View Full Version : Steyr M40-A1
I picked up a Steyr M40-A1 this weekend. I had never held one before but after reading some positive reviews about the pistol I decided to take the leap. The M40 was reported to have good recoil control and a good trigger. After putting over 150 rounds through mine on Saturday I can agree. The low bore axis and form fitting grip allowed me to be able to hit 6x10 steel plates from 25yds regularly. The trapezoidal sights are quite different but I found myself able use to them quickly. Through four different types of ammo there were zero failures. At $499 I believe the M40-A1 has quite a bit to offer.
I've got one, too. 4,000 rounds through it and it's been very solid. Back when Steyr was in financial troubles (2007ish) I bought mine NIB for $390 OTD. One of the most underrated pistols out there.
Their biggest drawback is lack of aftermarket stuff. Sure, it's out there but you probably won't find it at an LGS.
Either way, 4k through mine and I haven't needed anything yet.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d135/Talnz167/Cannons/M40A1_2k/P3310001.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/user/Talnz167/media/Cannons/M40A1_2k/P3310001.jpg.html)
4k rounds, that's good to hear. After I shot mine and had a chance to clean it I was super impressed with the build quality. The slide/frame fit is tight and the machining appears to be top notch. The accessories availability is slim, but there are some custom holsters available. I hope to send some more rounds down range with mine soon.
I've had both a M40 and M9. The earlier versions with their proprietary rail. Both suffered terminal extraction issues so out they went. The bore axis was very low, I wanted to like them but the reliability wasn't up to snuff.
brickboy240
05-14-13, 11:06
I borrowed a buddy's M9-A1 9mm once.
Was shocked at how well it pointed and how low the recoil was.
-brickboy240
The extraction issues kept me from buying one same reason that's kept me from buying a Gen 4 Glock too ironically... Well, that and the sights.
The Dumb Gun Collector
05-14-13, 16:42
My buddy dan is a huge Steyr fan. He has all but the compact .40 and he has very good luck with his. If I ever decide to buy another 9mm I will probably pick up a M9
Rayrevolver
05-14-13, 19:46
Every now and then I shoot a M9A1 at IDPA. It really does shoot soft for a 9mm. Biggest gripe is the mag release. It sucks for me.
They teased a L9A1 on the Steyr Forum but so far I don't think those pistols have come here yet. If it does, I might get one for grins, depending on the price.
The only mods I did was the BT Striker Spring Guide ($12). This was to combat the stock guide that would sometimes bind and cause a heavy pull. Maybe once in 100 rounds, I can't remember?
I can't remember what I paid, but it was pretty cheap from CDNN back in 2008.
I did quite a bit of research before my purchase. I know that the M series pistols had some serious reliability issues, but from what I gather the newer guns are reliable. I fully expected my M40 to choke on my light reloads, but it didn't. Another thing I noticed while cleaning the pistol was that there was hardly any brass shavings in the action, which to me says the pistol is treating the brass well and operating correctly. Now I just need to get comfortable shooting it.
brickboy240
05-15-13, 10:47
The other thing I noticed about the MA-1 9mm that I borrowed was how well it sat in the hand.
I used to think these pistols LOOKED strange. However...once you actually hold one....you understand it's odd shape.
The pistol pointed really well and its low bore axis meant very little recoil.
I wish I had picked one up, back when CDNN had them on clearance for 325 bucks.
-brickboy240
Raven Concealment makes a holster for them.
I shot the M40 in my local clubs action pistol match today. 95 rounds down range with no issues. The pistol has run flawlessly since the first shot. I believe the sights help with quick target acquisition. My loading was 4.3grs of Titegroup behind the 140gr bullet. I upped the charge slightly from the session before to ensure that I had no cycling issues. Now I just need to speed up my reloads!!...;)
I finally picked up one at a gunshow this past Sat - just to hold it.
It seems to have a different grip angle... Sorta like the Rhino revolver. Your hand bends forward more....
The extraction issues kept me from buying one same reason that's kept me from buying a Gen 4 Glock too ironically... Well, that and the sights.
The ejection issue is most prevalent in the "grey market" M9's (PW Arms Imports), but this can be remedied by a quick phone call to Steyr USA. They fully support these pistols and will send you a new extractor and spring at no charge.
I have both a "grey market" and standard M9-A1. The grey had the ejection issue, which I quickly solved. The standard did not have any issue. I carry both (not together, of course) daily.
If you have the opportunity to take one out to the range, I think you will come to like the sights. They are odd at first, but once you get used to them, target acquisition is stupid fast. Try it, you'll like it.
