Steyr-Hahn's are strong pistols. The original 9mm's were factory converted from 9mm Steyr to 9mm Para by manufacturing new barrels in the latter caliber and done so by either Mauser or Steyr. Experts seem to disagree on exactly who did the conversion barrels.

I don't think the Germans would have authorized that modification if they thought it was inherently dangerous. However, I don't know anything about these newer aftermarket barrels in terms of steel quality, machining tolerances, and proofing.

Per your reference "most reloaders say to use 9x19 load data in 9x23 anyways", the rationale is that using 9mm Para loads in the 4mm longer 9mm Steyr case drops the pressure considerably by virtue of a lower loading density, and that a maximum 9mm Para load in a 9mm Steyr case is considered safe for use in unconverted 9mm Steyr S-H pistols. I think personally that this is correct, based on personal experience. YMMV. I still prefer to reduce my 9mm Para loads though out of an abundance of caution philosophy.

I'm using 4.0 grains of WW231 behind a 115 grain plated RN bullet, a 20% reduced 9mm Para load with 115 grain plated bullets that allows the action to function and provide accurate-enough groups in my Nazi conversion S-H with much lower pressures. I also load for 9mm Steyr and what little reloading data that is out there suggest (to me at least) that 9mm Steyr operates at a max pressure of 16,000 psi, half what 9mm Para runs. However, again I say that the Steyr-Hahn is a very strong design.

I also think it is good to note that the original 9mm Steyr cartridge used 115 grain bullets, one of the few exceptions to 123/124 grain bullets found on most other Nazi 9mm service pistols.

Lots of guys shoot their converted S-H's with factory 9mm Para ammo and I just don't hear of problems when using the original 1930's converted barrels. Everyone needs to make their own mind up as to what ammo, if any is safe. People are gonna have conflicting opinions on this topic.

20+ years ago there was a guy named Randy Rick that was a student of the Steyr-Hahn with its many variants. He wrote a very good article about them. What little I know about them seems to agree with his assessments. He was in the middle of writing a book about S-H pistols at that time but I don't know if he ever finished it or not.

Here's the article below. It's an internet article but well-done and informative, IMHO. Microsoft Word files don't do well on Gunboards so I just pasted the 5-page doc. -Bob

The Austrian Steyr-Hahn Pistol M1911/M1912 By Randy Rick ​

The Steyr-Hahn (hahn is German for hammer) pistol was first produced in 1911 with a fixed blade front sight, the model M11. It is an 8 shot top loader that is stripper fed, shooting the 9mm Steyr cartridge. The model M12 with dovetailed front sight is otherwise identical. The M12 was evaluated for military use, but was not adapted by the Austrian Army until the First World War began. The gun was produced until 1919 although it is believed that many were assembled from parts for several years thereafter. The Romanian police used the Steyr-Hahn and that version bears a Romanian Crest. The Chilean Army adopted the M11 and that model bears a crest also. It should be noted that serial numbers for the Romanian contract guns are directly continued into the guns produced for the Austrian Army, when the contract for Romania was discontinued. Guns with both Romanian contract parts and Austrian acceptance proofs are common for this transition period. About 300,000 were made in all. A few Steyr-Hahns Model M16 in full auto with extended magazines were used in WWI and by early Austrian Nazis. The Czechs were known to have converted some military issue Steyr-Hahns to full auto with a similar mechanism as the factory produced weapons but without the extended magazine. A wooden shoulder stock/holster with a cup that accepts an unaltered Steyr-Hahn's frame about the grip is occasionally seen.

The serial number typically appears in 3 places, the left frame above the trigger, and immediately above that on the left center slide. The serial number will also be on the barrel, sometimes without the trailing alphabetic suffix. Rarely the serial number will be on the grip's butt.

The grips are typically a brown stained wood with a raised crosshatch pattern. They are slid into cuts in the frame and secured with a single screw through the frame at the grip butt.

All parts show small proof stamps consisting of the initial of the person who proofed the weapon.

