[noway]

Since mcone did his M&P and XD review I figure I would throw in a similar steyr review also.



Comparison between M&P and Steyr both in 40cal



I'm a real steyr & glock fan and user. I've own glocks since 1992 and carried them on a regular based since relocating to a carry state (fl ) in 1999. With all of the glock vrs xd vrs m&P reviews, I figure I would thru in a M&P vs Steyr review in the 40sw calibers. Steyr has had a polymer based frame gun out for a while that get's vary limited reviews and even have produce their 2nd generation model.



Now I just recently bought a M&P and have to say I'm in love with it. It does have a few distraction one being the dreaded small slide stop and enagement is hard and harder with gloved hands. The tear down procedures are kinda strange but I do see S&W logic in avoiding the glock & former SW99 and the "pull" the trigger to tear down a gun. I'm sure they did new tear-down procedues to avoid a costly accidental discharge, by forcing the gun user to have a empty gun in order to tear down the weapon.





Here's my impressions after owning both pistols for a while:



BOTH Strengths:



Both pistols are glock alternatives that provides faster resets, better trigger pull and even a lower felt recoil. Their intro prices are in line with glocks prices and in both models a rail comes std.





M&P Strengths:



1 The finished of the slides seems to be better than the steyr but if so by a little bit.

2 The slide scale like serrations is unique and nice

3 various grips panels

4 metal drop free magazines

5 No passive safeties

Steyr Strengths:





1 Loaded chamber indicator that works night or day and by feel.

2 Like the M&P it has metal drop free mags with plastic base to prevent shock when drop

3 Tear down of the steyr M series is just like a Beretta/SIG much simpler and quicker

4 Slide is even more lower profile than the M&P

5 Subjectively I think equal ammo used is less recoil in the steyr vrs the MP

6 It has 2 active safeties for those need to secure the gun even tho the pull down trigger has gave me problems twice now

7 magazine are much cheaper and seems to load easily at the end of the load count but this could be from my steyr being more used and broken in.

8 gun is slightly shorter in length than the M&P and no beaver tail

M&P weakness:



1 Factory grips texture is not as good as it could be without addons

2 Teardown is not as simple as other designs

3 Loaded chamber notch is a joke and useless at night

4 Std slide stop is difficult to enage

5 magazine disconnect





Steyr Weakness:



1 Mine and about 2 other people I know that have them has had problems with various components that exhibit after 2-8k rds ( and yes we shoot the hell out of ours )



2 Pistol Grip is slick and uncomfortable in rain or damp or sweating hands conditions.

3 Steyr support is no where as good as smith-wesson

4 Triangle sights are strange and takes some time to get used to.

5 No firing pin block as what found on a glock or m&p

Here's some pictures of my 2 beasts. I will carry the M&P after I get some more rounds thru it and most likely sale the steyr off. It served it purpose and did a good to very-good job and only cost me $360.00 NIB 3 years back.

 

[targetsup]

Good review. Ive seen the steyr but never held or fired one. Is it true that all the internals of the steyr can come out to replace the plastic frame, I thought I saw that somewhere?

 

[noway]

yes that's true and tear down isn't all to hard even tho I heavn't tried it myself. fwiw: topend is very easy to strip down.





reliability of the orginal steyr M series could be of a concern. Mine has well over 6k probably close to 7k rounds of 40sw and maybe 1k rounds of 357sig before I sold off my conversion barrel. The finish as seen in the photo does hold up good but the magazines ( see in photo ) will develop rust spots if you don't oil them down once in awhile.



I also recently replace one magazine spring/follower to it being catchy. I'm still looking for some hi-cap magazines for mine but right now I have all 10rds mags vrs 12rds, so that could be another weakness if you compare the mag capacity between the 2.

 

[srva]

I have over 100,000 rounds through a Steyr M9. I have only shot it once since I got my M&P. The Steyr is a good gun but the M&P is more comfortable to shoot and overall, a better gun. It out Steyrs the Steyr and out Glocks the Glock.

 

[remat457]

That was a really good review, except I actually like the pyramid sights on my S40.

 

[Mortech]

Looks like your on the same path I already took , my M&P40 replaced my Steyr M357 for many of the same reasons as you pointed out . (Namely lack of support and wet grip issues .)

 

[noway]

Yeah the slick grip can be cured with a rubber bike inner tube. I installed one on my stery M40 when I first got.



I love my steyr alot but think her days might be soon number. I'm also just got rid of my forthy cal 40 glock. Glocks are looking less and less interesting to me.

 

[mcone]

[M&P]It does have a few distraction one being the dreaded small slide stop and enagement is hard and harder with gloved hands.

I recommend that you get the new slide stop design from S&W. I had Burwell Gunsmiting put them on mine. It makes all the difference.

[Steyr] Pistol Grip is slick and uncomfortable in rain or damp or sweating hands conditions.

Agrip overcomes slippery grips very well.

http://www.brookstactical.com/Pages/whtsagrp.html







-Mike

 

[noway]

[M&P]

[Steyr] Pistol Grip is slick and uncomfortable in rain or damp or sweating hands conditions.

Agrip overcomes slippery grips very well.

http://www.brookstactical.com/Pages/whtsagrp.html







-Mike

I don't see an agrip offered for a M series steyr but a 1.25 dollar bike inner tube cut and slid up on the pistol handle worked just great

Much cheap and probably just as reliable or better.

 

[mcone]

I don't see an agrip offered for a M series steyr but a 1.25 dollar bike inner tube cut and slid up on the pistol handle worked just great

Much cheap and probably just as reliable or better.

They have a 5x8 sheet that you can custom fit.



