Steyr M1912 pistol
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Steyr M1912 | |
---|---|
Œ.W.G. | |
Produced | 1912–1945 |
No. built | Up to 300,000 |
Variants |
|
Specifications | |
Mass | 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) |
Length | 216 mm (8.5 in) |
Recoil operated | |
Muzzle velocity | 1,230 ft/s (375 m/s)[note 1] |
Effective firing range | 50 m (160 ft) |
Feed system | 8-round integral magazine, fed by stripper clips. 16-round integral magazine, fed by stripper clips (Steyr M.12/P16, Doppelpistole) |
Sights | Iron sights, tangent rear sights |
References | Jane's[1] |
The Steyr M1912, also known as the Steyr-Hahn, is a
The M1912 was originally chambered for the 9mm Steyr round.
History
The M1912 was developed as the Model 1911, a military pistol, but it was not accepted into service until 1914 as the M12. It was originally issued to the Austrian
Design details
The Steyr M1912 handgun is operated by a system of
As the return spring returns the slide forward, the breech face strips a round from the magazine into the chamber and the locking system engages the barrel and locks it with the slide in the battery position. A safety lever on the left side of the frame can be engaged by turning it into a notch on the slide to immobilize the slide. A disconnector system will also prevent the weapon from firing until the whole action is fully closed.
Although the magazine is situated in the grip, it is integral with the weapon and is loaded from above using eight-round stripper clips.[4] To load, the slide is pulled back to expose the action, the clip is inserted along the guides and the rounds pushed into the magazine. The metal strip is then discarded. As with the majority of pistols with integral magazines, a lever can be used to disengage the magazine catch in order to eject the magazine load.
Variants
Maschinenpistole M.12 Patrone 16
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Steyr_M1912.jpg/220px-Steyr_M1912.jpg)
A machine pistol version of the Steyr M1912, designated as the Repetierpistole, was commissioned at the end of 1915 and developed at the Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft under Major Franz Xaver Fuchs, commander of Standschützen-Bataillon Innsbruck II. Another Standschützen officer - one Herr Hellriegel - also developed a submachine gun that was tested in Tyrol in late 1915, implying that there was some interest in machine-pistols and SMGs within Tyrolean Standschützen regiments.[5]
The M.12/P16 machine-pistol was an automatic conversion of the standard M.12 service pistol. The only technical difference between the standard M.12 and the M.12/P16 was the addition of a fire selector , situated on the right side of the trigger group. This gave an automatic fire rate of about 800 rounds per minute. By February 1916, a batch of 50 prototypes was delivered for field trials and issued to Major Fuchs' battalion. These early models fed from the M.12's standard 8-round internal magazine and, against a firing rate of 800rpm, they could only fire a burst or two before depleting. The full production model extended the internal magazine to 16 rounds - an improvement, but still less than ideal. Topping off the magazine, either by feeding two 8- round clips or manually loading each cartridge by hand, was also slow and cumbersome.. It is because of this extended magazine that the weapon earned its "P16" suffix, standing for Patrone 16 ("16 cartridges") - contrary to some reports, "P16" is not a reference to the year 1916.[6][5]
After successful trials, the M.12/P16 was accepted into service, reportedly with an order of 5,000 units being placed. They were issued exclusively on the Italian Front, to Tyrolean regiments fighting in the Alps. It is not known whether they were fielded as trench-clearing weapons; Austria in 1916 was fighting a mostly defensive war against the Italians, and there is no indication that the weapon was commissioned for use by shock troops, although it is possible that they were issued to some Sturmbataillons in 1917.[5]
The M.12/P16 remained in service throughout the war, and was apparently produced in large numbers. An inventory taken in Tyrol at the end of the war reported some 9,873 units in issue. The physical evidence for such a large number having been produced is scant. Only a handful of examples exist today, most of which are low serial numbers, leading some experts to estimate that less than a thousand were made (Thomas Nelson claimed around 900). It is possible that most were destroyed by the Inter-Allied Commission after World War I. The associated patent for the fire-selector was finally approved in December 1919, having been applied for three years earlier, although there is nothing to suggest that the weapon was ever produced gain. [5]
The weapons saw limit use post war with use by Austrian SS troops during the Second World War.
Doppelpistole M.12
A dual pistol mount and stock was also developed that converted two M1912/P16s into a (double pistol) submachine gun such weapon known as the Doppelpistole M1912. A wooden carrying case, similar to that issued with the Villar Perosa, was also made for the Doppelpistole, the idea seems to have been experimental and never came into wide issue.[7][8][5]
9mm P12(Ö)
After Germany
Users
Austria-Hungary
Austria
Bulgaria:Obtained after World War I, in use up to World War II[9]
Chile
Czechoslovakia:In use after independence [10]
Germany
Italy
Italian Social Republic
Poland
Romania
Notes
- ^ 9mm Steyr cartridge uses a 115 gr (7 g) full metal jacket bullet, with a 1,230 ft/s (370 m/s) muzzle velocity, with 388 ft·lbf (526 J) of energy using Hirtenberger ammunition.
References
- ISBN 0-00-718328-3.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (2 June 2016). "RIA: Steyr-Hahn Pistol Variations". Forgotten Weapons. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "Mud testing the curious Austrian Steyr-Hahn 1912 pistol (VIDEO)". Guns.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9780873418249.
- ^ a b c d e "Steyr M.1912/P16 machine-pistol". firearms.96.lt. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b Zhuk, A.B. (1995), Walter, John (ed.), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Handguns, Pistols and Revolvers of the World, 1870 TO 1995, translated by N.N. Bobrov, London: Greenhill Books, p. 176
- ISBN 9783901208126. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
Im Laufe des Krieges wurden spezielle Versionen der M1912 entwickelt, und zwar die die M1912/16 mit Dauerfeuereinrichtung sowie die „Doppelpistole" M1912, die aus zwei gekoppelten M1912/16 mit Anschlagschaft bestand
- ^ "No gun will ever say **** you as much as the Doppelpistole M.12". IGN Boards. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "BULGARIAN SMALL ARMS OF WORLD WAR II, PART I: SOME OLD AND SOME NEW. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Czechoslovak Weapons of World War II: part 1: Czechoslovakia was well-armed and fortified before World War II, but appeasers in Britain and France pulled the rug out, making "Munich" a synonym for betrayal. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
Bibliography
- McNab, Chris (2002). Twentieth-Century Small Arms. Hoo, Rochester, Kent: Grange Books. ISBN 978-1-84013-381-3.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Steyr-Hahn Pistol Commercial Model 1911 and Army Model 1912 (in English)
- Doppelpistole M.12
- Forgotten Weapons: Steyer-Hahn M1912 - Disassembly on YouTube
- Steyr-Hahn M1912 - Loading and Firing Demonstration on YouTube
- Small Arms of WWI Primer 050: Austro-Hungarian Steyr M.12 "Steyr-Hahn" on YouTube