Design:
The final design was by Chief Engineer Konrad Murgthaler. It was based on earlier design work by Karl Krnka, Georg Roth, and Ferdinand Mannlicher. The Steyr-Hahn is a large frame semi-auto, single action pistol. The slide is retained on the frame by a keeper similar to that on the 1905 Colt. The action is that of a rotating barrel which is kept locked by the action of the bullet passing thru the bore. When the bullet has left the bore, the barrel is free to rotate and unlock the slide, which recoils to the rear. It is otherwise similar to other semiauto pistols with a recoil spring under the barrel which is retained by the keeper pin. It has an external hammer with a small spur. There is a safety on the frame, below the hammer, which locks into a notch in the slide. There is also a notch halfway along the slide which will hold the slide back with the safety. The slide will be held back after the last round is fired by the back of the cartridge follower from the magazine well. The trigger pull is transmitted via a transfer bar under the slide which pulls forward the sear, and releases the hammer.

To load, with the slide back, raise the safety into the notch in the slide to lock the slide back. Insert a stripper clip into the clip glide in the slide's ejection port, and strip the cartridges into the magazine well. Cartridges can also be single loaded in this manner. To unload the magazine well, lock the slide to the rear with the safety; then push down on the magazine release above the left grip.

Holster variations are considerable. A holster with shoulder strap and stripper clip pouch was common for Austrian guns.

Variations:
1911 Commercial Model. May have adjustable rear sight. Will have the words 'OESTERR.WAFFENFABRIK STEYR M.1911 9m/m' on left slide. There were not large quantities sold commercially. This model may have a larger reinforcement area around the locking wedge (near the muzzle); which Zhug refers to as the model 1910. May have NPv commercial proofs.

• Marine-Pistole M12. Will have tangent rear sight and a higher front sight. Some with extended barrels. rare.
• Adjustable Rear Sight 1912/M1911. Fixed front sight. Has standard rear sight, but with the v-notch opened up. A dovetail is cut horizontally across the back of the rear sight base. A small plate with a v-notch rear sight rides in the dovetail. Left side of slide has the stamps 'STEYR 1912 MOD.1911'.
• Fixed Rear Sight 1912/M1911. Fixed front sight or dovetailed front sight (high serial numbers). Left side of slide has the stamps 'STEYR 1912 MOD.1911'.
• Chilean Model. Will have crest on left front side that is of a huemul (deer) and a condor on either side of a shield with a star in the center. In the center of the left slide it will state STEYR 1912, and to the rear left slide MOD.1911. On the left rear slide it will state 'EJERCITO DE CHILE'. There will typically be a "crossed miners' hammers" proof on the top of the slide. Fixed front sight. There were 5,000 Chilean M1911's manufactured. The serial numbers are unusual in that they run nnn, 1nnnA, 2nnnB, 3nnnC, and 4nnnD.
• Romanian Model. On the left front of slide will have a crown over the inscription "Md.1912". At the rear of the left slide it will state STEYR (1912, 1913, or 1914). There will be a Romanian Phoenix (bird) over the trigger on the right frame. It is common to find Romanian guns that have been altered with two cuts in the rear of the grip and a notch cut in the rear grip strap to accept a shoulder stock. Dovetailed front sight. A large number of the Romanian Steyr-Hahn pistols were captured by the Austrians during WWI, hence one will see them with the later "08" conversion to 9mm Luger and/or with post WWI Czech proofs.
• Austrian Army issue M12. Will have STEYR19xx (date) on the left rear of the slide. On the right frame above trigger it will have "Wn eagle xx"; the digits xx are the year of military acceptance, normally 1914 thru 1919. Dovetailed front sight.
• Nazi proofed. Guns were taken from captured arsenals and sent to Mauser to be refurbished and to be fitted with 9mm parabellum barrels. The barrels were serial numbered to the gun and have a nazi eagle. The guns were typically proofed with '08' on the left slide towards the front. Eagle/N and Delta-dot on left frame over trigger. And eagle/L on right frame over trigger. Both Austrian army and Romanian guns are found that have been re-worked.
• Bavarian Contract. The Army of Bavaria procured 10,000 Steyr-Hahns in 1916, and 6,000 in 1918. These are identical with the Austrian Army variation. They can be identified by the fact that the serial number does not have an alphabetic character suffix and they are dated either 1916 or 1918. These guns may be seen with Prussian military proofs either on the front of the trigger guard or left side of frame behind the trigger.
• Model 1916 Machine Pistol. There are conflicting stories about how many of these were produced. I believe that only a few hundred were made and that they came out of the guns otherwise serial numbered for the Bavarian contract.
• Steyr sent several guns as examples or trial guns to many countries who might do business with them. There was a small contract with Turkey. There were presentation sets made up for gifts to officials or businessmen. There were spare parts from all the production runs which later were assembled into weapons.

