Steyr M1912 pistol

Steyr Repetierpistole M1912/P16 was a machine pistol with an extended magazine and fitted stock to control recoil.

A machine pistol version of the Steyr M1912 was commissioned at the end of 1915 and developed at the Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft under Major Franz Xaver Fuchs, commander of Standschützen-Bataillon Innsbruck II. Another Standschützen officer - one Herr Hellriegel - also developed a submachine gun that was tested in Tyrol in late 1915, implying that there was some interest in machine-pistols and SMGs within Tyrolean Standschützen regiments.[5]

The M.12/P16 machine-pistol was an automatic conversion of the standard M.12 service pistol..The only technical difference between the standard M.12 and the M.12/P16 was the addition of a fire selector , situated on the right side of the trigger group. This gave an automatic fire rate of about 800 rounds per minute. By February 1916, a batch of 50 prototypes was delivered for field trials and issued to Major Fuchs' battalion. These early models fed from the M.12's standard 8-round internal magazine and, against a firing rate of 800rpm, they could only fire a burst or two before depleting. The full production model extended the internal magazine to 16 rounds - an improvement, but still less than ideal. Topping off the magazine, either by feeding two 8- round clips or manually loading each cartridge by hand, was also slow and cumbersome.. It is because of this extended magazine that the weapon earned its "P16" suffix, standing for Patrone 16 ("16 cartridges") - contrary to some reports, "P16" is not a reference to the year 1916.[6][5]

After successful trials, the M.12/P16 was accepted into service, reportedly with an order of 5,000 units being placed. They were issued exclusively on the Italian Front, to Tyrolean regiments fighting in the Alps. It is not known whether they were fielded as trench-clearing weapons; Austria in 1916 was fighting a mostly defensive war against the Italians, and there is no indication that the weapon was commissioned for use by shock troops, although it is possible that they were issued to some Sturmbataillons in 1917.[5]

The M.12/P16 remained in service throughout the war, and was apparently produced in large numbers. An inventory taken in Tyrol at the end of the war reported some 9,873 units in issue. The physical evidence for such a large number having been produced is scant. Only a handful of examples exist today, most of which are low serial numbers, leading some experts to estimate that less than a thousand were made (Thomas Nelson claimed around 900). It is possible that most were destroyed by the Inter-Allied Commission after World War I. The associated patent for the fire-selector was finally approved in December 1919, having been applied for three years earlier, although there is nothing to suggest that the weapon was ever produced again.[5]

A dual pistol mount and stock was also developed that converted two M1912/P16s into a (double pistol) submachine gun such weapon known as the Doppelpistole M1912. A wooden carrying case, similar to that issued with the Villar Perosa, was also made for the Doppelpistole, the idea seems to have been experimental and never came into wide issue.[7][8][5]

After Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the Wehrmacht ordered 60,000 M1912 pistols rechambered in 9mm Parabellum which remained in service until the end of World War II. In German service, its official designation was 9mm P12(Ö) (Ö for Österreichisch, "Austrian"). Pistols in Wehrmacht service were distinguished by the Wehrmachtadler ("Wehrmacht Eagle") emblem above the trigger and most noticeably a "P-08" or "08" stamp on the left side of the slide, "to show that they chambered German 1908-type ammunition."[6][4]