[stipo]

Hi all. I'm Steve Taylor, long time shooter who has been away. I mostly read, rarely post, so unless you're an old-timer you won't know me!
I'd like to know if anyone has any experience with the Steyr M-A1 ? Interesting looking pistol to me, not too high price. How would this piece fit the Production game?
My thanks, ST

[Coveyrise]

I own one of the old Steyr M40's it is a great gun for IDPA, I'm not a member of IPSC so I have not done that. Their is gentleman on the Steyrclub.com board that is tops in IDPA SSP nationally, he goes by the handle IDPASTEYR he uses a Steyr M9. I do not know if he had transitioned to the M9A1 yet? The Steyr M Series handguns are not very popular in the U.S. due to lack of Marketing but everyone who owns really, really, likes them. I'm 1911 guy and the Steyr is closest feel to that in plastic so thats why I bought it.

This post has been edited by Coveyrise: 06 January 2007 - 11:09 AM

[19852]

I had two of the earlier models, M9 and M40. Tried to like them, wanted to like them, low bore axis, decent DA trigger but unreilable. Lots of FTE's, sent it back, but it just came back with the same problems. Don't have any experience with the new ones.

[Coveyrise]

One thing that causes unrealiability in Sterys is heavy lube in the Firing Pin Area, I have heard of several owners doing this as well as my self when I first got the pistol. A gunsmith at the range noticed it right away took his shirt and dried excess oil out of the firing pin channel and never had another problem. Steyrs can need 400 rounds of breakin as well due to their tight tolerance and great accuracy. My Steyr is as accurate as my best Match 1911.

Limp wristing can cause FTF in the first 400 rounds easliy with steyr and my 1911's that are match grade guns. My brother and another friend are very good at limp wristing due to their poor technique.

If anything I would Steyr is the most reliable of all handguns I have owned. It is a steel reinforced polymer frame and has good chamber support.

This post has been edited by Coveyrise: 09 January 2007 - 01:12 AM

[revchuck]

I've also got one of the original versions, an M40, and really like it. All the positives above apply.

Mine is one of those that had extraction problems. (Folks who write "FTE" don't specify whether the "E" stands for "extraction" or "ejection". For Steyrs, it's extraction.) The problem is caused by a too-weak extractor spring, and is easily fixed by inserting a 1911 plunger spring and cutting it to fit. The gun has gone through about a thousand rounds since I fixed it and has been 100%. I trust it enough to carry it.

Steyr has since changed both the extractor and the spring in the M_A1 series, and they should be fine.

[chp5]

Any more comments on the M9 A1? I have a lead on one cheap.

How's the trigger pull and reset? Reliablity? Mag release easy to hit? Any problems? Thanks for your thoughts!

[rubberneck]

chp5, on Nov 1 2007, 10:40 AM, said:

Any more comments on the M9 A1? I have a lead on one cheap.

Aren't they all? I think you can get a brand new one from CDNN for less than $400.

[Carlos]

Forgot to add this in my PM:

There was an extractor upgrade to the earliest M9 & M40s. That issue is long resolved with the M1 series.

The guns sit even lower in the hand than the new M&P. Finish is Teniffer applied in Austria. The 40 was designed 1st, then scaled down for the 9mm. The 9mm will take 9major and I have shot many rounds of it through my M9 to verify.

NOTE: stock springs are stout to handle +p and +p+ ammo; if you try to use the lightest/126 PF ammo you can find & then limp wrist it, then the Steyr will behave exactly like a stock Glock or M&P. Dunno if Wolff makes springs yet; my ammo was about 130 to 135 and it did OK w/ stock springs.

I carry an unmodified M40 w/ factory night sights. Guess you could say I trust the gun.

[eerw]

gun sit low in the hand...
I shot an M9 for awhile, not the A1 version..I found the mag release a little tough to get too..but nothing you can't learn..I switched my sights out..




local guy made GM with his...so they do work well..not that he didn't have anything to do with it..

This post has been edited by eerw: 01 November 2007 - 03:08 PM

[rubberneck]

eerw, on Nov 1 2007, 03:07 PM, said:

gun sit low in the hand...
I shot an M9 for awhile, not the A1 version..I found the mag release a little tough to get too..but nothing you can't learn..I switched my sights out..




local guy made GM with his...so they do work well..not that he didn't have anything to do with it..

Are those Heinie sights?

[eerw]

rubberneck, on Nov 1 2007, 03:25 PM, said:

Are those Heinie sights?

yes...Had a local guy fit them up to the factory dovetails..really worked out nice..

[chp5]

Thanks guys. Is there an extended mag release for it?

[rubberneck]

eerw, on Nov 1 2007, 03:52 PM, said:

rubberneck, on Nov 1 2007, 03:25 PM, said:

Are those Heinie sights?

yes...Had a local guy fit them up to the factory dovetails..really worked out nice..

Did he have to mill them or did he just touch them up with a file? What gun were those Heinies made for originally?

