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The Steyr M1912, also known as the Steyr-Hahn, is a
semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single-chamber handgun ( pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actu ...
developed in 1911 by the Austrian firm
Steyr Mannlicher Steyr Arms () is a firearms manufacturer based in Sankt Peter in der Au, Austria. Originally part of Steyr-Daimler-Puch, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken up in 1989. Prior to 1 January 2019, the company was named Steyr M ...
, based on the mechanism of the
Roth–Steyr M1907 The Roth–Steyr M1907, or, more accurately Roth-Krnka M.7 Leszek Erenfeicht: ''Pra-pra-Glock: Repetierpistole M.7'', in: ''Strzał'' Nr. 1(80)/2010, , pp. 36–50. was a semi-automatic pistol issued to the Austro-Hungarian ''kaiserliche und kön ...
. It was developed for the
Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
and adopted in 1912. It was the standard Austro-Hungarian military handgun of World War I. It was able to endure the adverse conditions of
trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising Trench#Military engineering, military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artille ...
during World War I. 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 Landwehr while common army units were issued
Roth–Steyr M1907 The Roth–Steyr M1907, or, more accurately Roth-Krnka M.7 Leszek Erenfeicht: ''Pra-pra-Glock: Repetierpistole M.7'', in: ''Strzał'' Nr. 1(80)/2010, , pp. 36–50. was a semi-automatic pistol issued to the Austro-Hungarian ''kaiserliche und kön ...
handgun A handgun is a short-barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ag ...
s and
Rast & Gasser M1898 The Rast & Gasser Model 1898 was a service revolver used by the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and various armies in World War II. History 180,000 copies were produced by the firm Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik in Vienna from 1898 to ...
revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that has at least one gun barrel, barrel and uses a revolving cylinder (firearms), cylinder containing multiple chamber (firearms), chambers (each holding a single ...
s. Orders were also placed by Chile and Romania. During World War I, Austria-Hungary experienced shortages of handguns and production of the M1912 was increased. Germany also placed an order for 10,000 Model 12s. After World War I, a commercial model the Steyr M1911 was produced and was quite popular with army officers, but Steyr had to rely on foreign exports to sustain production. After Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
ordered 60,000 M1912 pistols rechambered to 9mm Parabellum which remained in service until the end of World War II.


Design details

The Steyr M1912 handgun is operated by a system of short recoil, the
barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
unlocking from the slide by rotation. As the pistol is being fired and the recoil of the pistol is in motion, a lug and groove system around the barrel rotate the barrel 20° until a lug hits a stop wedge and holds the barrel while the slide is free to continue its rearward travel, the extractor claw withdrawing the spent casing against the breech face of the slide until the casing strikes the ejector and departs the weapon via the ejection and loading port.Hogg, Ian V.; John Weeks (2000). Military small arms of the 20th century (7th ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications,. p. 99. . Shortly after ejection the slide's rearward travel is arrested by the compressed recoil spring and the abutment of mated surfaces of the slide and frame. The recoil spring is now free to return its stored energy to the cycle of the weapon by beginning to return the slide forward. 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 A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
is situated in the grip, it is integral with the weapon and is loaded from above using eight-round
stripper clip A stripper clip (also known as a charger or charger clip, especially in British and in Commonwealth military vocabulary) is a speedloader that holds several cartridges (usually between 5 and 10) together in a single unit for easier and faster ...
s. 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


9mm P12(Ö)

After Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
ordered 60,000 M1912 pistols rechambered in 9mm Parabellum which remained in service until the end of World War II. In German service, its official designation was 9mm P12(Ö) (Ö for ''Österreichisch'', "Austrian"). Pistols in Wehrmacht service were distinguished by the ''Wehrmachtadler'' ("Wehrmacht Eagle") emblem above the trigger and most noticeably a "P-08" or "08" stamp on the left side of the slide, "to show that they chambered German 1908-type ammunition."


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. However, only a handful were made before it was abandoned.


Repetierpistole M1912/P16

During World War I, a
machine pistol A machine pistol is an autoloading pistol capable of fully automatic fire. The term can also be used to describe a stockless handgun-style submachine gun. The term is a calque of ''Maschinenpistole'', the German word for submachine guns. Ma ...
version of the Steyr M1912 called the Repetierpistole M1912/P16 was produced. It used a 16-round fixed magazine loaded via 8-round stripper clips, a detachable shoulder stock and a large exposed semi-auto/full-auto selector on the right side of the frame above the trigger (down = semi and up = full). Rate of fire was about 800 to 1000 rounds per minute. Introduced in 1916, it weighed about and is considered the world's first machine pistol. Only 960 M1912/P16 were made. This variant saw usage by SS police during the occupation of Austria in 1938.


Users

* * *:Obtained after World War I, in use up to World War II * * * * * *


Notes


References


Bibliography

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External links


Steyr-Hahn Pistol Commercial Model 1911 and Army Model 1912

Doppelpistole M.12
* * * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Steyr semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic pistols of Austria 9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols World War I submachine guns Machine pistols Early semi-automatic pistols Steyr Mannlicher World War I Austro-Hungarian infantry weapons World War II infantry weapons of Germany World War II infantry weapons of Italy Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1912