Roth Steyr 1907 at a Run-n-Gun Steel Match

  / forgottenweapons  

We have a monthly pistol competition here called Steelworkers - a bunch of stages of all steel targets. I finally accumulated enough stripper clips for my 1907 Roth-Steyr to be able to compete, so I figured I should give it a run!

The 1907 was used by the Austro-Hungarian cavalry, and is in my opinion one of the best pistols of World War I. It is a solid and durable design firing a reasonably powerful cartridge (for the time, at least - 8mm Steyr is a 113gr projectile at about 1070fps) and with reasonable sights and good handling. It is mechanically innovative, with a firing mechanism functionally identical to today's "safe-action" systems. The striker is halfway cocked by the action of the gun cycling, and the remaining half is done by the trigger press. The 1907 uses a proprietary stripper clip holding 10 rounds, with a movable follower built in. Pressing down on the clip's follower puts an even pressure on the cartridges, helping to make it a very smooth design to use - I would rate it as equal or better than any other type of stripper clip I have used.

Overall I took 17th place of 21 shooters - although on stage #1 I am very pleased to have taken 10th! The strong hand and weak hand requirements there clearly helped me level the playing field. :)