Other Common Proofs:
The Austrian commercial proof NPv (Nitro Proof Vienna) is frequently seen on guns that were sold as surplus, or for other reasons. Steyr-Hahns which were issued to the Austrian Army in between the wars may carry a proof 'HV eagle XX' (xx=year). Police issued guns may carry the proof LGK-state or SW on the lanyard loop. Guns that were in Czechslovakia after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are frequently seen with Czech proofs (CSR, Czech standing lion, etc). (LKG stands for Landes Gendarmerie Kommando, a Nazi state police agency).


Ammunition:
The 9mm Steyr is 9x23mm typically with a 115gr nickel jacket. Midway used to make boxer primed Steyr-Hahn ammo. Fiocci is currently importing it, but it is not common. A small quantity of modern manufacture Hirtenberg boxer primed ammunition was recently available. Pre-WWII surplus ammo is relatively common, and should not be too expensive. GECO, RWS, and DWM ammunition from the 1930's can be found in boxes of 50 cartridges, or boxes of 16, on 2-8round stripper clips. This 1930's ammo is non-corrosive, berdan, and shoots well. Look for the word 'Sinoxide' on the ammo box that means non-corrosive. Surplus ammo from FN is also available, but it is not of the quality of the other ammo, and is corrosive. Pre-1930's ammo is very rare, and should be considered 'collectors ammo'. Examples of WWI ammo from Hirtenberg, Roth, Sellier & Belliot and others can be found.


Reloading:
Steyr 9mm cartridges can be reloaded with 38super (or .38/.357) dies using a 9mm shell plate. A moderate 9mm para powder load for 115gr FMJs should be acceptable. Grafs has new manuf boxer cases of Hornady headstamp. One can also use 9x23Win cases loaded to 9mm Steyr levels.


Production Information for the Steyr-Hahn
The small letter proofs found on the Steyr-Hahn are the last initial of the person inspecting the part. The most common inspection stamp is the letter "K", the proof of Meister Josef Kogler.

Information Being Compiled:
I am writing a book about the Steyr-Hahn. I would appreciate receiving specific information on as many of these pistols as possible. Things I am interested in are serial numbers, all proofs & their locations, unit markings, unusual sights or other features. Also, information on holsters or original photographs are much appreciated.

Production Information for the Steyr-Hahn
These pistols used the alphabetic letters sequentially, a,b,...x,y,z as a serial number suffix. That accounts for 260,000 pistols. There were a few exceptions or special runs of pistols. If WWI had lasted a couple more years I'm not sure what would have been used as a suffix after z?


Serial Number year

(blank),*, a,b,c 1913
4500c 1914
6000d 1914 (end of Romanian contract)
1405g 1915
1482g 1914 (hmm?)
6322k 16 on slide / 15 proof date
9155q & 3890r 17 on slide / 16 proof date

(It appears the factory changed over their stamp on the slide before the Army inspectors got new proof stamps)
8768v 1917
6423w 1918
3124y 18 on slide / 19 proof date
9550z 1919 highest 'z' seen

Production Number Estimates by Year:

Chilean M1911 contract(1912) 5000

Austrian/Romanian thru 1913

(inc commercial) 50000

Romanian 1914 12000

Austrian 1914 26000

Austrian 1915 44000

Austrian 1916 65000

Bavarian 1916 10000

Austrian 1917 50000

Austrian 1918 23000

Bavarian 1918 6000

Austrian 1919 17000

Misc Parts Guns 5000

Total Production 313,000 guns

rec.gun article on shooting the Steyr-Hahn with Bergman ammo​

Start with the fact that one of the reasons there are not a lot of Steyr's out there is because they are not all that durable. . . They were not as robust a design as later 'strange' 9mm pistols.

