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Steyr M and S series pistols: How they work.

By BigTaco

This is the place to start when diagnosing and treating a problem or tuning up your trigger. This
would be an excellent time to grab your manual as part numbers will be referenced.

M and S series pistols, both 9mm and .40 s&w share sub-frames, meaning all sub-frames and
parts are identical and interchangeable between models.

I have to assume you are familiar with the basics of loading your weapon, so we’ll walk through
what actually happens when you pull the trigger.

1. Load a round into the chamber from the magazine. Never drop the slide on a chambered
round. It will pound the extractor. The round slides under the extractor when pulled from a
magazine.

2. The trigger safety (#19) dogs against a nub in the sub-frame which prevents the trigger from
being pulled until the trigger safety has cleared this nub on the frame.

3. The trigger (#17) pushes the trigger bar (#16) towards the rear of the pistol. The trigger bar
rides in a slot in the frame and after passing the magazine area, and makes a 90 degree turn. It
dogs against a flat and pushes the catch or sear (#10) to the rear. The arrow on the trigger bar
points to where the ninety degree bend I refer to occurs.
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4. As the sear moves rearward in its slots, it is also compressing the firing pin spring (the
definition of double action). As the trigger “breaks”, the sear falls off of the post (#11).
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5. Once released, the sear falls down and the firing pin is permitted to move forward and detonate
the primer. BANG!!
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6. The recoil force of the discharged round forces the slide rearward. The extractor ( #39) pulls
the empty from the chamber, the ejector (#8) bumps the empty out of the gun. The tang on the
firing pin travels over the triangle on the sear as it moves rearward.
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7. The slide now begins to come forward. The sear is kept from falling out of the gun by both pin
#14 and spring #12. #12 is pulling the sear forwards and upwards so that it is in prime position to
be grabbed by the tang on the firing pin which will pull it onto the post, where it needs to be for
subsequent firing.

8. As you release the trigger, spring #20 pulls the trigger and trigger safety forward.
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Notes:

The manual safety simply stops the trigger from rotating on the axis of its pin.

The firing pin is pre-cocked at around 72%. This allows a very short and crisp trigger pull when
compared to a double action pistol that has no pre-cock or even a glock which has @ 50% pre-
cock.

You do not have to release the trigger safety to fire subsequent rounds, but the trigger must be
released enough that the trigger bar can re-engage the flat where it pushes on the sear.

The drop safety (#32) (as in safety for when you drop a loaded and partially cocked firearm)
prevents the sear from falling off the post unless the trigger bar is out of the groove in the drop
safety. The only way this happens is to pull the trigger.
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The time span from trigger break to slide returning to battery is measured in hundredths of a
second. You can not release the trigger fast enough (assuming you’re using a steady squeeze
and a surprise break) to allow the gun to cycle without your continuing to pull the trigger to the
rear as it cycles. Therefore, the trigger bar is still to the rear when the sear is being pulled
forward by the firing pin spring. Meaning, of course, that the sear and the flat on the sear that the
trigger bar just pushed against, now has to move over top of the trigger bar.

There is no plunger safety. A plunger safety blocks the firing pin channel and the ability of the
firing pin to move forward unless the trigger is pulled. Steyr feels it is unnecessary on a double
action pistol and personally, I agree. Anything that would defeat the trigger safety and drop
safety would defeat a plunger safety anyway.

As you might have noticed from one of the pictures, it is possible to put the slide on the sub-frame
of the pistol without the grip being utilized. This is because the Steyr (unlike the Glock) in no way
shape or form relies on its plastic frame for anything but magazine placement and a handle. To
do this simply insert the take down lever into its normal holes and rotate it to the same angle as
when you normally assemble the firearm (just line up the flat with the slide lock spring). Making
sure the trigger has been moved to the rear, slide the slide on as you normally would. The
takedown lever will engage as normal. The slide lock spring will be prone to popping off as it is
not contained by the grip. Just hold it in position as you manipulate the firearm. You can cock
the gun by holding it at the takedown lever point and pulling rearward as normal. You can pull the
trigger and watch as all the parts move as well. This is very instrumental to understanding what’s
going on.
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This is a general overview. It gives us a base of terminology that will be used in the upcoming
sections concerning: the sear area assembly/ disassembly, trigger reset issues problems and
fixes, and trigger tune up.

BigTaco
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