-Mike

 

[MrApathy]

has anyone taken any rust and blueing remover to the M&P magazines?

would of been nice if S&W stuck with stainless steel for magazines whats worse is they dont use stainless but they still want $30+ for them a piece.

 

[noway]

followup



Will I've been shooting the steyr vrs M&P side by side off and on since posting this review. My steyr is still shooting naturally better when point shooting BUT the M&P is better with the sites and dead on shooting. Still a toss up between these 2 and I might be unfair in my review methods since I've own my steyr for going on 4.5years now and shot it far more than the M&P that's going on monnth 3 of my ownership but that will change soon

One thing for sure, I'm not going back to a Glock anytime soon

My M&P other than one round, has been flawless in operation. I can shoot this single handed ( strong or weak ), upside down, and even gangsta style and the gun just flat out works. I'm still having issues with getting all 40cal bullets weights to hit at center of POA at distance 25yards or more.



It also seems I was mistaken that the sights where gear'd for 180grains where as with my gun the 155-165 loads shoots more to POA.

 

[Dr-Shotgun]

Why are loaded chamber indicators entering into the equation in your comparison?



They are utterly useless devices. Every firearm is always loaded and, if you need to insure that the weapon is loaded for carry, a press check (both visual and physical) is the proper way of going about it. Relying on a piece of piano wire for the operation of your weapon is unsat.

 

[noway]

Maybe because a press-check at a sound of an bump at 01:30am and your grabbing a gun in pitch darkness with no light source or you don't want to alert the possible intruder by cutting on a light/flashlight etc.



That's why load chambers-indicators come in hand.



I have my steyr on my right hip as I type this and wih the back of the slide exposed in my IWB I can just reach down and wham bam check that the gun is loaded with out 1> make a big scence doing it 2> in total darkness 3> without disturbing my cover garment 4> without alerting my potential threat 5> all in less than 1-2secs.



Now try todo any of the above with your m&P and get back to me

i do agreed that all firearms SHOULD be load for carry and defensive purposes. BUt **** happens and we don't for some reason or not. I also believe that if Smith-Wesson was going to put a LC indicator on a gun they should do it right to begin with

 

[Jester]

Mine is always loaded and ready, no need for a press check. I trust myself.

 

[don95sml]

I've been trying to decide between the M&P9 and the new Steyr M9-A1, so this thread is of special interest. I would like to ask those who posted above for their comments on (1) how easy it is, or isn't, to reach the mag release button with the right thumb, and (2) whether either gun has an advantage as far as the speed with which a new mag can be inserted (size or shape of mag well opening). As far as (1) is concerned, I've read or heard that the M&P mag release button can be repositioned to the right side of the gun - true? I do know that this is not possible on the Steyr. Incidentally, when you comment on the Steyr, please clarify whether you are referring to the old M series or the new M-A1 series.

 

[Jester]

Mags are easily reloaded into the pistol.



Mag release is easy for me, I have longer thumbs. My father can't reach it though.



It is reversable, and easy to do!

 

[noway]

I've been trying to decide between the M&P9 and the new Steyr M9-A1, so this thread is of special interest. I would like to ask those who posted above for their comments on (1) how easy it is, or isn't, to reach the mag release button with the right thumb, and (2) whether either gun has an advantage as far as the speed with which a new mag can be inserted (size or shape of mag well opening). As far as (1) is concerned, I've read or heard that the M&P mag release button can be repositioned to the right side of the gun - true? I do know that this is not possible on the Steyr. Incidentally, when you comment on the Steyr, please clarify whether you are referring to the old M series or the new M-A1 series.

steyr M40 and not the A1 model



(1)

The mag relese is easy to get to on mine with out repositioning of the hand It is not ambi like the M&P so if your a southpaw it wouldn't be the best pick



(2)

Both seem quick to eject and release the mags and I find the steyr to be slightly quicker but that might be from me owning it longer and shooting it longer than my reccent M&P purchase.



I would go to a store and handle both models and to include the A1 model which I'm not sure is ambi like the smith M&P.

 

[raz-0]

Well, this is all from memory of the old m9/40 (i forget which caliber it was).



The mag release didn't stick out in my mind, which means it was no worse than average regarding location. the M&P on the other hand has a very easy tor each location compared to most guns IMO.



The steyr has a lower bore axis. About as low as you can go with a centerfire semi-auto pistol. The M&P is definitely higher, ut still good. However, the grip angle on the steyr is a bit of a pain for some people, they really tend to bring the front sight up a lot. The trapezoid sights seem to be love/hate sights as well. I didn't mind them. It was definitely less comfortable to keep a decent grip on the gun for me, cranked up the tension a fair bit on my off-hand.



As for the magazines, they are more narrow than the M&P magazines, kind of like cz mags. However, they taper quickly from full width to feed lips. Even quicker than the M&P mags. The combo, to me, makes fumbling a reload easier, especially combined with the severe grip angle. On top of it, as one of the guys I shoot with said "It's almost like the magwell is tapered inward to make it harder to get a magazine in." I have to agree a bit, it's almost like they didn't bevel it much and then squeezed the mold for the frame a little at the bottom. The M&P is MUCH better in thsi regard.



Liked the weight distribution of the gun and the short trigger reset. The slide is fairly light, and cycles quickly kind of like a cz.

 

[Powered by Diesel]

I think Steyr's are very underated and a virtual sleeper pistol in the market. Lots of thoughtful engineering and features in a nice little package.



However, the M&P is going places in LE, compitition shooting, and the civilian market, the Steyr simply is not. Sad fact but a fact none the less.