[reply]I have to differ. I would estimate that I have shot 10,000 rounds through these old guns, and feel the design is as strong as most other semi-auto's. Now, if I were to pick up a Colt 1911 that had been through both WWI and WWII I would expect some wear & tear on the gun. Enough said.

The ONLY Steyr-Hahn I have personally seen (& I've seen hundreds, maybe a thousand) with a burst chamber is one with a Britsh arrow proof that was stamped over the chamber. Thats where it burst.

I have shot Bergman/Largo rounds in a Steyr Hahn before I knew better, and never had any bad effects, maybe I was lucky. I don't recommend it of course.

Donnally lists the Steyr as a 1000 fps cartridge, while he lasts the Largo as 1280 fps. Ignoring the fact that the Largo is a tapered cartridge and will chamber in the Steyr Hahn (which you ought NOT do), it DOES develop more energy and is a more powerful cartridge.

[reply]The Steyr-Hahn is not designed for a cartridge as hot or with the dimensions of the Bergmann/Largo. The rotating barrel which unlocks the action is somewhat tuned to the pressure and velocity of the expected ammunition.

Steyr-Hahn ammo is not any more difficult to find or expensive than Bergmann Bayard or Largo of equal quality. There is a lot of cheap Bergmann or Largo which is corrosive & or questionable quality. Most of the Steyr-Hahn ammo is quality, non-corrosive ammo, even the 1930's surplus from RWS and GECO and DWM which is usually as good as the day it was manufactured.

 

Steyr-Hahn's are strong pistols. The original 9mm's were factory converted from 9mm Steyr to 9mm Para by manufacturing new barrels in the latter caliber and done so by either Mauser or Steyr. Experts seem to disagree on exactly who did the conversion barrels.

I don't think the Germans would have authorized that modification if they thought it was inherently dangerous. However, I don't know anything about these newer aftermarket barrels in terms of steel quality, machining tolerances, and proofing.

Per your reference "most reloaders say to use 9x19 load data in 9x23 anyways", the rationale is that using 9mm Para loads in the 4mm longer 9mm Steyr case drops the pressure considerably by virtue of a lower loading density, and that a maximum 9mm Para load in a 9mm Steyr case is considered safe for use in unconverted 9mm Steyr S-H pistols. I think personally that this is correct, based on personal experience. YMMV. I still prefer to reduce my 9mm Para loads though out of an abundance of caution philosophy.

I'm using 4.0 grains of WW231 behind a 115 grain plated RN bullet, a 20% reduced 9mm Para load with 115 grain plated bullets that allows the action to function and provide accurate-enough groups in my Nazi conversion S-H with much lower pressures. I also load for 9mm Steyr and what little reloading data that is out there suggest (to me at least) that 9mm Steyr operates at a max pressure of 16,000 psi, half what 9mm Para runs. However, again I say that the Steyr-Hahn is a very strong design.

I also think it is good to note that the original 9mm Steyr cartridge used 115 grain bullets, one of the few exceptions to 123/124 grain bullets found on most other Nazi 9mm service pistols.

Lots of guys shoot their converted S-H's with factory 9mm Para ammo and I just don't hear of problems when using the original 1930's converted barrels. Everyone needs to make their own mind up as to what ammo, if any is safe. People are gonna have conflicting opinions on this topic.

20+ years ago there was a guy named Randy Rick that was a student of the Steyr-Hahn with its many variants. He wrote a very good article about them. What little I know about them seems to agree with his assessments. He was in the middle of writing a book about S-H pistols at that time but I don't know if he ever finished it or not.

