Steyr C9-A1 

Someone of a cynical nature might well conclude that the last thing the world needs is another polymer-frame, striker-fired DAO 9mm. Yes, there are a whole bunch of them out there being bought up by the boatload. And yes, new-model introductions show little sign of slacking off.

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But it’s easy to forget that the polymer wave took off in the early 1980s—nearly three decades ago, which roughly coincides with the beginning of the “Anno Glock” era. And that’s enough time on the gun scene for several of the more successful examples to have attained the status of “classic” (if not “vintage” yet).

The Steyr Model M definitely fits that category. I was first introduced to it in the summer of 1999. In the company of its designer, Willy Bubits, I spent the day shooting one. I remember a couple of features that impressed me. First was the extremely low bore axis, which really helped controllability in rapid fire. Then there was the unconventional triangle/trapezoid sight system, which, while not really conducive to shooting “look what I did” groups was very quick to acquire—more so than any three-dot, no dot or dot/bar system I’ve seen since. Then, of course, was the reliability of the pistol—shot hot, dirty and fast for nearly 800 rounds, there hadn’t been a hint of a malfunction.

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