[eerw]

had to mill them..he said really odd ball angle cut..but he said was not a problem..
they were the 1911 version..

[chp5]

eerw - is there an extended mag release available?

[Carlos]

I am not EERW, but I have not found an extended release. There might be one from that Canadian company that also sells the extended barrels. Anyone have the link to those guys up north?

[eerw]

chp5, on Nov 2 2007, 06:24 AM, said:

eerw - is there an extended mag release available?

not that I have found..
the lack of easily available parts was one of the reason's I ended up selling the gun..
I am the type that likes to have a collection of parts around..just makes me more comfortable

[ChrisStock]

I fell in love with it when looking for a carry pistol earlier this year. After doing my homework, observing the lack of aftermarket support and the high cost of mags, if they could be even located, killed the deal. What a shame...seemed like a great pistol.

[spook]

Lighteye67, on Nov 2 2007, 10:13 PM, said:

[...]After doing my homework, observing the lack of aftermarket support and the high cost of mags [...] What a shame...seemed like a great pistol.

+1
If I didnt shoot IPSC instead of USPSA (10 rounds) I would have bought it.
Sweet little gun. Nice low bore and very short trigger.

[Radical Precision Designs]

I am glad to see some genuine interest in the Steyr M 1A for use in production. The first thing I did after testing one was to see if they were in the approved USPSA Production gun list. It was, and I was very glad about it.

One thing that I noticed about this particular gun is that while it is referred to as double action only, it works in a similar fashion as the Springfield Armory XD which is really a "single action". This single action feature of the XD has made its trigger very popular. Similarly the Steyr M 1A can be worked to similar results. This is a big plus. The M 1A also has one of the lowest slide profiles and lowest slide mass than other guns approved for production. The absence of pins anywhere in the frame also points out to their "patented" system which comes out as a single unit and is great to work on.

I do hate their short mag release. I also hate their mag well (or lack of??) The grips are a little bit too slick, so I installed a set of contoured abrasive 3M grip tape.

Their triangular set of sights takes some inital getting used to but once done they provide great acquisition speed, and a definete advantage at distance shooting. I even managed to modify the front sight to install an .040" red fiber optic insert. ( ) But, if you do not like those sights, I saw in their web site where a conventional replacement sight can be obtained.

Second shot (double tap) on this gun is excellent. I have one in 9mm which is becoming very popular to me for Production.

[revchuck]

Quote

Second shot (double tap) on this gun is excellent.

+1. It's the only gun I can do consistent sub .20 splits with. Which isn't saying that I can hit anything at that speed, of course, but it sounds neat.

[rubberneck]

I have all the guns I need except for an IDPA SSP gun. I am sorely tempted to buy one of these and give it a go but I am worried about support, or the lack thereof, for the gun from the manufacturer. Not to mention the cost of mags, the lack of after market dodads (sights and springs come to mind) and the fact that there are no smiths out there that will tweak the gun. Still they are dirt cheap and it sounds like it has a lot of potential.

[chp5]

Well I just shot one. It was a range rental. The sights will take some getting used to, but I liked it.

CDNN has them new for $340 + ship.

I have a line on one locally for $280.

So buy new and get the warratny or buy used and save some $???

Also, the stock trigger was very serviceable. I would like to shorten the reset though. Any way to do that?

This post has been edited by chp5: 02 November 2007 - 01:36 PM

[revchuck]

rubberneck, on Nov 2 2007, 12:14 PM, said:

I have all the guns I need except for an IDPA SSP gun. I am sorely tempted to buy one of these and give it a go but I am worried about support, or the lack thereof, for the gun from the manufacturer. Not to mention the cost of mags, the lack of after market dodads (sights and springs come to mind) and the fact that there are no smiths out there that will tweak the gun. Still they are dirt cheap and it sounds like it has a lot of potential.

The ten round factory mags are $13 from CDNN and work flawlessly. My M40 is a real early one, so I sent it back for the trigger upgrade and the distributor did it for free, knowing it was a used gun. I'm still waiting for something to break on it.

A nice thing about the .40 S&W version is that the chamber is relatively snug and has good support, so resizing brass is a low-effort thing. It was so snug that Rem-UMC factory yellow box 180 grain hardball wouldn't reliably chamber. My reloads using that brass work fine, though.

The lack of after-market stuff is a valid criticism. Doo-dads are a market-driven thing, and the market isn't large enough to support them. Then again, Sevigny does okay without them on his Glocks.

This post has been edited by revchuck: 02 November 2007 - 08:57 PM

[chp5]

So do any other manufacture's sights fit the Steyr dovetails? Does anyone know the demensions of the dovetails? The only aftermarket sights I can find for the Steyr are PT night sights. Not my cup of tea . . .

You would think Steyr would have the forsight to use a non-proprietary dovetail cut.

Can a smith re-cut the dovetails to be a standard demension?

This post has been edited by chp5: 06 November 2007 - 08:28 AM