Here's the article below. It's an internet article but well-done and informative, IMHO. Microsoft Word files don't do well on Gunboards so I just pasted the 5-page doc. -Bob

The Austrian Steyr-Hahn Pistol M1911/M1912 By Randy Rick ​

The Steyr-Hahn (hahn is German for hammer) pistol was first produced in 1911 with a fixed blade front sight, the model M11. It is an 8 shot top loader that is stripper fed, shooting the 9mm Steyr cartridge. The model M12 with dovetailed front sight is otherwise identical. The M12 was evaluated for military use, but was not adapted by the Austrian Army until the First World War began. The gun was produced until 1919 although it is believed that many were assembled from parts for several years thereafter. The Romanian police used the Steyr-Hahn and that version bears a Romanian Crest. The Chilean Army adopted the M11 and that model bears a crest also. It should be noted that serial numbers for the Romanian contract guns are directly continued into the guns produced for the Austrian Army, when the contract for Romania was discontinued. Guns with both Romanian contract parts and Austrian acceptance proofs are common for this transition period. About 300,000 were made in all. A few Steyr-Hahns Model M16 in full auto with extended magazines were used in WWI and by early Austrian Nazis. The Czechs were known to have converted some military issue Steyr-Hahns to full auto with a similar mechanism as the factory produced weapons but without the extended magazine. A wooden shoulder stock/holster with a cup that accepts an unaltered Steyr-Hahn's frame about the grip is occasionally seen.

The serial number typically appears in 3 places, the left frame above the trigger, and immediately above that on the left center slide. The serial number will also be on the barrel, sometimes without the trailing alphabetic suffix. Rarely the serial number will be on the grip's butt.

The grips are typically a brown stained wood with a raised crosshatch pattern. They are slid into cuts in the frame and secured with a single screw through the frame at the grip butt.

All parts show small proof stamps consisting of the initial of the person who proofed the weapon.

Design:
The final design was by Chief Engineer Konrad Murgthaler. It was based on earlier design work by Karl Krnka, Georg Roth, and Ferdinand Mannlicher. The Steyr-Hahn is a large frame semi-auto, single action pistol. The slide is retained on the frame by a keeper similar to that on the 1905 Colt. The action is that of a rotating barrel which is kept locked by the action of the bullet passing thru the bore. When the bullet has left the bore, the barrel is free to rotate and unlock the slide, which recoils to the rear. It is otherwise similar to other semiauto pistols with a recoil spring under the barrel which is retained by the keeper pin. It has an external hammer with a small spur. There is a safety on the frame, below the hammer, which locks into a notch in the slide. There is also a notch halfway along the slide which will hold the slide back with the safety. The slide will be held back after the last round is fired by the back of the cartridge follower from the magazine well. The trigger pull is transmitted via a transfer bar under the slide which pulls forward the sear, and releases the hammer.

To load, with the slide back, raise the safety into the notch in the slide to lock the slide back. Insert a stripper clip into the clip glide in the slide's ejection port, and strip the cartridges into the magazine well. Cartridges can also be single loaded in this manner. To unload the magazine well, lock the slide to the rear with the safety; then push down on the magazine release above the left grip.

Holster variations are considerable. A holster with shoulder strap and stripper clip pouch was common for Austrian guns.

Variations:
1911 Commercial Model. May have adjustable rear sight. Will have the words 'OESTERR.WAFFENFABRIK STEYR M.1911 9m/m' on left slide. There were not large quantities sold commercially. This model may have a larger reinforcement area around the locking wedge (near the muzzle); which Zhug refers to as the model 1910. May have NPv commercial proofs.

