Steyr M Series
Encyclopedia
The Steyr M is a series of semi-automatic pistols developed by Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG
of Austria
for police
services and the civilian shooting market. Design work on the new pistol began in the early 1990s and the final product known as the M9 (adapted to fire the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge
) was officially unveiled in the spring of 1999. The M40 version chambered in .40 S&W
was developed shortly after the M9, followed later by the M357 (caliber .357 SIG
or 9x22mm) and two compact variants of the M9 and M40 designated the S9 and S40 respectively. These pistols were developed primarily for concealed carry and have a shortened barrel, slide
, smaller frame and a reduced magazine capacity.
The Steyr M series of pistols employ the mechanically locked Browning
short recoil method of operation with a linkless, vertically dropping barrel. The barrel is locked to the slide by means of a single rectangular lug around the barrel chamber that recesses into the ejection port in the slide. When fired, the recoil impulse from the ignited cartridge drives the barrel and slide back, locked together until the bullet leaves the barrel and pressures drop to a safe level. A locking block integrated into the frame then engages a lug at the base of the chamber and drives the barrel downward, separating it from the slide and terminating any further rearward movement while the slide continues back in a straight line.
The Steyr M series also has a very low slide profile which holds the barrel axis close to the shooter's hand and makes the Steyr M more comfortable to shoot by reducing muzzle rise
and allowing for faster aim recovery in rapid shooting sequence.
Hammerless and striker-fired, the Steyr M features a double action only (DAO) pre-set trigger mechanism marketed as a "Reset Action" trigger. When the trigger is in the forward position, the firing pin
spring remains lightly compressed (pre-cocked by the forward motion of the slide as it returns to battery). Pulling the trigger all the way to the back will compress the firing pin spring completely, draw the firing pin fully to the rear and position the trigger bar to release the firing pin and fire a round. The trigger travel is 4 mm (0.15748031496063 in) with a pull weight of 25 N (5.6 lbf).
The pistol has a multi-stage safety system consisting of two automatic internal safeties, two external trigger safeties and a manual lock safety. The first external trigger safety acts as the primary fail-safe. A small, spring-loaded inner trigger is housed in a wide, outer trigger and cannot be actuated unless the inset trigger is depressed first. This keeps the trigger from being pulled by an inadvertent off-angle trigger pull. This trigger safety also activates and when released—deactivates the two internal safeties: the firing pin and drop safety. The firing pin safety is contained in the pistol’s slide and blocks the longitudinal movement of the striker. The second trigger safety is an optional, manually-operated plastic bar located inside the trigger guard and projecting out from the base of the pistol’s frame when activated, revealing a small white dot. This indicates that the pistol is currently incapable of being fired. It is used as an additional safety that disables the trigger with the firing pin spring cocked (after reloading the pistol). This safety is engaged by simultaneously pushing in two buttons on both sides of the frame and then deactivated by simply lifting the trigger finger and pushing the bar up and into the pistol's frame, thus allowing the trigger to be pulled back and the weapon fired. These safeties enable safe handling of the pistol with a round present in the chamber (the so-called "cocked and locked" condition) and allow for rapid deployment and immediate firing; this arrangement however does not permit the firing mechanism to be re-cocked in case of a misfire after the trigger has been pulled.
Other safety features include a loaded chamber indicator
and an integrated limited access lock operated using a key to prevent unauthorized use. The latter key can be either a handcuff key or a special factory-supplied key. If required, the access lock can be omitted. The locking mechanism is located above the trigger area of the pistol and is characterized by a small circular plate with two holes in it (in the police version of the pistols there is a handcuff key hole instead of the two small holes). It has two positions: "F" and "S". When pushed in and rotated to the "S" position with the provided key, the lock disables the trigger and barrel and prevents the pistol from being disassembled. This unique system of limiting access to the weapon was patented by Friedrich Aigner in 1999.
The pistols are fed using a detachable steel
magazine of the single position feed type with the cartridges arranged in a staggered column pattern. The magazine’s follower and floor plate are fabricated from polymer
. The magazine catch-release is located on the left side of the frame, directly behind the trigger guard. After expending the last cartridge from the magazine, the pistol’s slide remains locked open on the metal slide stop, located on the left side of the frame and operated with the thumb.
The Steyr M is equipped with fixed, low-profile iron sights
. The unique sighting arrangement consists of a triangular front sight and a trapezoid rear notch that lead the eye to the target for quicker target acquisition and allow for instinctive aiming. The front sight contains a non-luminescent white triangle contrast element designed to mate with two white rectangles on the rear sight. Optional tritium
-illuminated low light situation sights can also be fitted to the Steyr M; these have a conventional rectangular profile. The pistol’s frame also has proprietary mounting rails for attaching accessories, such as a tactical light
or laser pointer.
