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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. 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. Information obtained from Randy Rick, The Austrian Steyr-Hahn Pistol M1911/M1912 at https://home.alltel.net/randyric/collect.htm |
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The Model 1917 Colt Revolver was manufactured in 1918-1919 and is in “not fired” condition. The holster is a G. & K. 1918 A.G. in mint condition. The picture was taken in France and is of 3 WW1 American “Doe boys”. The man on the right is Charles Amos Robinson. Rumor has it that he took care of the General’s horses.
“Yet, it was more than just a war between nations. It was a war between what was and what was to be. The "old world" was dying, and the new world had yet to be born. People of all classes and nations saw it as some great cleansing fire that would accelerate this battle and lead to a better world. But, when it was over, more than men had died in the mud of the battlefields. The naive dreams of progress, along with the innocence of the pre-war world, faith in God, and hope in the future all died in the trenches of Europe.” Tony Novosel |
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