Steyr M9

[thughes]

How's she running these days?

(sorry there weren't any elves to shoot tonight)

[thughes]

Oh, and we haven't seen any pics yet either........

[WARFAB]

Pics?

The Steyr ran flawlessly last night using Barnes TAC-XPD ammunition. I can't say the same for the guy shooting it.

[Calculon]

Oh, and we haven't seen any pics yet either........

This. Let's see it!

[WARFAB]

Here are some photos for those who are interested.

Glamour1.jpg

I've read that the Austrian police carry Steyr pistols, but I have no way of knowing if that's true. No clue if it's like in the US where different municipalities carry different duty pistols. According to wikipedia the Austrian national police force (formed in 2012?) carry Glocks. This past Tuesday while I was at the range another shooter came over to talk to me about this pistol and claimed that German police carry Steyr pistols. I mentioned that I heard some Austrian police carry them and he said "well I wouldn't know about that, because I've never been to Austria". Kind of led me to believe that he saw German police carrying them first hand. Being carried by Austrian or German police would seem interesting considering the reputations of Glock and H&K in their respective countries.

Glamour2.jpg

The ergonomics are nice. The pistol points really naturally for me and feels great in hand. Glocks seem to point low for me. I've tried a couple Glock triggers and in my opinion the Steyr has a superior trigger. I brought the Steyr to work to show a coworker right after I bought it. The coworker typically carries an M&P Shield, but he used to carry a Glock. After examining the Steyr and trying it's trigger, he told me if I ever wanted to sell it he'd be interested. There are only two possible upgrades that I'm aware of for the trigger, one of which isn't recommended for a carry pistol. The other one costs about $25 and is an easy part to swap out. I'm probably going to do it one of these days.

Barrel.jpg

The way the pistol is designed works well ergonomically and many reviewers claim it has less muzzle flip than a Glock. But, with the grip further forward I can't help but think they Steyrs probably have shorter barrels relative to their overall length compared to Glocks. Unlike a Glock, the chamber is fully supported.

Frame.jpg

Here is a shot of the frame without the slide. No idea how the rails compare to a Glock. The little button behind the slide release with the "S" and "F" markings is a way to brick the gun if so desired.

Slide1.jpg

Based on some other reviews I've read the overall fit and finish is nicer than a Glock, but I have no idea if that's true. How does the inside of a Glock slide look compared to this?

Slide2.jpg

Another review I read commented about how beefy the recoil spring tab is on the slide. The reviewer said that if you drop your Glock it would be easier to bend this part of the slide. No idea if that's even a concern for most people. No idea if that's why Steyr designed the pistol with such a blunt front end or not.

Traps.jpg


This is the best photo I could get of the trapezoidal sights. Steyr has a patent on this sight design and they seem to be a polarizing aspect of the pistol for a lot of people. It took me a little while to get used to them, but now I really like them. When I shoot at about 30 feet the bullet seems to impact pretty much at the tip of the front triangle. The sights also seem easier to acquire than standard sights. When bringing the pistol up on target the extra space in the rear sight and the triangle in trapezoid arrangement seem to naturally guide me into proper sight alignment. I'm not sure how to explain it more effectively, but I like them. Unlike factory Glock sights, these are metal.