![steyr mannlicher pistol steyr mannlicher pistol](https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/0dtb2f1s/steyrsa1-40.jpg)
Its greater arm (lower) engages a notch in the right fork of the hammer to drive it forward when released by the sear. Mounted on the frame under the right portion of the side cover housing is the mainspring, a heavy V-spring.
![steyr mannlicher pistol steyr mannlicher pistol](https://images.proxibid.com/AuctionImages/891/152980/FullSize/279-1.jpg)
The sear nose engages in a notch in the left fork of the hammer (the hammer is external) to provide a fine trigger pull which is very unusual in an automatic pistol. The trigger is connected on the left side of the frame to a trigger bar which, as the trigger is pulled, moves rearward pushing against the sear tail which is under the control of the V-spring that serves as both trigger and sear springs. This cover is installed on the frame from the front and is retained by a spring catch forward of the trigger-guard. An illustration of this cover is shown in the drawing from page 218. The lockwork is incorporated on the left side of the frame where it is covered by a removable side cover housing of unusual design, being wrapped around at the forward end and serving also as a cover of the recoil spring. When the pistol is discharged, as the breechblock moves to the rear and the slide rails travel back in the receiver guides, the cross-beam at the forward end serves to compress the recoil spring against the frame. An illustration of this spring is shown in the drawing from page 216, Mannlicher Rifles and Pistols, Smith, 1947. The barrel is screwed into the chamber section of the receiver and has a front sight top rib which is part of the barrel forging.Ī spiral recoil spring is positioned horizontally, directly below the barrel between the parallel guides of the receiver and rails of the breechblock. The moving breechblock of this pistol was designed as a slide with two rails extending forward beneath the stationary receiver/barrel where they are connected by a cross beam which is also part of the single breechblock forging. Because of the extremely simple lock work employed, the pistol has a minimum bulk for an arm of its type. The magazine is housed in the grip and is loaded with a stripper clip through the top of the open action. The firing chamber in this design is part of the receiver proper. While this is a cartridge of considerable power to use in a blow-back action, the pistol design itself is so sturdy that the arm has given satisfaction through the years. The powder charge varies with the type of powder used, the European standard being about 3.5 grains (227 mg) of DWM standard powder, producing a muzzle velocity in the neighborhood of 1070 ft/s (326 m/s). 85 grains (5.5 g) which may be steel or cupro-nickel jacketed. The cartridge has a bullet weighing approx. The cartridge for this pistol was manufactured in Europe until the beginning of WWII.
![steyr mannlicher pistol steyr mannlicher pistol](https://outerimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Steyr-1-scaled.jpg)
The Mannlicher "straight sided" cartridge actually has a straight taper to help in extraction. When introduced commercially in 1901 it was chambered for a special straight-case cartridge listed in Austria as "7.63 mm Mannlicher", designated in Germany as " 7.65mm Mannlicher" (Note: There is also another 7.65 mm Mannlincher cartridge, M.1903, similar to 7.65 mm Borchardt), and described in the U.S. Īccording to the Steyr factory records this arm, patented in 1898, was originally introduced as the "Model 1900" and used a special 8 mm cartridge. While technically listed as a 'hesitation' lock because of a delaying cam which has some theoretical tendency to slow down the opening of the breech, in actual practice it functions as an unlocked pistol. The lockwork is essentially that of an elementary single action revolver. This pistol is one of the most simple of blow-back semi-automatic pistols ever designed.