Steyr Hahn Model 1911

The Steyr-Hahn was a pistol I feel never really got a good shake. It should have been much more than the mere foot-note it is, like the Madsen machine-gun or the Lanchester SMG. Great designs for their time that were under-rated.
 
Some were converted to 9mm Luger during WW2. The top loading with stripper clip aspect of the design is perhaps the only feature that relegated the pistols to second line use.
When these pistols were designed, there was no consensus on how repeating military pistols, rifles or machineguns should be fed. Consider the pans, tubes, strips, chargers, strippers, etc. that appeared. Box magazines and belts are the designs which have stood the test of time.
 
LOL

I just bought one off here and it is stuck with the CFO as well.

I plan on rollling my own ammo by turning 9x23 cases.

Lets race and see who gets theirs first!
 
Isn't that the one with the rotary locking barrel?
The grip angle seems odd but if you recall the big Astra 600 "tubular" blowbacks, they had about the same grip angle and were no slouch in the accuracy department. In fact, they won many military pistol matches in their time.
They used the 9mm. Largo round and housed the Mother of all recoil springs to control blowback.
PP.
 
Yeah, the Steyr uses the rotating barrel - pretty clever design actually. Field strips remarkably easily.
 
Sheeish, you guys are getting me excited to get this old dog out for some range time.

Storm, how long has your Hahn been in purgatory? Mine has been in since July 8th.

*cue Jeopardy music*

I thought the 9mm Steyr was 9x23?
 
According to Jane's "the Steyr 1912(they call it a 12 not an 11) was one of the most robust and reliable service pistols ever made".
The ones that the nazi's re-barreled for 9mm are marked "P-08 on the left side of the slide. The picture is identical to yours so I would think you have a very nice pistol as well as a peice of history. Congragulations.
 
Fiocchi makes new, fresh NCNM ammo.
Ammo is available at Graf's.
If you're really desperate you can do what I did and convert a bunch of .223!

They are rugged, they are accurate, they are reliable.

They don't point as good as the later guns, so you have to use the sights. If you do, you'll hit!

I have had one of these for over 20 years and you couldn't pry it away from me with mere cash, believe me!
 
Unsub said:
According to Jane's "the Steyr 1912(they call it a 12 not an 11) was one of the most robust and reliable service pistols ever made".
The ones that the nazi's re-barreled for 9mm are marked "P-08 on the left side of the slide. The picture is identical to yours so I would think you have a very nice pistol as well as a peice of history. Congragulations.
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M.1912 is the Chilean military designation.

It was Steyr's Model of 1911. It was adopted by Austria in 1911.

Regards
D
 
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Mauserman said:
The Steyr-Hahn was a pistol I feel never really got a good shake. It should have been much more than the mere foot-note it is, like the Madsen machine-gun or the Lanchester SMG. Great designs for their time that were under-rated.
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:confused:
The Madsen LMG may be under-rated HERE today, but it was in continuous prduction from c1904-1950+. In probably a round dozen calibers up to 8mm & 30-06.

The cartridge case actually bends as it enters the chamber.

Regards
D
 
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Lee Enfield said:
M.1912 is the Chilean military designation.

It was Steyr's Model of 1911. It was adopted by Austria in 1911.

Regards
D
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Actually, the 1911 and 1912 were the two different models of the Steyr Hahn pistol. The 1911 has the front sight machined into the slide, and is the model sold to Chie. The 1912 has a pinned in front sight blade, and is the model used by the Austrian army.
 
Sorry, but chappie got it wrong, just slightly.

The FACTORY designation was 1911.

CHILE adopted it as the Modelo 1911 and their first shipment included some of the very first production batch...... serial number 357 still exists and it has full Chilean markings. I have shot it on the same day as my own Chileno 1911, which has a C suffix, making it likely one of the final pistols to go to Chile.

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY adopted the gun in 1912, following a personal test by Kaiser Franz Josef, who like it and thought that his army deserved the best.

BULGARIA adopted it in 1912 also and received supplies through the end of the Great War.

RUMANIA adopted it as the Model 1913 and bought a bunch of them. It was their official pistol. Only problem was that the Austrians seemed to have no sense of ha-ha and so, when Rumania declared war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Austrians refused to sell them any more guns. Completely unreasonable!

They are a torque-locked rotating-barrel design, remarkably tolerant of ammunition variations and quite wickedly accurate. The gun was designed by Sytlvester Krnka, son of Karel Krnka of Krnka Quick Loader fame, and the ammunition came from the genius of George Roth. The original cartridge developed 420 ft/lbs of muzzle energy, which is almost double that of a .38 Special.

The rotating barrel spins in the frame, holding the gun quasi-locked until thebullet leaves the barrel. You CAN pein the locking lugs on the barrel and the locking recesses in the slide by using too-hot loads. Peining can be minimised by lubricating the locking surfaces with a product such as Lubri-Plate 205, a grease that we use in the oil patch that handles pressure and sal####er under great stress and never fails.

One thing I really wish we had was a society for shooting these things..... maybe get the Habsburg heir to sponsor it so we could call it the "Kaiserlich und Koenigliche Oesterreichische-Ungarische Schiessverband" or something with equal panache.

They are a great old gun, very docile, but I sure wouldn't want to stand in front of one!

Original cartridge dimensions were base .380", mouth .375", length .900"; it can be made from several others but likely easiest from .38 Super.

Have fun!
 
smellie said:
CHILE adopted it as the Modelo 1911 and their first shipment included some of the very first production batch...... serial number 357 still exists and it has full Chilean markings. I have shot it on the same day as my own Chileno 1911, which has a C suffix, making it likely one of the final pistols to go to Chile.
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Hey! I got 311XC on my Chilean. From what I understand, they started at 3000 for the C batch.

smellie said:
One thing I really wish we had was a society for shooting these things..... maybe get the Habsburg heir to sponsor it so we could call it the "Kaiserlich und Koenigliche Oesterreichische-Ungarische Schiessverband" or something with equal panache.
Click to expand...

Smellie, thats the darndest finest idea and is right up my alley. Let's do it!
 
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