The Modelo 1905 pistol was designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher in 1899 and originally produced in Austria as the Mannlicher Model 1901. The Mannlicher Model 1901 was an improved version of the Model 1900, both of which were produced by Osterreichische Waffenfabrik Steyr (commonly known as Steyr). All of these models had the same basic design and operation, but minimal adjustments were made to improve each of them.