• Marine-Pistole M12. Will have tangent rear sight and a higher front sight. Some with extended barrels. rare.
• Adjustable Rear Sight 1912/M1911. Fixed front sight. Has standard rear sight, but with the v-notch opened up. A dovetail is cut horizontally across the back of the rear sight base. A small plate with a v-notch rear sight rides in the dovetail. Left side of slide has the stamps 'STEYR 1912 MOD.1911'.
• Fixed Rear Sight 1912/M1911. Fixed front sight or dovetailed front sight (high serial numbers). Left side of slide has the stamps 'STEYR 1912 MOD.1911'.
• Chilean Model. Will have crest on left front side that is of a huemul (deer) and a condor on either side of a shield with a star in the center. In the center of the left slide it will state STEYR 1912, and to the rear left slide MOD.1911. On the left rear slide it will state 'EJERCITO DE CHILE'. There will typically be a "crossed miners' hammers" proof on the top of the slide. Fixed front sight. There were 5,000 Chilean M1911's manufactured. The serial numbers are unusual in that they run nnn, 1nnnA, 2nnnB, 3nnnC, and 4nnnD.
• Romanian Model. On the left front of slide will have a crown over the inscription "Md.1912". At the rear of the left slide it will state STEYR (1912, 1913, or 1914). There will be a Romanian Phoenix (bird) over the trigger on the right frame. It is common to find Romanian guns that have been altered with two cuts in the rear of the grip and a notch cut in the rear grip strap to accept a shoulder stock. Dovetailed front sight. A large number of the Romanian Steyr-Hahn pistols were captured by the Austrians during WWI, hence one will see them with the later "08" conversion to 9mm Luger and/or with post WWI Czech proofs.
• Austrian Army issue M12. Will have STEYR19xx (date) on the left rear of the slide. On the right frame above trigger it will have "Wn eagle xx"; the digits xx are the year of military acceptance, normally 1914 thru 1919. Dovetailed front sight.
• Nazi proofed. Guns were taken from captured arsenals and sent to Mauser to be refurbished and to be fitted with 9mm parabellum barrels. The barrels were serial numbered to the gun and have a nazi eagle. The guns were typically proofed with '08' on the left slide towards the front. Eagle/N and Delta-dot on left frame over trigger. And eagle/L on right frame over trigger. Both Austrian army and Romanian guns are found that have been re-worked.
• Bavarian Contract. The Army of Bavaria procured 10,000 Steyr-Hahns in 1916, and 6,000 in 1918. These are identical with the Austrian Army variation. They can be identified by the fact that the serial number does not have an alphabetic character suffix and they are dated either 1916 or 1918. These guns may be seen with Prussian military proofs either on the front of the trigger guard or left side of frame behind the trigger.
• Model 1916 Machine Pistol. There are conflicting stories about how many of these were produced. I believe that only a few hundred were made and that they came out of the guns otherwise serial numbered for the Bavarian contract.
• Steyr sent several guns as examples or trial guns to many countries who might do business with them. There was a small contract with Turkey. There were presentation sets made up for gifts to officials or businessmen. There were spare parts from all the production runs which later were assembled into weapons.

Other Common Proofs:
The Austrian commercial proof NPv (Nitro Proof Vienna) is frequently seen on guns that were sold as surplus, or for other reasons. Steyr-Hahns which were issued to the Austrian Army in between the wars may carry a proof 'HV eagle XX' (xx=year). Police issued guns may carry the proof LGK-state or SW on the lanyard loop. Guns that were in Czechslovakia after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are frequently seen with Czech proofs (CSR, Czech standing lion, etc). (LKG stands for Landes Gendarmerie Kommando, a Nazi state police agency).


Ammunition:
The 9mm Steyr is 9x23mm typically with a 115gr nickel jacket. Midway used to make boxer primed Steyr-Hahn ammo. Fiocci is currently importing it, but it is not common. A small quantity of modern manufacture Hirtenberg boxer primed ammunition was recently available. Pre-WWII surplus ammo is relatively common, and should not be too expensive. GECO, RWS, and DWM ammunition from the 1930's can be found in boxes of 50 cartridges, or boxes of 16, on 2-8round stripper clips. This 1930's ammo is non-corrosive, berdan, and shoots well. Look for the word 'Sinoxide' on the ammo box that means non-corrosive. Surplus ammo from FN is also available, but it is not of the quality of the other ammo, and is corrosive. Pre-1930's ammo is very rare, and should be considered 'collectors ammo'. Examples of WWI ammo from Hirtenberg, Roth, Sellier & Belliot and others can be found.


