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| Steyr M1912 | |
|---|---|
 Steyr M1912 with box and magazine charger clip of9×23mm Steyr ammunition | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol,Machine pistol (Repetierpistole M1912/P16) |
| Place of origin | Austria-Hungary |
| Service history | |
| Used by | |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Karl Murgthaler, Helmut Bachner, Adolf Jungmayr |
| Designed | 1909-1910 |
| Manufacturer | 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) |
| Barrel length | 128 mm (5.0 in) |
| Height | 142 mm (5.6 in) |
| Cartridge |
|
| Action | 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] |
TheSteyr M1912, also known as theSteyr-Hahn, is asemi-automatic pistol that was developed in 1911 by the Austrian firmSteyr Mannlicher. The design was based on the rotating barrel locking mechanism of theRoth–Steyr M1907 but replaced the external striker with a spur hammer ("Hahn") and simplified disassembly to allow for field stripping under adverse conditions. It was developed for theAustro-Hungarian Army and adopted in 1912 as one of the three standard Austro-Hungarian military handguns of World War I, alongside the Roth-Steyr andFEGFrommer STOP.[2][3] The M1912 was able to endure the adverse conditions oftrench warfare duringWorld War I and could still be found in service duringWorld War II. Despite its near perpendicular grip angle, the Steyr M1912 is usually regarded as one of the best service pistols of World War I after theColt M1911.
The M1912 was originally chambered for the9mm Steyr round.
TheM1912 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 AustrianLandwehr whilecommon army units were issuedRoth–Steyr M1907handguns andRast & Gasser M1898revolvers. 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. It was also available commercially as theSteyr M1911, which was quite popular with army officers.
After the World War I, the production continued until 1920 for the purpose of re-equipping of first the AustrianVolkswehr and later the regularAustrian army (Bundesheer), and also for reparation deliveries to the newly independentCzechoslovakia. A small batch of the M.12 pistols was also manufactured in the 1930's for the Austrian army, but these deliveries had to be kept secret due to Austria being still bound by the provisions of theTreaty of St. Germain.
After Germany annexed Austria in 1938, theGerman Police ordered 60,000 M1912 pistols rechambered to9mm Parabellum which remained in service until the end of World War II.
The Steyr M1912 handgun is operated by a system ofshort recoil, thebarrel unlocking from theslide 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.[4] 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 themagazine is situated in the grip, it is integral with the weapon and is loaded from above using eight-roundstripper 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.
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 ofStandschützen-Bataillon Innsbruck II. Another Standschützen officer - one Herr Hellriegel - also developed asubmachine 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 forPatrone 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 again.[5]
A dual pistol mount and stock was also developed that converted two M1912/P16s into a (double pistol) submachine gun such weapon known as theDoppelpistole 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]
After Germanyannexed Austria in 1938, theGerman Police ordered 60,000 M1912 pistols rechambered in9 mm Parabellum which remained in service until the end of World War II. In German service, its official designation was9mm P12 (ö) (ö forÖsterreichisch, "Austrian"). Pistols in police service were distinguished by the eagle emblem above the trigger and most noticeably a "08" stamp on the left side of the slide, to show that they chambered German 1908-type ammunition."[6][4]
Austria-Hungary
Austria: 16.385 pieces used by theFirst Austrian Republic.[9]
Bulgaria:Obtained after World War I, in use up to World War II[10]
Chile
Czechoslovakia:In use after independence[11]
Germany
Italy
Italian Social Republic
Poland
RomaniaIm 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
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