Steyr Model 1907 (M1907)

History

The Roth-Steyr M07 (or "Model 07") had the distinction of being the first self-loading pistol accepted by major world armies. Its main operator became the Austro-Hungarian army - especially its cavalry units - into the First World War.

Although it originated in the early century, by the time of World War II, members of the Italian army were still using this type. Production continued into the 1920s, when around 90,000 prototypes were delivered. Production is taken over by Osterreichische Waffenfabrik-Gesellschaft Steyr.

In practice, Austro-Hungarian innovation and quality construction prevailed, and the weapon proved as reliable as any weapon on the battlefield.

The M07 has an extremely functional look by modern standards, with a sleek front design and a bulky rear body. The pistol grip is thin with a diagonal grip pattern for optimal ergonomics. The trigger is in an oval trigger guard with an ejection port on top of the frame.

Iron sights are mounted front and rear on the top of the receiver. The empty weight is 2 lb 4 oz and the muzzle maintains a muzzle velocity of 1,050 feet per second. The gun has a barrel length of 9.18 inches and the barrel - 4 right-hand grooves - is 5.18 inches.

M07 uses 8x18. 5 cartridges Ross M7. This cartridge is unique to the M07 and has never been used on any other weapons platform. The M07 frame contains a built-in magazine in her pistol grip into which the operator loads a 10-round "loader" with an opening motion.

As such, the M07 can hold up to 10 8mm rounds ready to fire, but this results in a complicated reloading process. This complicates the problem somewhat, given that the operator is likely to be riding a horse.

The Type 07 uses a rotating barrel during firing. The bolt encloses the entire length of the barrel. When the gun fires, the bolt and barrel move back. During this time, the barrel rotated about 90 degrees and stopped to allow the bolt to recoil.

During the same process, used cartridges are ejected from the firebox and new cartridges are inserted. The barrel is then rotated and the breech locked, returning the bolt and barrel to their original firing position, ready for the next firing action.

The bolt operation required by the Austro-Hungarian cavalry units could be either manually or through the natural firing action of the weapon - by half-flipping the firing pin. Then just pull the trigger and the gun is ready to fire as usual.

This prevents premature or accidental firing of the weapon.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes