The Steyr-Mannlicher Model 1900 Autoloading Pistol

by Ed Buffaloe

The 7.63mm Mannlicher cartridge (left) compared with the 7.65mm Browning (right). Safety on, blocking the hammer. Safety off, ready to fire.

Mannlicher designed several pistols prior to the 1900.  His Model 1894 was an unusual double-action blow-forward design, wherein the barrel moved forward as the bullet sped through the bore.  The barrel would lock in the forward position until the the trigger was released, whereupon it would return and another cartridge would be chambered.

Mannlicher patented a blowback design sometime around 1896, but it was never manufactured and no prototype is known to exist.  Also in 1896 he introduced a locked breech pistol with the magazine in front of the trigger guard.  The early version had a fixed magazine, but a later version (M1896/03 or M1903) had a removeable magazine and was available as a pistol, a pistol with holster/shoulder stock, and as a carbine.

Mannlicher’s M-1900 pistol is considered to be his classic handgun design success.  It was patented in 1899, but was not introduced until 1900.  A few rare early versions of the M1900 were manufactured by Dreyse in Germany, but the rest were made by Steyr in Austria.  The gun was originally chambered for an 8mm rimmed cartridge;  however, the 8mm cartridge was underpowered, and the gun was reintroduced in 1901 in a more powerful 7.63x21mm rimless cartridge, and hence is often known as the Model 1901, and occasionally as the Model 1900/1901.  The final version was known as the Model 1905.

No other weapon was ever chambered for the 7.63mm Mannlicher, and manufacture of the cartridge ceased after World War II.  (In Germany it was known as the 7.65mm Mannlicher to distinguish it from the 7.63mm Mauser.)  The 7.63mm Mannlicher cartridge had a rimless straight case and an 86 grain bullet propelled by 3.2 grains of smokeless powder, producing a muzzle velocity of 1000 feet per second and 193 foot-pounds of energy.  By way of comparison, a modern Sellier & Bellot 7.65mm Browning cartridge (.32 ACP) with a 73 grain bullet produces a muzzle velocity of 1043 fps and 177 ft-lbs of energy.

The M-1900 is a simple design, with a fixed barrel, the recoil spring just below it, and the first “open-top” slide ever made.  This basic configuration was widely copied, notably by Beretta, Star, and Walther.  The lockwork of the Mannlicher is situated outside the frame on the left side, and the mainspring is situated outside the frame on the right side; both are covered by a wraparound cover held in place by a latch in front of the trigger guard.

The M-1900 utilizes a delayed blowback mechanism.  As the slide is blown to the rear by the force of the ignited cartridge, its rearward movement is delayed by a cam on the right side of the gun which fits into a notch on the underside of the slide and is tensioned by the upper arm of the mainspring.  As the slide moves to the rear, the hammer is forced back and the mainspring is further compressed, putting additional tension on the cam.  When the slide is pulled back to its rearmost position the cam also serves to lock the breech open for cleaning or loading.  W.H.B. Smith doubted the effectiveness of the delay mechanism, but the pistol functioned quite reliably.

The M-1900 has a non-removable 8-shot magazine in the grip which is loaded by stripper clip.  The lockwork is described by R.K. Wilson as “particularly ingenious.”  Wilson says:  “The effect of this lock is to give a very sweet and crisp double pull.  It is probably the pleasantest trigger mechanism of any self-loading pistol.”  The safety is a simple mechanism which blocks the hammer from the firing pin.

Wilson says further:  “The workmanship and material of this pistol are perfect.  Every part shows that precise machining and high finish invariably associated with the products of the Steyr factory.  It is an extremely easy pistol to shoot with--light, accurate, handy and shapes well to the hand.  It is said that the grip is possibly a little too square to the barrel, but I have not found this so.”  Geoffrey Boothroyd also says, “...the Model 1900 was graceful and pleasing in shape, and it is a most comfortable pistol to shoot.”

Only about 300 of the original M-1900 in 8mm were manufactured.  About 12,000 total of the Models 1901-1905 were made.  The gun was never adopted by the Austrian military, though it was often purchased privately, and the 1905 version, shown here, was adopted by the Argentine military.  Due to its popularity in South America, a few near copies were made in Spain.  There were several minor changes made during the brief lifetime of the gun, and variations are often found, particularly in barrel length.  Serial numbers began with 1 in 1901, and started over again each year of production (1901, 1902, 1903, 1905).  Most of the M1905 guns available today are Argentine military surplus and had the Argentine crest ground off the right side plate before they were sold.  A few, however, retain the crest and these guns are prized by collectors.  

Copyright 2009 by Ed Buffaloe.  All rights reserved.
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