Steyr M1912
Steyr Mannlicher · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1911
Also known as: Steyr-Hahn, Repetierpistole M.12, M.12, Pistole M.12 (ö), M12(08), Österreichische Selbstladepistole M.12
Overview
The Steyr M1912, commonly called the 'Steyr-Hahn' ('Steyr Hammer') for its prominent external hammer, is a short-recoil semi-automatic service pistol designed by Karel Krnka and Konrad von Kromar at the Austrian Osterreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft Steyr works. Adopted in 1912 as the Repetierpistole M.12, it became the standard sidearm of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. The pistol uses a rotating-barrel locking system in which the barrel rotates approximately 20 degrees during recoil to unlock from the slide - a mechanism later echoed in the Beretta Px4 Storm and Grand Power K100. It is chambered in the proprietary 9x23mm Steyr cartridge, a powerful rimless round unique to this pistol family. Unusually for a self-loading pistol, the M1912 feeds from a fixed, non-detachable 8-round internal magazine loaded from the top of the open action via a stripper clip, a holdover from contemporary bolt-action rifle practice. The frame, slide, and barrel are machined steel with checkered wooden grip panels and a lanyard loop at the butt. Some 250,000–350,000 were produced through WWI and the interwar period, with significant export contracts to Romania and Chile.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 990 g (34.9 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 1100 g (38.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 216 mm (8.50") |
| Barrel Length | 128 mm (5.04") |
| Height | 138 mm (5.43") |
| Width | 34 mm (1.34") |
| Sight Radius | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 340 m/s (1115 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 430 J (317 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 250 mm (9.84") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x23mm Steyr · primary — also known as 9mm Steyr, 9x23mm Largo Steyr, 9mm Steyr M12
- 9x19mm Parabellum · 9x19mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm, 9mm Para
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Stripper Clip, Internal Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Half Cock Notch
- Features: External Hammer, Rotating Barrel Lock, Fixed Internal Magazine, Stripper Clip Loading, Wooden Grip Panels, Lanyard Loop, Fixed Sights
Variants
- Steyr M1912 Infantry Pistol — Base Model
- Steyr M1912/P16 Repetierpistole — Machine Pistol
- Steyr Model 1912 (Romanian) — Export Contract
- Steyr Model 1911 (Chilean) — Export Contract
- Pistole M.12 (ö) / M12(08) — Wartime Conversion
Service history
Operators
- Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces · adopted 1912 · as Repetierpistole M.12
- Royal Romanian Army · adopted 1913 · as Model 1912
- Chilean Army · adopted 1911 · as Model 1911
- Bavarian Army · adopted 1916 · as M.12
- Wehrmacht · adopted 1938 · as Pistole M.12 (ö)
- Austrian First Republic Armed Forces · adopted 1918 · as M.12
- Royal Hungarian Army · adopted 1918 · as M.12
- Polish Armed Forces · adopted 1918 · as M.12
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- Hungarian-Romanian War (1918-1919)
- Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921)
- Austrian Civil War (1934-1934)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 350,000 · Production years: 1911-1919
Approximately 250,000-350,000 produced at Steyr including Austro-Hungarian military issue (~300,000), Romanian contract (~60,000), and Chilean contract (~5,000); roughly 60,000 surviving examples were later converted to 9x19mm Parabellum (marked '08') for German Wehrmacht service in WWII; under 1,000 M1912/P16 Repetierpistole machine pistols were produced.
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Karel Krnka, Konrad von Kromar
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Following the 1938 Anschluss, Nazi Germany took over large stocks of surviving M1912 pistols and reissued them to Wehrmacht and police units as the Pistole M.12 (o). Approximately 60,000 examples were rechambered during WWII from the original 9x23mm Steyr to the more widely available 9x19mm Parabellum so they could share ammunition with the P08 Luger and P38 - these converted pistols are identified by a large '08' stamp on the left side of the slide. The rare M1912/P16 Repetierpistole variant added a selector for full-automatic fire and a 16-round fixed magazine, with a detachable wooden shoulder stock/holster; fewer than 1,000 were made and they are among the earliest true machine pistols ever fielded.
Background
The rare M1912/P16 Repetierpistole was one of the world's first machine pistols - years before the Mauser Schnellfeuer - combining a 16-round fixed magazine, a full-auto selector, and a detachable wooden shoulder stock. At its roughly 800-rpm cyclic rate it could empty its magazine in under two seconds, and Austro-Hungarian assault troops used it in the late WWI Alpine and Italian Front campaigns. After the 1938 Anschluss the Wehrmacht seized Austrian stocks and rechambered about 60,000 Steyr-Hahns to 9mm Parabellum so they could share ammo with the Luger and P38; those wartime conversions are instantly recognizable by the large '08' stamped on the slide.