Steyr Model 1911 Semiautomatic Trials Rifles
Semiauto Rifles
•
11m
In 1909, the Austro-Hungarian Empire announced a desire to find a new semiautomatic military rifle, and requested proposals from arms manufacturers. Six rifles were submitted to the resulting trials in 1911, including this model from Steyr chambered for the 7x57mm Mauser cartridge. It uses a two-lug rotating bolt and a short stroke annular gas piston system very similar to the German Gewehr 41 of three decades later. It also featured an unusual rotating dust cover, which was automatically opens and closed by the cycling bolt.
The trials resulted in no rifle being deemed suitable, and further development was interrupted by the First World War. In the after math of the testing, Steyr did release a civilian pattern version of the rifle in 6.5mm Mannlicher but did not garner significant sales. Total production is not known, but was very small.
Up Next in Semiauto Rifles
-
Tirmax: A Pre-WW1 .32ACP Light Carbine
The Tirmax is a handy little carbine made between 1909 and 1914 in Liege by a German company. It is a semiauto action using a 5-round detachable magazine. The guns are quite scarce today because only a fairly small number appear to have been produced before World War One ended its manufacture.
... -
Calico Light Weapons System: Roller D...
The Calico family of firearms was developed in the late 1980s, and put on the market just in time to be squashed by the 1994 Omnibus Crime Act. The heart of the Calico system was a design for a double-stack helical magazine, which was made in 50- and 100-round versions in both ,22 rimfire and 9mm...
-
CMMG Banshee: The Unique Radial Delay...
In 2015, the CMMG company decided to develop a pistol-caliber AR carbine firing .45 ACP. Such things were becoming common in 9mm, but .45 was a more open market opportunity. They spent substantial time trying to perfect a simple blowback system, only to find that the recoil impulse was causing oc...