The pistol’s design takes advantage of modern manufacturing techniques: the slide is precision-milled from steel; the frame is an injection-molded synthetic polymer and parts of the trigger and striker mechanisms are pressed from sheet metal
. For the purpose of regular maintenance, the pistol is stripped down into the following components: the barrel, slide, recoil spring, frame and magazine.
While the Steyr M is frequently compared to Glock
-series pistols (both are polymer-framed striker-fired pistols, with Tenifer finishes), there are several differences in the details of the design. For example, the M-series had a fully supported chamber in all chamberings from the start (Some Glock models also had this feature from the start, other Glock models evolved to having more supported chambers when compared to their original internal layout), unique triangular/trapezoid sights, a loaded chamber indicator
below the rear sights (on third and later generation Glock pistols this feature is present on the extractor on the right slide side) and a different grip angle (111°).
In 2004, an improved version of the pistol replaced the Steyr M in production. The new Steyr M-A1 and S-A1 pistols received several improvements. The grip of the pistol has been redesigned with some textured surfaces as was the magazine well (uses the same magazines), ergonomics have been slightly altered to improve grip, the manual safety button is now optional (not in models sold in the United States
, all US imports lack the manual safety) and the lower forward portion of the frame now consists of a STANAG 2324 Picatinny rail
for mounting accessories.
In 2010, Steyr Mannlicher US began reimporting Steyr M-A1 and S-A1 pistols. The newly imported Steyr M and S have a revised slide imprinted with the Steyr
Arms logo. The newly imported 2010 models have a roll pin in the slide improving trigger pull and a modified extractor for easier ejecting of casings.
: Police forces in Taiwan.
Steyr Mannlicher
Steyr Mannlicher is a firearms manufacturer based in the city of Steyr, Austria. Originally a part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufacturing conglomerate, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken in 1990.-History:...
of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
for police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
services and the civilian shooting market. Design work on the new pistol began in the early 1990s and the final product known as the M9 (adapted to fire the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
) was officially unveiled in the spring of 1999. The M40 version chambered in .40 S&W
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
was developed shortly after the M9, followed later by the M357 (caliber .357 SIG
.357 SIG
The .357 SIG pistol cartridge is the product of Swiss-German firearms manufacturer SIG-Sauer, in cooperation with the American ammunition manufacturer Federal Cartridge. While it is based on a .40 S&W case necked down to accept bullets, the .357 SIG brass is slightly longer...
or 9x22mm) and two compact variants of the M9 and M40 designated the S9 and S40 respectively. These pistols were developed primarily for concealed carry and have a shortened barrel, slide
Pistol slide
The slide is the part of the weapon on a majority of semi-automatic pistols that moves during the operating cycle and generally houses the firing pin or striker and the extractor, and serves as the bolt...
, smaller frame and a reduced magazine capacity.
Design details
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
short recoil method of operation with a linkless, vertically dropping barrel. The barrel is locked to the slide by means of a single rectangular lug around the barrel chamber that recesses into the ejection port in the slide. When fired, the recoil impulse from the ignited cartridge drives the barrel and slide back, locked together until the bullet leaves the barrel and pressures drop to a safe level. A locking block integrated into the frame then engages a lug at the base of the chamber and drives the barrel downward, separating it from the slide and terminating any further rearward movement while the slide continues back in a straight line.
The Steyr M series also has a very low slide profile which holds the barrel axis close to the shooter's hand and makes the Steyr M more comfortable to shoot by reducing muzzle rise
Muzzle rise
The interchangeable terms muzzle rise, muzzle flip and muzzle climb refer to the tendency of firearms or pneumatic arms front end to rise up after firing....
and allowing for faster aim recovery in rapid shooting sequence.
Hammerless and striker-fired, the Steyr M features a double action only (DAO) pre-set trigger mechanism marketed as a "Reset Action" trigger. When the trigger is in the forward position, the firing pin
Firing pin
A firing pin or striker is part of the firing mechanism used in a firearm or explosive device e.g. an M14 landmine or bomb fuze. Firing pins may take many forms, though the types used in landmines, bombs, grenade fuzes or other single-use devices generally have a sharpened point...
spring remains lightly compressed (pre-cocked by the forward motion of the slide as it returns to battery). Pulling the trigger all the way to the back will compress the firing pin spring completely, draw the firing pin fully to the rear and position the trigger bar to release the firing pin and fire a round. The trigger travel is 4 mm (0.15748031496063 in) with a pull weight of 25 N (5.6 lbf).
Other safety features include a loaded chamber indicator
Loaded chamber indicator
The loaded chamber indicator is a safety device present on many semi-automatic slide handguns intended to alert an operator that there is a round in the chamber...
and an integrated limited access lock operated using a key to prevent unauthorized use. The latter key can be either a handcuff key or a special factory-supplied key. If required, the access lock can be omitted. The locking mechanism is located above the trigger area of the pistol and is characterized by a small circular plate with two holes in it (in the police version of the pistols there is a handcuff key hole instead of the two small holes). It has two positions: "F" and "S". When pushed in and rotated to the "S" position with the provided key, the lock disables the trigger and barrel and prevents the pistol from being disassembled. This unique system of limiting access to the weapon was patented by Friedrich Aigner in 1999.
