steyr owners please respond

:D Me and Cornbread the same guy?
We've both owned this gun the one I had was a 9mm, I think his was a .40.
We cruise the same boards.
We think for ourselfs.
This SAME arguement is on another board.

JIH, are you in ABQ???
That's what EVERY gunstore in town told me!
Some guy opened his "Secret" price guide(Shotgun News) and told me he can get'em for $200 and that's what he tried to give me for it. He said " They discontinued those because they recalled them"."One place bought the rest".
I told him CDNN bought'em and that they were $349.
Then went on my way.
 
The gun does have a drop safety.Take alook at the fig #32 description "drop safety", then look at how the sear and sear-lever engage with the firing pin. The gun firing pin will not have enough inertia to ignite the primer if it was drop and it will need a full stroke of the trigger in order for the firing pin to move forward in order to punch the primer.

I'm no steyr armorer, but a simple detail strip of the top end and look at the sear-assemply will prove the drop safety function.

Cornbread2 and other are semi-right in the steyr M models don't have a traditional drop safety like those on glocks, beretta,sig, -n- others that incorporates firing-pin safety spring and plunger, but the gun does have a drop safety. I don't belive for one instance that you could drop the gun with enough force to accidently fire a round.


I feel safe with mine!
 
Lockandrock

Good deal. I see you have the ability to reason and think for yourself unlike some here.

You are correct that they have what THEY call a drop safety.

All the automatic internal safetys only block the sear.

The Styer "drop safety" only blocks the safety that blocks the sear.

Also you are the only one so far other than Macman that can see that it does not have a slide mounted firing pin lock.

The internal safetys on the Styer may be safe enough as long as everything is working perfectly. If only one tiny part should fail it would be a very dangereous pistol.

That is the reason most modern handgun designs have a firing pin lock. This is very important on a single action handgun that is always fully cocked.

Almost every good single action auto pistol has some type of safety system that would stop the hammer or striker from falling if some internal part should fail. The Styer is the only so called quality gun that does not.

A cocked 1911 has two different type safetys that would stop the hammer from falling if the sear should slip off the hammer notch.
The series 80 has three.

Yet some people will not carry a 1911 cocked aqnd locked but would carry the Styer.

As for as being drop safe a cocked and UNLOCKED series 80 1911 is much more drop safe than the Styer.
 
The internal safetys on the Styer may be safe enough as long as everything is working
perfectly. If only one tiny part should fail it would be a very dangereous pistol.

A: Very good point, I didn't see it like that.

That is the reason most modern handgun designs have a firing pin lock. This is very important on a single action handgun that is always fully cocked.

B: But is the trigger/firing-pin consider a cock single-action or just a reset trigger action? The squezzing of the trigger like in the glock is what kinda cocks the firing pin & spirng so it can be release to impact the primer(at least that's how I see it ). As long as the sear is always blocking this action until the trigger is pull, then I wouldn't consider the steyr to be any safer or unsafer than most other guns.


Having a firing pin block ( lock ) to prevent the firing ping from movement would be just one extra added benefit or a very BIG plus.

I'm just curious, doesn't BATF have guideline or inspection requirements for new guns imported into the states or made here? ( as far as safety items goes ) I would have to assume that somebody from Uncle Sam had to inspect and sign off on the steyr.
 
Lockandrock

On a Glock the striker is only what Glock calls semi cocked.

It stays only about 1/4 of the way back.

The Styer is fully cocked all the way to the rear at all times when a round is in the chamber.

On a Glock when you are taking the slack out of the trigger it is cocking the striker to the rear and realesing the firing pin lock.

On a Styer taking up the slack in the trigger removes the internal safetys and when the slack is fully taken up the sear is pulled down and the striker moves forward firing the round.

The Styer is ALWAYS fully cocked if you have a round in the chamber.

You can see this for yourself if you wish.

Lock the slide back. Turn the pistol upside down.

Notice the little tab at the rear of the striker or firing pin You can call it anything you like buit you know what I am talking about.

Now slowly close the slide while looking between the slide and frame.

You will see how the sear catches on the tab of the striker and pulls it all the way to the rear as the slide closes.

The sear has more or less only up and down movement.

Keep looking inside and pull the trigger. You will notice the striker does not move untill the trigger breaks.

When the trigger breaks the striker falls forward.