I totally agree on the sights. For whatever reason the trapezoidal sights give visual clues that lead to a fast and natural sight alignment. Put the tip of the triangle on the intended point of impact and shoot.
I ordered three more 12rd mags and all of them have functioned well. I'm starting to get used to the trigger reset and when I do my part I can make follow up shots with decent quickness.
When I picked up the Steyr and dry fired it, it just felt "right." I had fired Glocks before and did not like the trigger at all (still don't). The ergonomics and the trigger both fit me very well, but they're not for everybody.
One another note, if you are looking for a good holster for a Steyr (or any other uncommon modern production pistol), I highly recommend Falco (not Galco) holsters. They may take little while to get it to you, but they are very comfortable, high quality and reasopnably priced.
One of the only gripes I had about my M40-A1 was the difficulty in pressing the magazine release. I have medium hands and the release required me to fully shift my grip and concentrate on pushing the release. I had contemplated extending the release but decided against it as I didn't want it fouling in a holster or being accidentally activated. I decided to go to the root of the problem and work on the spring. I field stripped the pistol, then removed the sub-frame from the grip. This pistol is super easy to work on. I removed the release spring by inserting a small screwdriver into the coils and then pressing to the left. That allows the retainer on the right to be swung to the rear. Care must be taken to maintain control of the spring so as not to launch parts across the room. Once I had the spring in my hand I removed 1¼ coils from the end of the spring. I then reshaped the last coil so it was flat on the end. When I reinstalled the spring I could tell it was slightly too short, as there was no preload. I removed it again and stretched it until it was .5 inches long. That worked out well. To reinstall the spring and retainer I used a hemostat to hold the spring and retainer together while I set the other end of the spring onto the release. Once in place I released the hemostat while holding the spring in place with the small screwdriver. After this I made sure that the retainer was locked correctly into the slot on the frame. One problem that arose was that while reshaping the spring I bulged one of the coils causing it to rub on the mag body and keeping the mag from falling free. I used the hemostat to rotate the slight bulge away from the mag well and all was fine. I checked for drop free with all five of my mags, then I reassembled the pistol. Now I can drop a mag with what I consider to be average thumb pressure. Taking my time it took about 30 minutes. Well worth it.
I took the M40-A1 to the range today and had some fun knocking down falling plates. The mod to the mag release has helped a great deal, I'm really glad I did the work. I used Hodgdon HS-6 for my reloads this time, trying both 7.7 and 8.0 grains behind the MBC IDP#7 140 gr. bullet. The 7.7 cycled the action well so I will probably stick around that load. I'm trying to find a load that will cut down on the leading in the bore. I shot ~230 rounds without a hiccup so the reliability continues to impress. Snapped some pics at the bench.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/9738325960_8f1ba09373_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/9738325960/)
BGC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/9738325960/) by zweitakt250 (http://www.flickr.com/people/41385771@N03/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/9738315732_07273bb28f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/9738315732/)
BGC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/9738315732/) by zweitakt250 (http://www.flickr.com/people/41385771@N03/), on Flickr
Doc. Holiday
09-13-13, 16:24
Huh, it kinda looks like a CZ and a Glock were messing around with each other...
Huh, it kinda looks like a CZ and a Glock were messing around with each other...
You know how those European arranged marriages are..;)
These guns point and feel like they are a derived from an Olympic target pistol. They are in the right "Glock 19" size that I like too.
That being said, I'd prefer to work with a less comfortable, but better known commodity like a S&W M&P or a Glock. A low bore axis helps me shoot better. A comfortable grip does not, in my experience.
I'd like to shoot one of these sometime. I have only handled them. Do they still have the oddball trapezoidal sights?
These guns point and feel like they are a derived from an Olympic target pistol. They are in the right "Glock 19" size that I like too.
Same folks build this:
http://host17.ssl-net.net/steyr-sportwaffen_at/media/Luftpistolen/LP10_Compact/LP10_Compact_g.jpg
That being said, I'd prefer to work with a less comfortable, but better known commodity like a S&W M&P or a Glock. A low bore axis helps me shoot better. A comfortable grip does not, in my experience.
The M-A1 series has an extremely low bore axis. Felt recoil is much lower than other .40 pistols I have shot.
I'd like to shoot one of these sometime. I have only handled them. Do they still have the oddball trapezoidal sights?
The trap sights are standard. I really like them. It is very easy to concentrate on the front sight and place the shots.
