Astra mod. P600/43
Astra
pistol mod. P600/43, cal. 9mm parabellum.
Among
the Astra pistols, this model has the particularity of having been designed
following a specific request from the German authorities, which explains the 9
mm parabellum caliber.
A first
delivery of 10,500 copies took place in mid-1944.
A second
order followed but could not be finalized following the advance of Allied troops
into French territory, controlling at the same time the Franco-Spanish border.
The
weapons from this second contract were dispersed between the Spanish, Chilean,
Jordanian armies, etc. As well as certain units of the West German police.
The
example presented here is a copy of this second contract, it is therefore
without the eagle/WaAD20 stamp - which is normal - since it never reached the
hands of the end user for whom it was originally intended.
Chilean Navy Astra 400
Scarce Chilean Navy Astra Model 400 (1921)
Semi-Automatic Pistol, 9mm Largo cal. (also 9 Steyr, 9 Bergmann Bayard but shoots many other 9 mm.ammo), 5-3/4'' barrel, blue finish, checkered black bakelite grips, forward portion of slide marked with a star over ''Marina de Chile'' over the Astra factory logo.
The Chilean Navy ordered 842 pistols from Astra which were delivered in 1930, making them scarce especially with original Chilean Navy holster and 2 magazines.
Condition is very good with all matching slide, frame and barrel.
Quite accurate on fire, need strong hands to cock.
Enrico
Astra 400 Republica Espanola
Astra 400 copy made by the republic during the Spanish civil war.
1937: During the Spanish civil war the Republican forces were cut off from the Basque regions of northern Spain, where most of the country's firearm production was concentrated.
Since the majority of the army defected to the Nationalist forces, and took their equipment with them, there was a desperate need for military supplies to defend the struggling Republic.
The unions and radical parties could supply volunteer militias, but without equipment they were little more than cannon fodder before the Nationalist forces.
The Republic was therefore compelled to reprioritize some of their industrial capacity towards arms production, and two factories were established to make handguns.
One factory near Barcelona made pistols marked "F Ascaso" for the Catalan anarchist leader Francisco Ascaso. Midway through the war this factory fell into Nationalist hands.
The second factory was in a converted textile plant near Valencia, and this factory remained in republican hands until the end of the war, producing a total of about 15,000 pistols.
Pistols made at the Valencia factory were marked "RE" for Republica Espanola. Both types of pistols were very close copies of the standard Spanish sidearm of the era, the Astra 400, also known as the M1921, for the year of its military acceptance.
Roger Papke (USA)
Astra
Cal. 9mm short
Photos friendly send by Mister Bernard G. MARTING with my grateful thanks.
Astra 400 Bayard
cal. 9mm
Astra mod. 400 year 1941
Astra mod. 400
cal. 7.65mm (.32ACP)
That's the first "tubular pistol" derived by the Campo Giro. He have a distictif tube with longitudinal key. He is chambered for the 9mm Largo, probably the most fire power in this design. This gun can shoot the 9mmPara, 9mmSteyr, 9mm Browning long and .38. This particularity were ask by the militaire. Astra 400 were introduced in 1921 and were immediately the official pistol of the spain army. Production stop in 1946 with 106.175 guns manufactured.
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Astra mod. 600 year 1944
cal. 9 Para
Shorter version of Astra 400, 205mm long, and chambered in 9mmPara. Manufactured in 1943-44 for the german government. Some were chambered in 7.65mmPara. 10.450 were delivered at the german authority during occupation. Production continued to 1946 with 40.900 unity produced for commercial marked.