After you study this you will be able to see for yourself exactly what I am trying to say.

You then will be able to see for yourself how the pistol could fire if the sear blocking safety should fail.

If the Styer had a slide mounted firing pin lock like the Glock and some others it would still not fire even if the sear and every other internal safety failed.

As I said before as long as the internal safetys are working properly it is may be fine but still not as safe as other pistols.
 
Lockandrock

Also note that the little tab on the striker is what engages the sear. It is the only thing holding the striker back.

Since the striker is fully cocked to the rear under spring pressure what would happen if this tab broke?

When you are carring your Styer with a loaded chamber this little tiny tab is the only thing between your gun being safe and it having an AD.

Also what would happen if somehow the slide managed to be hit hard enough to rise up enough for the striker to slip off the sear?

Now do you understand? I think you will now. You seem to be better at understanding this tham the others.
 
Civility of this discussion is in decline. Please consider being more polite to the people with whom you disagree, even if you aren't impressed with their ability to understand your explanations. You'll get further that way and I won't have to lock this thread.
 
I do understand and using the example you gave you will see that the only way the sear will fall allowing the striker( firing pin ) forward is by the rearward move of the trigger bar.

To prove this , field strip the gun. Using the end of the ball point pin ( plastic side ) push the sear forward so it's riding the top rear edge of the sear catch. ( this should simulate how the cock striker should look )

Now pull the trigger ( the sear drops allowing the gun striker ( firing pin ) forward.


Now repeat this action but don't pull the trigger. With the help of a second set of hands you will find the sear will not fall downwards unless the trigger transfer bars allows this movement. The only way I can see this happing ( imho, with limit insight to guts of the rear sear block ) , is by the trigger bar movement backwards ( i.e a finger pressing the trigger ). This is the only way the striker ( firing pin ) will be able to travel forward to impact the primer.

I'm I wrong ? ( I don't think so )


Also, the firing of the gun cause the tab on the striker to ride over the rear sear "humb" and also resets the sear back up to repeat the cycle of the safety catch via the sear and sear-latch.

This is the best analyst that I can come up with using the method you outline and looking at the part diagram any my steyr. I can say with 100% confidence that the only way the firing pin will penetrate the primer is by the sear dropping allowing the striker forward. This is only going to happen by one of two things;

1> trigger being depress by a finger

2> a so badly out of shape weapon that the sear catch is chewed up or so far damage that it allows the sear to drop.


#2 is very unlikely ( imho ) in a well maintained weapon. #1 is only by a person pulling the trigger.


But I do admit I like you're views on the safety enagement with the steyr really not having a true passive firing pin block like most other modern hand guns.
 
I didn't see you're second post but to answer this question;

Since the striker is fully cocked to the rear under spring pressure what would happen if
this tab broke?

If that little tab should break ( highly unlikely the ),the combination of the sear not falling should stop the striker or whats left of the tab from fully going forward. Just my best guess.

I also want to point out that the trigger being depress moves the sear backward a fraction of an inch to allow the droppage of the sear priot to releasing the striker.
 
lockandrock
I commend you.

You know more than most.

Still no matter how you view it or understand it all the internal safetys only block the sear, correct?

These internal safetys are fine according to you as long as they opperate correctly. I agree with you to some degree.

As long as they work as they are supposed to.


Now Macman is not the only one that has had one to go full auto. I have knowed of others that have done so.
He claims his would fire if you bumped it hard. I can see how this could happen on a Styer that wasn't just right.

While I have only got to look at one of these guns that went full auto I didnt get to spend any time with it before the guy sent it back to Styer. I wasn't able to take the time to see just why it did so.

It is my opinion that if some of these guns can go full auto then some of them can have some of their internal safety systems fail.


If some of their internal safetys fail and the owner not know it then they are packing a very dangerous pistol in public.

My whole point of this whole mess that if they would only have put a real firing pin lock in this pistol there would be no way it could have an AD even if ALL the internal safetys broke at one time. Or even if the slide came off the frame in some kind of accident.

I have been shooting and gunsmithing for a long time and I have seen some strange gun accidents. A lot of these could have been avoided by the owner having a different gun.

From my experience I would not carry a Styer with a round in the chamber.

I am not willing to take the risk. Murphy's law says that if something bad CAN happen it Will.

