Why didn't the Steyr M9 catch on?

[TLHelmer]

I traded for a new in the box Steyr M9 recently and just got around to shooting it today. I put a 100 rounds through it and it functioned flawlessly. It points naturally, it is accurate, has a smooth trigger and a short reset. It seems to recoil less than my 9mm Glocks.

It is a great gun with lots of great features.

All of that leads me to ask why they didn't catch on here in America?

 

[Goodcat]

The market for Ugly guns that operate well and shoot great is already dominated here. My $0.02

 

[TLHelmer]

That may be, but I am surprised that they didn't take a portion of Glocks business. Springfields XD, S&W M&P series etc.... All came along later and took off. I was just wondering why not the Steyr.

 

[SaintsNSinners]

I dont know but I would love a Steyr M40-A1

 

[TLHelmer]

I dont know but I would love a Steyr M40-A1

The Steyr would sure tame the recoil of the .40 with the low bore axis.

 

[esrice]

Very good question, and great topic.

I've shot Integraholic's M9 and liked it very much. It has a very different grip angle, but most everything else is very Glock-esque. I especially like how low the bore axis is.

So why didn't it take off here? Probably a combination of several factors.

• Not adopted by a US law enforcement agency.
• Stealing Glock market share is already inherently tough.
• No real aftermarket support in the form of holsters/sights/accessories.
• Lack of brand recognition and/or experience among US gun owners.
• Availability?

 

[IndyDave1776]

That may be, but I am surprised that they didn't take a portion of Glocks business. Springfields XD, S&W M&P series etc.... All came along later and took off. I was just wondering why not the Steyr.

No hard evidence, but I would speculate that Glock is on top by virtue of being the only choice for several years. The others who have been successful were already household names here for generations. Steyr makes excellent products and has for generations, but never had a real presence in the US market. I would conclude that it is all about perception not merit.

 

[SaintsNSinners]

Im eyeballing an M40-A1 on gunbroker at the moment trying to decide if I want to jump on it....

 

[Bubbajms]

Price often rules as well - Glocks in 9/40 can be had for $400 by folks on the blue label list. My brother just sent me an ad for a local shop near him that has XD Service in 9/40 for $400 as well. Steyr is a chunk more expensive from what I've seen..

 

[Rob377]

The guy that designed the Steyr, Wilhelm Bubits, had a big part in designing the Glock. He's also the guy behind the Caracal. You can see the family resemblance in the latter 2.

The Steyr M40 was the first pistol I owned coming out of the military. Great gun, I really liked the trapezoidal sights.

Anyway, it never caught on because Steyr can't keep an importer lined up, and never could. When they first launched, the pricing was a bit on the high side compared to THE plastic pistol of the time, the Glock. They also had a few extractor issues in the originals. High price coupled with poor stateside support, they fizzled despite quite a bit of good press in the gun rags.

The importer (can't recall who it was) bailed, and CDNN bought up most of the remaining inventory at fire sale prices, and was selling them for something like $300 NIB, IIRC. When people bought them, they typically had the old style problem extractors, and then had no one to turn to because Steyr was "in between" US distributors, and thus the Steyr developed a poor reputation as a "cheap gun" with crappy CS to boot.

I'm not really convinced they've ever fixed the importer/distributor issues. My personal opinion is that the Steyr M-series is every bit the gun the M&P, XD and Glock are, but the factory support problems doomed the thing from a commercial standpoint. They kept trying to outsource it to crappy companies. What they should have done is formed a US subsidiary like Glock did, or at least licensed the design with a major US company like HS Produkt did with the XD. The HS2000 was a non-player when it was being imported by Intrac. Then it gets picked up by SA, renamed the Xd-9 and presto, it's done extremely well.

Steyr = great engineering, **** poor marketing and logistics.

 

[TLHelmer]

All very good points!

Very good question, and great topic.

I've shot Integraholic's M9 and liked it very much. It has a very different grip angle, but most everything else is very Glock-esque. I especially like how low the bore axis is.

So why didn't it take off here? Probably a combination of several factors.

• Not adopted by a US law enforcement agency.
• Stealing Glock market share is already inherently tough.
• No real aftermarket support in the form of holsters/sights/accessories.
• Lack of brand recognition and/or experience among US gun owners.
• Availability?

 

[TLHelmer]

Thanks for all of your great and informative responses.

 

[Bowling_R]

All I know is I shot my brother in laws .40 A-1 today and am going to pick one up as quick as money will permit..........One of the most accurate guns I've ever shot....period.

 

[TLHelmer]

Great guns!

 

[fireball168]

.

Anyway, it never caught on because Steyr can't keep an importer lined up, and never could.

This.

GSI, whomever the one was from Iowa - (Diamond?), Steyr-USA, Steyr-USA Georgia - none seem to last more than a few years, regardless of the amount of press or media exposure/advertisement they put forward.

 

[Kagnew]

I love my M9. Then, again, mine says "Beretta" on it!

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Another big reason was that their cost was more than "the major players"... That was, of course, until CDNN bought all the remaining inventory and blew them out at ~$300-350 or so. Mags were also a bit more difficult to find. Let's not even talk about replacement parts...

I've owned two different M9-A1 pistols in the last 5 or so years. One purchased new from CDNN... Sold or traded it off for something else. I'm quite certain that I no longer have that item I traded for, either. My 2nd one I rescued was a gently used (but extremely filthy & bone dry) from Bradis. This one, I purchased a few new mags, a nice expensive Raven holster, and got a new/upgraded extractor.

That was at the height of my fascination with quantity over quality, especially as it related to polymer-framed handguns. (Not that the Steyr isn't quality, I firmly believe that the Steyr pistols are what Glock would be if Glock grew up...ergonomically speaking). I sold that one to a fellow INGOer...and sold the holster to the above-mentioned Integraholic.

I have no beef with the pistols... But I've pretty much decided that I'm sticking with 1 general platform for my semi-auto needs. Perhaps one day when I'm independently wealthy I'll re-acquire another Steyr or two.

-J-

 

[TLHelmer]

Another big reason was that their cost was more than "the major players"... That was, of course, until CDNN bought all the remaining inventory and blew them out at ~$300-350 or so. Mags were also a bit more difficult to find. Let's not even talk about replacement parts...

I've owned two different M9-A1 pistols in the last 5 or so years. One purchased new from CDNN... Sold or traded it off for something else. I'm quite certain that I no longer have that item I traded for, either. My 2nd one I rescued was a gently used (but extremely filthy & bone dry) from Bradis. This one, I purchased a few new mags, a nice expensive Raven holster, and got a new/upgraded extractor.

That was at the height of my fascination with quantity over quality, especially as it related to polymer-framed handguns. (Not that the Steyr isn't quality, I firmly believe that the Steyr pistols are what Glock would be if Glock grew up...ergonomically speaking). I sold that one to a fellow INGOer...and sold the holster to the above-mentioned Integraholic.

I have no beef with the pistols... But I've pretty much decided that I'm sticking with 1 general platform for my semi-auto needs. Perhaps one day when I'm independently wealthy I'll re-acquire another Steyr or two.

-J-

I have to admit that holsters are hard to find! Still looking in fact!

 

[Plinkuh]

I have to admit that holsters are hard to find! Still looking in fact!

http://www.amazon.com/Steyr M9-A1/dp/B005SBN3NM

 

[TLHelmer]

Thanks!