
A locking block integrated into the frame then engages a lug at the base of the chamber and drives the barrel downward, separating it from the slide and terminating any further rearward movement while the slide continues back in a straight line. When fired, the recoil impulse from the ignited cartridge drives the barrel and slide back, locked together until the bullet leaves the barrel and pressures drop to a safe level. The barrel is locked to the slide by means of a single rectangular lug around the barrel chamber that recesses into the ejection port in the slide.

The Steyr M series of pistols employ the mechanically locked Browning short recoil method of operation with a linkless, vertically dropping barrel. These pistols were developed primarily for concealed carry and have a shortened barrel, slide, smaller frame and a reduced magazine capacity. 357 SIG or 9x22mm) and two compact variants of the M9 and M40 designated the S9 and S40 respectively. 40 S&W was developed shortly after the M9, followed later by the M357 (caliber. Design work on the new pistol began in the early 1990s and the final product known as the M9 (adapted to fire the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge) was officially unveiled in the spring of 1999. The Steyr M is a series of semi-automatic pistols developed by Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG of Austria for police services and the civilian shooting market.

Fixed iron sights, trapezoid notch and triangular front blade
