BIRDS OF PREY - Jeffersonian

The Steyr-Hahn loads from the top using
hard-to-find stripper clips.
While it looks like a standard 9x19mm, the Steyr-Hahn is actually
a 9x23 — but NOT the hot, competition version of the round!
Shooting the Old Stuff
The 9mm Steyr-Hahn. This is the Romanian contract
version and while they look dated by today’s standards,
J.B. found his test gun shot astoundingly well.
The Steyr-Hahn
Model 1911
Early in the last century, Elbert me there is a high-performance competition
load by Winchester called
Searle (in America) and Karel
Krnka (in Austria) came up with the 9x23 which would chamber in the
the same idea — a turning barrel Steyr-Hahn. But don’t even think about
locking system for pistols. Krnka it! This hot number would likely cause
used it first in the Roth-Steyr of a fine old pistol to self-destruct with
1907, which you may remember as the
one looking like a Buck Rogers ray gun.
In 1911, another Krnka turning
barrel arrived, the Steyr-Hahn, a much
better design. Notably, it had an external
hammer and it was then possible to
cock the pistol (“hahn” means “cock”
in German). The pistol was adopted as
military standard by Austria in 1911 and
in the next year by Romania and Chile.
Collectors will note the Romanian
and Chilean contract versions are
scarce, especially the ones with the
national crest intact. During WWII, the
Germans altered a number of Steyr-
Hahn pistols to chamber the 9mm
Luger round, and marked those “P.08”
on the slide. The proper original cartridge
is the longer 9mm Steyr, which is
9x23mm. Writing those figures reminds
possible corresponding injuries.
The only other cartridge I have
fired in a Steyr-Hahn is the 9mm
Bergmann-Bayard (9mm Largo). I will
quickly note in some loadings, the case
length is a tiny bit more, about .01" or
so. Over-all, it’s always best to stay
with original 9mm Steyr rounds. Fortunately,
ammo is still available.
For a long time at gun shows, the
yellow “Marca Avion” ammunition
box was a familiar sight and modestly
priced. I still have a few boxes of this
load with the RWS headstamp. They
are dated 1935 and still work fine! I
also have some more recent loads by
Hirtenberger, also excellent.
In current manufacture, there is
a superb 9mm Steyr load made by
Hornady and marketed by Graf &
block the hammer.
J.B. Wood
Sons. And of course, you can always
depend on Fiocchi for these and other
obsolete loads.
Not as readily available as the
cartridges are the 8-round stripper
clips for the top-loading Steyr-Hahn.
They’re in the Numrich catalogue, but
it’s a “starred” item meaning they are
not always available. So, watch for
them at the next gun show.
For a military pistol, the Steyr-Hahn
is amazingly accurate. With a two-hand
hold 3" and 4" groups at 25 yards are
not unusual, and the felt-recoil is mild.
If you carry it with a loaded chamber
(but why?) remember some versions
have an inertia firing pin, while others
have a full-reach, non-inertia firing pin,
so use the manual safety to
*
For more info: Graf & Sons, (800)
531-2666, www.grafs.com; Fiocchi,
www.fiocchiusa.com, (702) 293-6174;
Numrich Arms, www.gunpartscorp.com,
(845) 679-2417
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