They were made by the Austrian firm of Steyr-Daimler-Puch between 1959 and 1974 and were exported all over the world. A total of 16,647 were made, most of them being taken up by the Swiss and Austrian armies .Around 1000 found their way to the UK between 1959 and 1974, imported first by a firm near Liverpool called Ryders International, and later by Steyr themselves who marketed them from a distribution depot on Lower Parliament St, Nottingham, England