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| Formerly | Steyr Mannlicher |
|---|---|
| Company type | GmbH |
| Industry | Firearms |
| Predecessor | Steyr-Daimler-Puch |
| Founded | 16 April 1864; 160 years ago (1864-04-16) |
| Founder | Josef Werndl |
| Headquarters | Sankt Ulrich bei Steyr (postal addressKleinraming) , |
Area served | worldwide |
| Products | Pistols Rifles Submachine gun Machine guns Combination guns Grenade launchers |
| Parent | RSBC |
| Subsidiaries | Steyr Arms Inc. |
| Website | www.steyr-arms.com |
Steyr Arms (German pronunciation:[ˈʃtaɪɐ]ⓘ) is afirearms manufacturer based inAustria. Originally part ofSteyr-Daimler-Puch, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken up in 1989.[1] Prior to 1 January 2019, the company was namedSteyr Mannlicher GmbH Co. KG (German pronunciation:[ˈʃtaɪɐˈmanlɪçɐʔaːˈɡeː]). In April 2024, the company was acquired by CzechRSBC Holding a.s., which owns alsoSlovenian gun makerArex Arms.[2][3]
Steyr has been on the "iron road" to the nearbyErzberg mine since the days of theStyrianOtakar dukes and theirBabenberg successors in the 12th and 13th century, and has been known as an industrial site for forging weapons.[4] The privilege of iron and steel production, particularly forknives, was renewed by theHabsburg dukeAlbert of Austria in 1287. After theThirty Years' War, thousands ofmuskets,pistols, andcarbines were produced annually for theHabsburg Imperial Army.[citation needed]
In 1821, Leopold Werndl (1797–1855), ablacksmith in Steyr, beganmanufacturing iron parts for weapons. After his father's death, 24-year-oldJosef Werndl (1831–1889) took over his factory. On April 16, 1864, he founded theJosef und Franz Werndl & Comp. Waffenfabrik und Sägemühle in Oberletten (Josef and Franz Werndl & Partners Weapons Factory and Sawmill in Oberletten), from which later emerged theÖsterreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft (ŒWG, Austrian Arms-Manufacturing Company), a stock company (AG) since 1869, of which in the futureSteyr Arms firearm production was a part. In 1912Bodencreditanstalt bank became amajority shareholder.[5]
Werndl's cooperation withengineerFerdinand Mannlicher (1848–1904), who hadpatented an advancedrepeating rifle in use by theAustro-Hungarian Army, made ŒWG one of the largest weapon manufacturers in Europe. At the beginning ofWorld War I, with more than 15,000 employees, production output was 4,000 weapons per day.
The company introduced the world's first machine pistol, theSteyr Repetierpistole M1912/P16, during World War I; it was a machine pistol version of theSteyr M1912 pistol, and was manufactured as product modelRepetierpistole M1912/P16. It used a 16-round fixed magazine loaded via 8 round stripper clips, a detachable shoulder stock and a rather large exposed semi-auto/full-auto selector switch on the right side of the frame above the trigger (down = semi & up = full).[6] It fired the9×23mm Steyr cartridge, with a full-auto rate-of-fire of about 800 to 1,000 rounds per minute (RPM). It weighed about 2.6 pounds. Introduced in 1916, it is considered one of the world's first full-auto capable pistols. Only 960 M1912/P16 were made.
After the war, weapons production in Steyr was all but entirely prohibited according to the 1919Treaty of Saint-Germain, and the company facedbankruptcy. To survive, the ŒWG converted theirmachinery to concentrate on producingSteyr automobiles under chief designersHans Ledwinka andFerdinand Porsche, as well asbicycles (colloquially calledWaffenräder (weapon bicycles)). In 1926 the company changed its name toSteyr-Werke, in 1934 toSteyr Daimler Puch. The production ofSteyr Daimler Puch weapons continued in cooperation withPatronenfabrik Solothurn AG atZuchwil in neutralSwitzerland.
After the AustrianAnschluss toNazi Germany in 1938, the Steyr factories were incorporated into theReichswerke Hermann Göringindustrial conglomerate and the outbreak ofWorld War II provided a brief revival in weapons production. Like many other companies,Steyr Daimler Puch relied also onforced labour, employing from theSteyr-Münichholz subcamp ofKZ Mauthausen.
During the 1950s theMannlicher–Schönauer full stock rifle, designed in 1900, experienced a renaissance.[citation needed] Simultaneously, the re-emergence of theAustrian Armed Forces in the second republican state was the base for new military weapons production.
In 1989, after the partial dissolution of theSteyr Daimler Puch conglomerate, the weapon division was namedSteyr Mannlicher in honour of the greatAustro-Hungarian engineerFerdinand Mannlicher. The name remained in place until 2019, nowSteyr Arms.
The trade markMannlicher is traditionally known forhunting weapons such as the Mannlicher-Schönauer repeating rifle. The company continues to produce hunting weapons.
In the 1970s, Steyr developed an innovative assault rifle, the StG 77. Abullpup design, the StG 77 extensively utilized synthetic materials, and integrated fixed optics. The export version became theSteyr AUG—Armee Universal Gewehr (Universal Army Rifle), eventually used by the armed forces of over 24 countries.[citation needed] It has been prominently featured in films such asOctopussy,Commando, andDie Hard.[7]
Steyr pistols are marked with a three-digit date code on the slide just forward of the ejection port.The first letter represents the month of manufacture.The second and third letters represent the last two digits of the year of manufacture.
In this example, the date code "BOY" indicates a pistol manufactured in April 2007.
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