Reloading:
Steyr 9mm cartridges can be reloaded with 38super (or .38/.357) dies using a 9mm shell plate. A moderate 9mm para powder load for 115gr FMJs should be acceptable. Grafs has new manuf boxer cases of Hornady headstamp. One can also use 9x23Win cases loaded to 9mm Steyr levels.


Production Information for the Steyr-Hahn
The small letter proofs found on the Steyr-Hahn are the last initial of the person inspecting the part. The most common inspection stamp is the letter "K", the proof of Meister Josef Kogler.

Information Being Compiled:
I am writing a book about the Steyr-Hahn. I would appreciate receiving specific information on as many of these pistols as possible. Things I am interested in are serial numbers, all proofs & their locations, unit markings, unusual sights or other features. Also, information on holsters or original photographs are much appreciated.

Production Information for the Steyr-Hahn
These pistols used the alphabetic letters sequentially, a,b,...x,y,z as a serial number suffix. That accounts for 260,000 pistols. There were a few exceptions or special runs of pistols. If WWI had lasted a couple more years I'm not sure what would have been used as a suffix after z?


Serial Number year

(blank),*, a,b,c 1913
4500c 1914
6000d 1914 (end of Romanian contract)
1405g 1915
1482g 1914 (hmm?)
6322k 16 on slide / 15 proof date
9155q & 3890r 17 on slide / 16 proof date

(It appears the factory changed over their stamp on the slide before the Army inspectors got new proof stamps)
8768v 1917
6423w 1918
3124y 18 on slide / 19 proof date
9550z 1919 highest 'z' seen

Production Number Estimates by Year:

Chilean M1911 contract(1912) 5000

Austrian/Romanian thru 1913

(inc commercial) 50000

Romanian 1914 12000

Austrian 1914 26000

Austrian 1915 44000

Austrian 1916 65000

Bavarian 1916 10000

Austrian 1917 50000

Austrian 1918 23000

Bavarian 1918 6000

Austrian 1919 17000

Misc Parts Guns 5000

Total Production 313,000 guns

rec.gun article on shooting the Steyr-Hahn with Bergman ammo​

Thanks for posting that. Neat article. I really need a Steyr Hahn in my life.

 

Good advice from VeloDog on ammo. I, personally, would not use S&B factory stuff in any original all-matching Steyr, Parabellum or any other valuable vintage handgun for that matter. In my opinion, ALL factory loaded 9x19 ammunition is loaded unnecessary higher than needed for reliable function in these old clunkers. His recipe is exactly what I use, 3.9-4.0 w231 under 115 gr bullet, except I mostly use cheap hollow points since they tend to be a tad more accurate, but have used plated with good results as well. Like he said, it's about 20% reduction and I've shot thousands of rounds through my Lugers without any problems. If you have to use factory loaded ammo, I'd recommend Blazer Brass 115 gr over anything else, it's a bit milder than most and they use hard CCI primers, which can save your day in a certain situation. You don't want to get a pierced primer shooting old handguns, trust me on that one...

 

There is a company called Atlanta arms that makes 100gr 1000fps ammo for steel challenge, doesn’t seem to be being made right now, and hasn’t for a while.

I’ve needed to get a Lee hand press for depriving for a minute, may just start loading on that. Or I’m going to AZ soon, could pick up a Dillon there.

It does suck there isn’t really much variation in loadings. All of the 115gr 9mm seems to be about the same velocity. 147gr has a lower muzzle energy, but does the increased bullet weight cause more wear on the gun, just due to inertia?

 

I've put 1-200 rounds of American Eagle 124 grain FMJ through mine without issue.

