The Steyr M1912 - Under Appreciated?
Apr 1, 2018 11:13:21 GMT -5
Mister Coffee and gt40doc like this
Post by CXM on Apr 1, 2018 11:13:21 GMT -5
I like old and unusual pistols... so long as I can make them work... They can be quite fascinating... Some will recall I have had a growing interest in the Old Austrian made pistol, the M1912 Steyr which certainly most would classify as 'odd-ball.'
After loading up 500 rounds of 9mm Steyr ammo, I have managed to get to the range a couple of times to do a bit more shooting beyond the fairly cursory test firing I have done.
I loaded 200 rounds of plated 115gr hollow point bullets from X-treme (which have worked very well for me in 9x19mm) and 300 rounds of 115gr plated round nose also from X-treme. The reason I chose 115gr wss the original factory cartridge for which the gun was designed was a 116gr tin can type bullet. Very little loading data exists for the 9mm Steyr... Hogg lists a load in his book, but the general wisdom is mid range 9x19 loads work fine... which they have in the ammo I have loaded.
The M1912 has a fixed magazine that is loaded from the top via a stripper clip holding eight rounds. Original clips are about as rare as the Washington Post publishing a true story and if you find one they are pretty pricey... Happily, the 7.62x25 clips made for the Tokrev work just fine and I doubt anyone can tell the difference in the two... serendipitously I have a bunch of Tokrev TT33 clips left over from a bunch of Yugoslav ammo a bought years ago for a CZ52 I used to have... being 'frugal' I kept all the clips the ammo came on as I loaded the CZ magazine... so I have all the clips I'm ever likely to need.
One of the things I'm interested in is how usable the M1912 is in the modern world of plastic guns. I' starting to think the loading system, which at first seems awfully clumsy is much less so as you get used to using it. One advantage is the absence of an empty magazine to deal with. To load you simply stick an eight round clip in the clip guide on the top of the slide toward the end and push down. This charges the magazine.
Fiocchi still catalogs the 9mm Steyr ammo, though there is none to be had at the moment... apparently they only import it sporadically. The good news is Star-Line now makes the brass and the other components are easily available. I bought 1000 cases which should last about two or three lifetimes. I managed to find one box of Fiocchi, for which I am very glad because it allows me a bench mark for my hand loads.
The M1912 looks bulky and clunky... in practice it isn't at all... it points very well and in my initial shooting was quite accurate as well...
As for carry, as you might expect there are no holsters to be had for this Steyr other than a reproduction of the Austrian Army's big flap holster with a built in carrier for a spare clip. This situation led me to see what in my holster cabinet might work for the M1912. To my surprise, a Galco holster designed for the Beretta 92 works just fine with the Steyr and is tight enough to ensure safe carry.
Earlier this week I took one of the M1912s to the range and shot 150 rounds through it... 100 rounds of round nose and 50 of hollow point.
I should point out I stripped and thoroughly cleaned and greased/oiled the guns upon purchase so they were all ready to go for the range.
Based on my previous firing I was expecting little trouble from the ammo, and I was right... the ammo shot just fine, though I think the gun would like the ammo to be just a bit hotter.
So far so good...
I'll fire some more in the next few days...
Next project is to find some new recoil springs for the old guns.
More to come after the next range trip.
V/r
Chuck
After loading up 500 rounds of 9mm Steyr ammo, I have managed to get to the range a couple of times to do a bit more shooting beyond the fairly cursory test firing I have done.
I loaded 200 rounds of plated 115gr hollow point bullets from X-treme (which have worked very well for me in 9x19mm) and 300 rounds of 115gr plated round nose also from X-treme. The reason I chose 115gr wss the original factory cartridge for which the gun was designed was a 116gr tin can type bullet. Very little loading data exists for the 9mm Steyr... Hogg lists a load in his book, but the general wisdom is mid range 9x19 loads work fine... which they have in the ammo I have loaded.
The M1912 has a fixed magazine that is loaded from the top via a stripper clip holding eight rounds. Original clips are about as rare as the Washington Post publishing a true story and if you find one they are pretty pricey... Happily, the 7.62x25 clips made for the Tokrev work just fine and I doubt anyone can tell the difference in the two... serendipitously I have a bunch of Tokrev TT33 clips left over from a bunch of Yugoslav ammo a bought years ago for a CZ52 I used to have... being 'frugal' I kept all the clips the ammo came on as I loaded the CZ magazine... so I have all the clips I'm ever likely to need.
One of the things I'm interested in is how usable the M1912 is in the modern world of plastic guns. I' starting to think the loading system, which at first seems awfully clumsy is much less so as you get used to using it. One advantage is the absence of an empty magazine to deal with. To load you simply stick an eight round clip in the clip guide on the top of the slide toward the end and push down. This charges the magazine.
Fiocchi still catalogs the 9mm Steyr ammo, though there is none to be had at the moment... apparently they only import it sporadically. The good news is Star-Line now makes the brass and the other components are easily available. I bought 1000 cases which should last about two or three lifetimes. I managed to find one box of Fiocchi, for which I am very glad because it allows me a bench mark for my hand loads.
The M1912 looks bulky and clunky... in practice it isn't at all... it points very well and in my initial shooting was quite accurate as well...
As for carry, as you might expect there are no holsters to be had for this Steyr other than a reproduction of the Austrian Army's big flap holster with a built in carrier for a spare clip. This situation led me to see what in my holster cabinet might work for the M1912. To my surprise, a Galco holster designed for the Beretta 92 works just fine with the Steyr and is tight enough to ensure safe carry.
Earlier this week I took one of the M1912s to the range and shot 150 rounds through it... 100 rounds of round nose and 50 of hollow point.
I should point out I stripped and thoroughly cleaned and greased/oiled the guns upon purchase so they were all ready to go for the range.
Based on my previous firing I was expecting little trouble from the ammo, and I was right... the ammo shot just fine, though I think the gun would like the ammo to be just a bit hotter.
So far so good...
I'll fire some more in the next few days...
Next project is to find some new recoil springs for the old guns.
More to come after the next range trip.
V/r
Chuck
