Steyr Hahn M1912

The standard issue sidearm of the Austrian half of the Hapsburg Empire’s forces in the Great War was a solid if eclectic handgun that would prove cable in locals such as the Balkans, Eastern Front and Italian Alps.

The History

As the Great War loomed in the early 20th century, the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy was responsible for the development of a number of quirky handgun designs as the world raced for the adoption of autoloading pistols. This program had seen the outdated Gasser revolvers replaced with different models of charger loading pistols from Steyr, but these were complicated and expensive designs that left something to be desired in a primary military service pistol. As a result, a military commission was appointed to create a better model, and that resulted in the creation of the M1912, often deemed the “Hahn” for its external hammer. (Some sources state that Karel Krnka designed the weapon, although there is little direct evidence of this)

The sights on the M1912 are a simple rear v notch and front blade arrangement

The resulting M1911 did not enjoy the interest of the Hapsburg military leadership, but instead found buyers in Chile and Romania, who both signed contracts for pistols which would come marked with their national crests. Of a total contract of 55,000, only some 37,000 would actually be delivered to Romania before the Great War broke out in the summer of 1914.

The controls of the pistol consist of a safety/slide lock, hammer and ammunition release catch (used to unload the internal magazine)

The new conflict came with a ban on weapons imports, and the remaining M1912 pistols were seized and offered for sale to Austro-Hungarian officers, with the pistol proving popular enough that production was continued for the KuK Armed Forces, now bearing Hapsburg martial markings.

The result was that Vienna authorized a full scale production run from OEWG Steyr in 1915, and small contracts from Germany were also issued. An attempt was made to purchase a run of pistols by the Ottomans as well, but did not go anywhere. At the end of the war inventory had reached a total of almost 200,000 pistols, and they had established a reputation as a well built, reliable handgun. The weapon would remain in service in Austria in the interwar period, and would even be rechambered to 9x19mm parabellum for issue to the Wehrmacht in the Second World War.

The Austrian acceptance mark, consisting of the letters “Wn” for the Vienna Proof house, the Hapsburg Eagle, and the year of acceptance, all stamped above the right side of the trigger

The Design

The Steyr M1912 is a recoil operated pistol, with the elaborately milled lugs on the barrel serving to lock before the entire barrel is rotated during firing to unlock the mechanism. Ergonomically, the design borrows from the American Browning autoloader designs, including the famous M1911, which allowed for a comfortable grip.

The pistol’s takedown pin is located near the muzzle end, crossing through the slide and connecting to the mainspring

The most distinctive feature of the M1912 is its magazine, which is an internal affair that is fed from the top using charger clips. This desgn was chosen based on a philosophy that small, spring steel chargers would be far more cost effective compared to full detachable magazines, as well as prevent issues of wear on the magazine as the internal design permitted a far better built model to be cost effecitve,

The pistol with an eight round charger clip loaded into the action (note that the slide lock has not been secured in this image)

This Example

The Steyr M1912 in the reference collection was produced in 1915 for the Austro-Hungarian armed forces. It bears the expected Hapsburg eagle proof as well as the production year. The pistol has been polished and reblued at some point in its life as well, although whether this was a government job or a home project done after the weapon came to the US is unknown (although it is more than likely the latter).

The M1912 stripped into its major components. Note the captive mainspring and fixed magazine

Opinions

The Steyr Hahn is a very well built pistol. It notably has very similar lines to the US M1911 at a glance, and this does transfer to the ergonomics of the weapon. Also of note the quality of the milling work on the internal components, which is exemplary. The charger loading system is only slightly more awkward than conventional magazine loading, and remains a significant improvement on the single loading of the older Gasser revolver. In total, this leaves the Steyr Hahn as a solid and very fine shooting handgun that compares favorably with its contemporaries.

An Austro-Hungarian soldier with an M1912 pistol late in the war

Observed Values and Frequency

Updated: March, 2024

AVERAGE VALUE (USD): $850

FREQUENCY: Rare

COLLECTOR’S NOTES: Uncommonly encountered, broken extractors appear to be a frequent issue.