Roth-Steyr ~ M1907 ~ 8x19 Roth

The RothSteyr M1907, is an Austro-Hungarian semi-automatic pistol designed by Karel Krnka and manufactured by Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (Œ.W.G.) and Fegyver- s Gpgyár. It was adopted in 1907 and issued to the cavalry of the Austro-Hungarian Army, entering service in 1909. This example is from 1909. The RothSteyr M1907 was a significant early military semi-automatic pistol and saw service during World War I. It was among the early self-loading pistols adopted for military service by a major European power, following earlier military adoption of semi-automatic pistols in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. For safety in the intended use by mounted cavalry, the pistol has a heavy trigger pull against the firing striker spring, similar to a hammerless revolver. The RothSteyr is a locked-breech pistol, which allows the barrel and bolt to recoil together within a hollow receiver. It is chambered for a cartridge specific to this model. The RothSteyr does not have a detachable magazine, but features a fixed magazine loaded from the top with stripper clips. The sights are fixed, the grips are wooden and terminate in a lanyard ring. From 1908 to 1914, approximately 99,000 weapons were manufactured (the Army received 59,334 from Steyr and 38,213 from FEG, plus several hundred were sold on the civilian market). This model was submitted to the US Military handgun trials early on. A prototype in 10.3 mm (0.41 in) cartridge was tested at the Springfield Armory and it failed the 1,250 rounds endurance test with 191 malfunctions of 9 different types of ammunition and a broken extractor. This example is in good shape and would make a good addition to anyone's collection. You don't see these come up for sale often.