. It was a protracted and tedious course of that has formed the world we reside in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm on the market that you just really feel doesn’t get a lot notoriety? What ought to our subsequent Curious Relics matter cowl? As at all times, tell us all your ideas within the Feedback under! We at all times admire your suggestions.
