Unfortunately, we are having a few technical difficulties at the moment, so the blog isn’t running at full speed. With some limited access, I figure this is as good a time as any for a couple photos that I don’t have much background info on: an early Steyr semiauto rifle design.
If you know more about this rifle, please comment – we’d really like to find out more!
In other news, we are going to be running a contest to give away a custom holster from Louisville Leather this week. Ryan made me a great carry holster for my TT-33 Tokarev (why would I want to carry a modern gun when there are so many great relics I could carry instead?) tht we’ll be reviewing later this week. Part of the deal was that he’ll make one for you too (and style an gun listed on his site), if you’re the winner of our contest.
And what is the contest? I’m looking for a great vintage photo featuring an interesting holster. It has to be copyright free, so we can post it here on the blog, and military is better than civilian. A week after we post the holster review, we’ll pick the best photo and if you sent it in, you win a free holster. Sound like a plan? Start looking for that great vintage holster photo!
Where do you dig up these photos? There are so many guns on here that if you google them, this is the only place that has any info on them. Just curious, because I love researching them.
I know Steyr goes way back and was perfectly capable of designing their own rifles, but what I can see of that action sure likes like some of Simonov’s work…
I turn up a little bit of info – 3 forum threads (also asking for more information) and one auction (already over – guess that’s what started this in the first place)
Probably nothing you didn’t know already, but I found it interesting:
http://vintagesemiautorifle.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=european&action=display&thread=685
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?252787-Steyr-1911-semi-automatic-sporting-rifle-9mm
http://iaaforum.org/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12071
http://www.icollector.com/Spectacular-Unique-Experimental-Pre-WWI-Steyr-Semi-Automatic-Carbine_i9753294
I think there’s maybe a connection to the Greek Mylonas rifle? It’s clearly a Schlegelmilch-ish action, like a Gew88 or Haenel New Model Mannlicher, but the Greeks came up with a conversion for the 1903 MS that made it semiautomatic around 1910, and I’d be willing to bet this is something along those lines.