I finally worked up the nerve to mod the grip on my M40. I wish I had done it sooner. The front and back strap were slick in my opinion. Bought a wood burning kit at Hobby Lobby that had adjustable heat. It worked great.
The results:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5569/14753715197_5f63820093_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14753715197/)
Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14753715197/) by zweitakt250 (https://www.flickr.com/people/41385771@N03/), on Flickr
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3901/14753655478_7437734e21_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14753655478/)
Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14753655478/) by zweitakt250 (https://www.flickr.com/people/41385771@N03/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5592/14917272736_c59b24b45e_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14917272736/)
Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14917272736/) by zweitakt250 (https://www.flickr.com/people/41385771@N03/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5590/14939904702_f8cdf345a8_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14939904702/)
Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14939904702/) by zweitakt250 (https://www.flickr.com/people/41385771@N03/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5552/14939900392_e1a7ebecec_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14939900392/)
Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385771@N03/14939900392/) by zweitakt250 (https://www.flickr.com/people/41385771@N03/), on Flickr
I left the sides as is because this is a carry gun and I didn't want clothes snagging or my skin chewed up. The pistol is so much more controllable.
I shot one ten days ago, recoil seemed soft. Fast reloads seem like a real issue, if my experience wasn't a fluke. Extremely unforgiving mag well!
Very well done!
Thanks! Believe me, I was sweating it when I started!
For general purpose, the following are few photos of my custom M40-A1 which I had Springer Precision out of Oregon perform a little work on. I also had the barrel and slide Mag-na-ported. :rolleyes:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd29/Garys4598/SteyrM40-A1bySpringerPrecisionLLC_2.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd29/Garys4598/SteyrM40-A1bySpringerPrecisionLL-5.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd29/Garys4598/SteyrM40-A1bySpringerPrecisionLL-3.jpg
~Gary
Nice! I'm sure that wasn't cheap.
ToeTagger6552
10-15-14, 14:31
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I have a chance to pick up the older non A1 version for $275 although I'll probably offer $250. Do the older ones have the FTE issues and can this be remedied by Steyr even if I'm not the original owner.... Thanks in advance for any and all help!!!!
I believe the answer to be that some do and some don't. IIRC it is an issue with the extractor and Steyr USA has a fix for it. Mine has been 100% reliable even through break in. I just wish it had a paddle mag release like HK/Walther. For $250 I would be all over it. Mine was $499 new. I think they are going for ~$475 now.
ToeTagger6552
10-15-14, 17:25
Thank you... How does steyr handle the repair... Do you ship it in and they cover shipping or do they ship the extractor to you?
AFAIK you must send the pistol to them. Jeff at Steyr USA is the guy to talk with about repair/warranty.
Do the older ones have the FTE issues and can this be remedied by Steyr even if I'm not the original owner.... Thanks in advance for any and all help!!!!
My M40 had failure to eject & extract problems. I sent it back to Steyr twice, but the problems didn't go away. They did work on the extractor. The AWB then expired (back in '04) and I purchased a 12rd magazine. The reliability problems instantly went away (so long as I didn't use the 10rd mags). I took both magazines apart to see if I could figure out what was causing the problems with the 10rd magazines. It turns out that both magazines used the exact same spring even though the 10rd magazine spring operated over a shorter distance. I'm guessing that was causing the cartridges to push up too hard on the bottom of the slide. The bottom line is that knowing what I know and if I didn't already have one, I'd jump on that deal.
Rayrevolver
10-15-14, 18:58
My M40 had failure to eject & extract problems. I sent it back to Steyr twice, but the problems didn't go away. They did work on the extractor. The AWB then expired (back in '04) and I purchased a 12rd magazine. The reliability problems instantly went away (so long as I didn't use the 10rd mags). I took both magazines apart to see if I could figure out what was causing the problems with the 10rd magazines. It turns out that both magazines used the exact same spring even though the 10rd magazine spring operated over a shorter distance. I'm guessing that was causing the cartridges to push up too hard on the bottom of the slide. The bottom line is that knowing what I know and if I didn't already have one, I'd jump on that deal.
I called SAI and Jeff sent me new mag springs back when I first got an M9A1 in 2008. I didn't have issues but I did have the wrong springs installed. For $250 I would get another one.
ToeTagger6552
10-15-14, 19:32
Thanks folks... I'll put myself in position to get this weapon...
polydeuces
10-20-14, 12:49
AFAIK you must send the pistol to them. Jeff at Steyr USA is the guy to talk with about repair/warranty.
Absolutely - email him first; Jeff is the man to talk to.
He delivers exemplary service.
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