 

147 grain factory 9mm loads won't be any higher pressure than using 115 grain factory loads, but the heavier bullets produce greater recoil with associated higher impact forces on the frame and slide. Most Steyr-Hahn pistols are over 100 years old now and expensive to replace so I see no need in shooting heavier bullets. Besides, the sights are regulated for 115 grain bullets so 147 grain ammo is more likely to shoot high than 115 grainers. Having said that, it's your pistol and you get to do whatever makes the most sense to you.
-Bob

 

I personally don't worry two much about the velocities but I'm guessing that I'm getting about 850 fps, which is still faster than most .38 Special loads. I'm more concerned with the accuracy and functioning.

What weight bullet are you using? 115 grainers put the least stress on the pistol, IMHO, and S-H pistols' sights are regulated for 115 grains. I don't have Titegroup on hand so I can't speak to your specific problem, but Hodgdon says a MAXIMUM 9mm load with a 115 grain bullet is 4.3 grains, so Titegroup might be a bit too fast for a reduced S-H load in that small 9mm case, I dunno. I guess if it was me, I would bump your load up to 4.0 grains with a 115 grain bullet and see what happens. Also, don't discount the notion that you might have a bad extractor or ejector. If you're still having problems with ejection after bumping the load a bit then I would start looking at the pistol rather than the reloads.

Finally, you really can't compare a 100+ year old S-H with a modern Glock for load performance, IMHO. Firearms are just sometimes finicky about what they like.
-Bob

 

... Also, don't discount the notion that you might have a bad extractor or ejector. If you're still having problems with ejection after bumping the load a bit then I would start looking at the pistol rather than the reloads.
...

Even more likely to have a film of old dried-oil schmutz coating the walls of the chamber.

The remedy is to scrub out the chamber with a stainless steel chamber brush, acetone, and Q-tips, until the Q-tips come out white. Afterward, test by holding the barrel vertical, and dropping in a cartridge. It should chamber fully by gravity, and fall out when the barrel is inverted.

After test-firing, you're still getting symptoms of short recoil, try auto wax on a few cartridges to see what happens. That will tell you if you need to boost the powder charge.

M

 

Yes. That too. ^^^^

 

Just for anybody checking this thread in the future.

I gave up on trying factory ammo. I had been wanting to get into reloading for a long time anyways so this was a good enough excuse. Started of below min 9mm charge, think I started with 3.6 or .7 grains of titegroup. Kept working up and got a bit nervous around 4, at 4.1 I was getting malfunctions enough that it was annoying but I could deal with it. They are all ejection issues. And considering how the gun started running better as I increased the charge, it’s safe to say the ammo was underpowered. I don’t need perfect function, I want to shoot it but I also want the gun to last. I’ve declared 4.2 the best point between function and wear. Just used the generic 115 hornady jacketed I could find at my local store. Honestly if this was a cheap 9x21 with an IGB barrel I’d totally run factory in it, but since this is an 08 and it took me ages to even find one I’m gonna baby it.

Only thing I regret was chickening out with the Dillon. I was literally in their showroom looking at a catalog, standing next to the 550 they have on display. I didn’t want to chance taking that shit through the airport, didnt want to pay shipping, and didn’t want to pay the msrp. Next time I drive down I’m coming back with one. Or maybe I’ll just fucking buy one.

I tried to keep the setup really budget but then it was just awful. Originally I had some cheap digital scale and a trickeler with the dipper that came with my Lee dies. Damn thing would jump .3 or 4 grains a time. Loaded maybe 20 rounds and then got so annoyed I bought a beam scale and uniflow from a guy on my local forum. Felt like the first caveman discovering fire.

 

Hang in there until you get a recipe that works. Reloading proficiency can be a long and winding road.
-Bob

 

Thanks Velodog455 for posting that work by Randy Rick. My 1919 dated S-H 08 has a serial number suffixed with a Steyr logo same size font as the numbers. Must has run out of z block numbers.
I'm shooting 3.7 grains of Titegroup and the Hornady HAP 115 grain which functions fine in my gun.