My Birthday Toys, including Astra 400, Enfield

S

smellie

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Went to the Post Office on Monday, which was my birthday (Gawd! Another???) and picked up the parcel containing the two handguns I bought in AUGUST.

One was an Enfield Number 2 Mark 1, and this was the reason for the 2-month delay, I am told. The fabled Registry knew all about the Number 2 Mark 1*, the Number 2 Mark 1** and the Number 2 Mark 1** converted back to Number 2 Mark 1*..... but they didn't have a listing for the root of the whole series, the Number 2 Mark 1! I find this pretty near incomprehensible, given that there MUST be more of them out there than mine...... and the OTHER ONE from my collection which was sold in the middle of an inheritance hassle. Anyway, I now have the critter, a 1933 in nice shape, all matching, no special markings, about 98% finish and it will be going to the range with the Webley and the other Enfields just as soon as I can dig out a big box of shells.

But it is the other gun that I am most concerned about, right now. This is an ASTRA 400, 82###, marked as Model 1921 and also marked as 9mm or .38, which will be the .38ACP. It has pitting near the front of the slide, but otherwise is in fairly decent shape with perhaps 80% finish. Bore is filthy and sharp, soon to be clean and sharp. It has no military marks that I can see. Numbers match nicely. So that is what I have.

What I am looking for is information.

Does anyone know when 82### would have been built?

Does anyone know a source for a spare magazine?

Does anyone have experience loading for this critter? I have fresh 9x23 brass, a variety of slugs from 115 through to 151 grains and most of the Alliant powders on hand.

Anyone know about availabilty of holsters, etc.?

And the kicker, of course: can anyone offer ballpark values on these things?

Thanks for your time reading through this.
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Astra 400 (M1921) #70651-86000 delivered "various armouries" 1937-8.
"Astra Automatic Pistols" Antario
 
Are you sure its not a 9mm Largo?
Edit, for clarity: If it has both 9mm/38 markings, then it can fire either calibre as per your post.

As for the date, I would concur with green.

The Astra pistol family always piqued my interest.

A lot of great info at this website. The particular page will give you loading data.

http://www.9mmlargo.com/cartridge/loads.htm

Now some pics, you selfish bastard!:D
 
I was at the range here in Edmonton a few weeks back. A shooter had a couple Astra pistols. Pretty neat guns. We BSed for a while and I ended up with some of his Largo casings when I cleaned up, Berdan primed and some had failed! He didn't notice obviously. The brass from certain surplus ammo must be pretty brittle. That or the chamber was sloppy...? Sorry but that is about all the info I can offer.
 
Thanks for the help, guys!

GREEN: thanks for the info and the reference; I now have (another) book to find. Splitting the numbers you gave tells me that this thing went through an ugly part of the Civil War. Funny thing is that it appears to have no military markings.

LIGHT INFANTRY, thanks for the link: what a HUGE amount of information they have.

B., thanks for the observation; I don't think I'll be picking up much of that stuff to reload. Must have been pretty ancient.

The Selfish Bastard (hereinafter to be known as The SB) will post some pictures just as soon as he can figure out this here digital whatchamacallit. I'll see if I can get him to throw in some Lugers and a Little Big Horn Remington or something, just to spice things up.

Again, my thanks.
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Silly me! i got so giddy about your post, i forgot to answer one of your questions.

For spare mags, try ammoclip.com

I have found a few mags that i thought near impossible to get and they delivered! It's been a few years since i bought anything from them, but i am sure they are still good to go.

There is another website but i cannot remember their name, but it is some variation of "ammoclip" so play around a bit with the words and you may get lucky.

Sarco may be of help as well.
 
Astra 400

See Ellwood Epps site Magazines listing, item # P944 for a magazine.
Google Star Firearms:Dating Your Spanish firearms using proof marks for possible date of manufacture info. Good luck. bogus
 
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