Steyr M

Steyr M
'Third generation' Steyr M9-A1 with 17-round magazine
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Austria
Production history
Designer	Friedrich Aigner, Wilhelm Bubits
Designed	1999
Manufacturer	Steyr Mannlicher
Produced	1999–present. M357 no longer in production as of 2014
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Cartridge	9×19mm Parabellum (L9-A1, M9, S9, M9-A1, S9-A1) 9x21mm (M9, S9, S9-A1—Italian market only) .40 S&W (L40-A1, M40, S40, M40-A1, S40-A1) .357 SIG (M357, M357-A1)
Action	Short recoil, locked breech
Feed system	17-round box magazine (M9-A1) 12-round box magazine (M40, M357) 10-round box magazine (S9, S40)
Sights	Fixed iron sights, trapezoid notch and triangular front blade

The Steyr M is a series of semi-automatic pistols developed by Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG of Austria for police services and the civilian shooting market. Design work on the new pistol began in the early 1990s and the final product known as the M9 (adapted to fire the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge) was officially unveiled in the spring of 1999. The M40 version chambered in .40 S&W was developed before the M9, followed later by the M357 (caliber .357 SIG or 9×22mm) and two smaller variants of the M9 and M40 designated the S9 and S40 respectively. These pistols were developed primarily for concealed carry and have a shortened barrel, slide, smaller frame and a reduced magazine capacity. In 2013 the Steyr M (Medium) and S (Small) form factors were complemented by the L (Large) sized series and the C (Compact) sized series both available in 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W chamberings as the L9-A1, L40-A1, C9-A1 and C40-A1.

The Steyr M series of pistols employs the mechanically locked Browning short recoil method of operation with a linkless, vertically dropping barrel. The cold-hammer-forged conventional rifled barrel is locked to the slide by means of a single rectangular lug around the barrel chamber that recesses into the ejection port in the slide. When fired, the recoil impulse from the ignited cartridge drives the barrel and slide back, locked together until the bullet leaves the barrel and pressures drop to a safe level. A locking block integrated into the frame then engages a lug at the base of the chamber and drives the barrel downward, separating it from the slide and terminating any further rearward movement while the slide continues back in a straight line.

The Steyr M series uses a very high grip profile which holds the barrel axis close to the shooter's hand and makes the Steyr M more comfortable to shoot by reducing muzzle rise and allowing for faster aim recovery in rapid shooting sequence.