FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.103 kg (3.63 oz) [ 8 rounds on stripper clip]
BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – Three clips (24 rounds)
LOAD WEIGHT – 0.31 kg (10.9 oz)
MANUFACTURER – Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft (Ӧsterreiche Waffenfabrik), Steyr, Austria
STATUS – Obsolete
SERVICE – Military forces of Austria, Chile, Rumania, and various Balkan countries. Used as the 9mm Pistole 12 (ö) by the German military in WWII
This was the first successful semiautomatic pistol design to utilize a rotating barrel to lock up the action for firing. When the pistol is fired, recoil forced the barrel and slide back along the rails of the receiver. A stud on the receiver engages a camming groove on the barrel and rotates it 60 degrees during the recoil movement. The four locking lugs on the barrel are rotated out of their locking surfaces in the slide, releasing the slide to complete its rearward movement. When the slide moves back into battery, the barrel is once again rotated by the stud and locks securely to the slide. The operation of the weapon is very positive and the design is fairly well sealed against dirt and debris. This made the weapon popular for use by Austrian forces during the Trench Warfare of World War I.
The Steyr has an internal magazine that is loaded through the use of a stripper clip (charger) that is inserted into guides at the rear of the ejection port when the slide is locked in the open position. Pressing a catch on the upper left side, above the center of the grip, released the internal ammunition column which is then ejected out the top of the weapon with the slide drawn to the rear. The M1912 version of this weapon is nearly identical to the M1911 model, the primary difference being that the front sight blade is held in a dovetail on the M1912 model. On the M1911 model, the front sight is machined as part of the slide assembly.
Some of these weapons were converted to 9x19mm during WWI for use by the German military. Such weapons are marked with “P-08” stamped into the left side of the slide