I won't trust a gun that just might have an AD.

This tread has proven that some people carry a gun and know nothing about how it works.

How are they to know by looking at their gun if one of the internal safetys has screwed up. YOU are the exception. You can field strip yours and understand it. But can they?
 
This from Mr. Bubits:

"Dear Sir,

I would like to give you a answer about firing pin safety in steyr-pistols.

Steyr pistols are qualified by Bureau for alcohol, tabac and firearms (BATF) with a firing pin block - not a direct firing pin safety.
That means that the reset action trigger system is a combination of different safeties (trigger and drop-safety) and a firing pin block which work
together.

I hope you will have a clear answer.

Best regards

Willi Bubits"


The Steyr definitely does not have a direct firing pin safety. Personally I feel it is safe, but I would prefer a direct firing pin safety.
 
You asked the Steyr owners to respond.
I did. I had trouble with my gun.
I had trouble with GSI.
Enough said.
Nothing like beating a dead horse in front of deaf and blind people.
 
I own a M-9, which I enjoy, and after reading this argument, I got mine out and decided to do a little test.

I put a primed case in the chamber and pointed the gun in a safe direction with my left hand. In my right hand was a rawhide mallet (you know, one that would not foul up the finish of the gun but still have the hardness to simulate a drop on concrete, roughly).

I proceded to smack the rear of the slide and the sides of the gun. Nothing happened. I then shifted my grip and whacked it in a few more spots, such as under the rear of the grip. Still nothing. (I did not hold back my blows. I hit it very hard.) I have concluded that the drop safe work as designed.

That said, I did notice, when I removed the slide (prior to banging the gun around) I did notice that when the pistol is uncocked (the trigger is pulled) there is no stopping the firing pin from moving forward. This could be construed as a problem, but when are you going to experience a loaded chamber with the striker down on a striker fired weapon? Pretty much never.

Cornbread2 and Macman, I hear your argument, and commend you both for your observations. At first glance, I agreed with both of you and was shocked to find no plunger type firingpin block ala Glock on my gun.

I decided to take a risk and experiment on the gun, for the benefit of us all. On my gun, the safe systems work as advertised. I hope this helps.
 
styer safety

styer has in it's literature that it has drop and firing pin safetys. if they advertised this, and they did not have them, and someone got hurt or killed due to them not having them, their exposure to liability would be off the chart. i do not feel that styer would not be that stupid. they make ultramodern state of the art weaponry, handguns and rifles.

they have these safeties, they just went about it somewhat differently. just because they approached the safety issues differently in their designs, does not mean they do not have them.
 
bdhawk: I agree that if Steyr advertised something, and didn't have it, they will be in deep doo-doo. I also feel that foreign companies are willing to say whatever they have to to market firearms in the US, so I absolutely DO NOT believe the argument that cause it's printed, it must be so. Calculated Risk.....? Money talks.

I'm in a weird position where I agree with Cornbread technically, but I feel that at least in the incidence of my M40, all features are currently working as intended, and since I like it, I'll continue to shoot it and monitor for weirdness. Personally, I've never trusted firing pin blocks all that much either. Unless I'm shooting my autos, I never have one in the pipe. (I do also think Cornfed has a serious superiority complex, and would get punched a lot if he acted like that in the presence of who he was attacking.)

If Steyr really is going to try to come back to the US, they'll back it up, perhaps at the order of the US justice department. If not, well I learned an expensive lesson.
 
I have no interest in this debate, really, other than a buddy of mine has an M40, which he likes and I like.

What I wanted to say here, though, is this: Do you ever wonder if the people on these gun forums who really rag-like-hell on some other brand of gun are actually employed by a rival gun maker? It just makes you wonder. This "debate" is as nasty as the 1911 vs Beretta debate. Or the Glock vs Everybody debates. Some individuals just get so danged WIRED. It one'a them things that makes ya go, "Hmmmmmmmmmm".:rolleyes:
 
I WISH I was employed by a gun maker!

Like I said before, I loved that gun.
I TOO would've defended it to the end.
'till I had all the problems.
TRYING to sell it was another problem.
 
If anybody have a unsafe Steyr and wants to get rid of it, I'm looking for a M9 and M357 to sit next to my M40. Email me and I'll buy it if the price is right.

So that tells you how safe I feel with mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top