TargetTalk

This is my "new" Steyr FP.
How common is this pistol among forum's members? need some info...

Gilad

Hi Gilad,
Nice looking pistol!
They are not very common. I am looking to purchase one just because it is so unusual in appearance.
Here is some info on Pilkguns site:

http://www.pilkguns.com/tenp/spstfp.htm

Have fun shooting it!
Ben

I too always have my out for one to add to my Steyr collection. Hopefully Steyr will bless us with a new free pistol someday soon.

They are very nice pistols. Be prepared to adjust the transfer bar on occasion. It is a simple adjustment. It is not mentioned in the owner's manual but I end up adjusting it every few hundred rounds. I have been reluctant to use any loctite material on the little set screw that positions it, rather adjusting it when needed. If you have specific questions on this,ask. The compensator fouls with gas deposited lead rather quickly and requires frequent visiting. My fellow shooters note that it is a bit louder than other pieces of equipment which I suspect is because of the compensator design. Mine has ammo preferences, aquila not extracting cleanly on the first stroke, and Federal 711 tends to cause a bit of lead accumulation right in front of the chamber, where the bullet sets into the lands. Eventually the deposit must be removed for easy insertion of the round into the chamber. This hasn't stopped me from using it as a main stay ammunition however. I realize this may only apply to the particular case I possess. Thus far, CCI standard digests well in the pistol after a half a dozen bricks.

Nygord suggests that this is a very demanding gun to shoot, it requiring that all elements be in place and coordinated. That has been my experience as well. I find this an asset because it highlights very quickly creeping errors in technique. I suspect this is a side effect of the low boreline.

I find the sights and grip absolute joys.

mjmarz wrote: Be prepared to adjust the transfer bar on occasion. It is a simple adjustment. It is not mentioned in the owner's manual but I end up adjusting it every few hundred rounds. I have been reluctant to use any loctite material on the little set screw that positions it, rather adjusting it when needed. If you have specific questions on this,ask.

OK, I'll bite. What is the transfer bar, and how do you adjust it?

Also, I wanted to point out that the pictured grip does not look like anything I've ever seen on a Steyr before. It looks almost like a TOZ grip. I'm curious about that, as well, if anyone knows.

TIA,
FredB

It's the Steyr wrap around free pistol grip that came on all the Steyr Free pistols.

In the falling block, there is a bar or plate that transfers the energy of the moving firing pin mechanism to the rim of the bullet. The firing mechanism is in the top of the pistol, where as the barrel chamber with cartridge is in the center of the frame hence a transfer mechanism is required. There is a small tip on the front of the bar which comes into actual contact with the cartridge rim. It is spring loaded and its travel is adjusted by a tiny screw in the notch of the falling block. It is hard to see so you have to look for it. It is adjusted by the smallest allen wrench you have in your Steyr tool kit. It is the same wrench you use to adjust your trigger position on the trigger shaft.

On my pistol, over many cycles, the bar works forward and when it goes past a certain point, the block will not rise into battery with the cocking lever in the full home position. When that happens, raising the cocking lever allows the block to go into home position and the pistol is still fully operational. This is specific to my pistol thus far as there are two other steyrs in our shooting group which have not had this issue but they have not had the mileage of my pistol either. In each case, the shooters who own them have not been able to shoot their Steyrs to the same level of scoring as they have with either their Toz's or Morini's.

Additionally when one adjusts the sight rotation, be sure to use properly fitting wrenches. When these pistols are assembled, they use adhesives in assuring that parts do not work loose. That is a double edged sword as it also, at least for the first time, makes it imperative to use the properly fitting wrench properly inserted to break the set screws loose. On my particular pistol, they evidently used ample adhesives on the various set screws with the exception of the screw that adjusts the transfer bar range of motion.

Another real plus with this pistol is the option of canting the sights to accomodate the particular style of the shooter. It doesn't go as far as was done with the Hammerli's in years gone by when the sights were rotated up to 90 degrees to accomodate palm up hand positions in shooting, but are a valuable addition.

mjmarz,

Thanks for the explanation! Of course I had noticed the bar you mentioned, but I didn't know it would be called the transfer bar, and certainly didn't know how to adjust it - or even that it might need adjustment, for that matter.


Richard,

Look at the picture of the Steyr FP in the 10P Files. THAT'S the factory Steyr grip in walnut, and I have the factory grip in laminate, which is identically shaped. The grip pictured above is not that grip.

FredB

It has the Steyr Match badge on it, I'm sure they had a few different ones over the few years that they made it. I'd like to get one with the laminate grip.

The factory grips were laminated. As seen here:

http://www.schiesstreff.ch/images/dscn2062.jpg

The grip shown here has a very Russian style to it and I suspect it has been custom made by someone Russian or Russain trained.

It's quite easy to make a grip and transfer the Steyr badge over to it. I could be wrong but very confident that the grip is not Steyr original.

j-team wrote:The factory grips were laminated. As seen here:

http://www.schiesstreff.ch/images/dscn2062.jpg.

I think the factory grips were made by Karl Nill.

j-team wrote:The grip shown here has a very Russian style to it and I suspect it has been custom made by someone Russian or Russain trained.

It's quite easy to make a grip and transfer the Steyr badge over to it. I could be wrong but very confident that the grip is not Steyr original.

You are completely right. I've got this grip from ex-national team member. The grip was made by a Russian named Dadonov (or something like that), and was originally made for Boris Kokorev.
Unfortunately, my palm is longer and slimmer than Kokorev's, and the stardust left by him gone over the years... ;-)

Here you can see detailled pictures of the Steyr FP: http://krale-schietsport.nl/product_inf ... c6038363b9

and even buy a new one it if you want.

I know a couple of gunshops who have Steyr FP, new or used, for sale. May be because its shooting performances seems not so good.

Does the Steyr free pistol meet the current rules with its very low barrel line?

PaulB wrote:Does the Steyr free pistol meet the current rules with its very low barrel line?

Of course. Rule 8.4.2.1 restricting barrel height concerns the 25 metre events only.

Thank you. My confusion came from reading this article:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/ssu ... tid=16#/16

The Tula MC-3 pistol looks like free pistol but I see now that it is a semi-automatic.