The pistols are fed using a detachable steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
magazine of the single position feed type with the cartridges arranged in a staggered column pattern. The magazine’s follower and floor plate are fabricated from polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
. The magazine catch-release is located on the left side of the frame, directly behind the trigger guard. After expending the last cartridge from the magazine, the pistol’s slide remains locked open on the metal slide stop, located on the left side of the frame and operated with the thumb.
The Steyr M is equipped with fixed, low-profile iron sights
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
. The unique sighting arrangement consists of a triangular front sight and a trapezoid rear notch that lead the eye to the target for quicker target acquisition and allow for instinctive aiming. The front sight contains a non-luminescent white triangle contrast element designed to mate with two white rectangles on the rear sight. Optional tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
-illuminated low light situation sights can also be fitted to the Steyr M; these have a conventional rectangular profile. The pistol’s frame also has proprietary mounting rails for attaching accessories, such as a tactical light
Tactical light
A tactical light is a flashlight used in conjunction with a firearm to aid low light target identification, allowing the marksman to simultaneously aim and illuminate the target. Tactical lights can be handheld or mounted to the weapon with the light beam parallel to the bore...
or laser pointer.
The pistol’s design takes advantage of modern manufacturing techniques: the slide is precision-milled from steel; the frame is an injection-molded synthetic polymer and parts of the trigger and striker mechanisms are pressed from sheet metal
Sheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
. For the purpose of regular maintenance, the pistol is stripped down into the following components: the barrel, slide, recoil spring, frame and magazine.
While the Steyr M is frequently compared to Glock
Glock pistol
The Glock pistol, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as Glock "Safe Action" Pistol, is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. The company's founder, engineer Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearm design or...
-series pistols (both are polymer-framed striker-fired pistols, with Tenifer finishes), there are several differences in the details of the design. For example, the M-series had a fully supported chamber in all chamberings from the start (Some Glock models also had this feature from the start, other Glock models evolved to having more supported chambers when compared to their original internal layout), unique triangular/trapezoid sights, a loaded chamber indicator
Loaded chamber indicator
The loaded chamber indicator is a safety device present on many semi-automatic slide handguns intended to alert an operator that there is a round in the chamber...
below the rear sights (on third and later generation Glock pistols this feature is present on the extractor on the right slide side) and a different grip angle (111°).
Variants
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, all US imports lack the manual safety) and the lower forward portion of the frame now consists of a STANAG 2324 Picatinny rail
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
for mounting accessories.
In 2010, Steyr Mannlicher US began reimporting Steyr M-A1 and S-A1 pistols. The newly imported Steyr M and S have a revised slide imprinted with the Steyr
Steyr
Steyr is a town, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. The town is situated at the confluence of the rivers Steyr and Enns. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and simultaneously the 3rd largest town in Upper Austria....
Arms logo. The newly imported 2010 models have a roll pin in the slide improving trigger pull and a modified extractor for easier ejecting of casings.
| Series | Model | Cartridge | Length | Height | Width | Barrel Length | Weight (unloaded) | Magazine Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | M9 | 9x19mm 9x21mm |
176 mm (6.9 in) | 136 mm (5.4 in) | 30 mm (1.2 in) | 101 mm (4 in) | 747 g (26.3 oz) | 10, 14, 15 |
| M40 | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
767 g (27.1 oz) | 10, 12 | |||||
| M357 | .357 SIG .357 SIG The .357 SIG pistol cartridge is the product of Swiss-German firearms manufacturer SIG-Sauer, in cooperation with the American ammunition manufacturer Federal Cartridge. While it is based on a .40 S&W case necked down to accept bullets, the .357 SIG brass is slightly longer... |
778 g (27.4 oz) | ||||||
| M-A1 | M9-A1 | 9x19mm 9x21mm |
102 mm (4 in) | 851 g (30 oz) | 10, 14, 15 | |||
| M40-A1 | .40 S&W | 10,12 | ||||||
| M357-A1 | .357 SIG | 861 g (30.4 oz) | ||||||
| S | S9 | 9x19mm | 168 mm (6.6 in) | 117 mm (4.6 in) | 91 mm (3.6 in) | 725 g (25.6 oz) | 10, 14, 15 | |
| S40 | .40 S&W | 10, 12 | ||||||
| S-A1 | S9-A1 | 9x19mm | 166.5 mm (6.6 in) | 123 mm (4.8 in) | 92 mm (3.6 in) | 739 g (26.1 oz) | 10, 14, 15 | |
| S40-A1 | .40 S&W | 170 mm (6.7 in) | 753 g (26.6 oz) | 10, 12 |
Users
: Royal Malaysian Police.: Pakistan ArmyPakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
: Police forces in Taiwan.