Post by CXM on May 26, 2017 12:28:23 GMT -5
Over the years lots of odd and unusual pistols have been imported... they have mostly wound up in people's collections and don't get out of the safe very often...
One of the more unusual guns imported in the late 1960s was the Astra 600.
As it became WWII was not going to be a quick or easy war, Germany, like other countries realized they were painfully short of sidearms. This was particularly so because the sidearm was not only used by the military and police but was seen ad a badge of officer for various government service workers. In German Germany postmen, meter readers, train conductors, drivers license workers and bus drivers carried a sidearm... usually a .32acp or a .25acp.
Anyway, by 1941 it became clear that despite Germany having taken over various old time producers of pistols such as CZ, Radom, FN, MAB/MAS/MAC and Norway's state Armory the the supply was well short of meeting the demand from the Wehrmacht and various civilian agencies. To help ease this demand, Heereswaffenampt (Army Quartermaster branch that was for the most part the executive agency for small arms acquisition) placed contracts with various foreign manufacturers, including Spain's Star and Astra.
Astra received contracts for three models of pistol. A few Astra 400 pistols in 9mm Largo were acquired, but the number was small. Sizeable contracts were placed for Astra 300 pistols in .380acp and in 32acp (9mm Kurtz and 7.65 auto.) By far the most important and larges quantity purchased were for the Astra 600 a scaled down Astra 400 chambered for the 9x19 cal cartridge.
There were two orders for Astra 600s. The first was delivered to the Germans through France via rail.
Despite looking like a 1950s concept of what a ray gun should look like the Astra 600 was a serviceable pistol that was popular with the Navy and Air Force (perhaps because it was somewhat smaller than other 9x19 guns.) The odd design worked well and as accurate as any other European military pistol and perhaps most important it was available.
Whether because of good performance or because of availability the Germans placed a second order for Astra 600s with Astra for delivery in 1944. Unfortunately (for the Germans). by the time Astra was ready to ship the guns the landings in Normandy and the South of France had closed the rail route between Spain and Germany. As a result the guns were not delivered and put in a warehouse.
The Astra used an odd system wherein the barrel was surrounded by the recoil spring making the barrel a sort of recoil spring guide.
By the early 1950s the Germans had become 'good guys' and allies of their former western ally enemies... As the new German government got going there was a need for pistols for the newly independent police agencies. At that time someone remembered the German paid for Astra 600s sitting in a Spanish (NATO ally) warehouse... and the pistols were dellivered to Germany where the were were used for some years until supplemented by German made guns, mostly Walther P38/P1s. The now surplus Astras (P2) were sold to American dealers.
And that is the story of this Astra 600 came to live in my safe.
FWIW
CHuck
One of the more unusual guns imported in the late 1960s was the Astra 600.
As it became WWII was not going to be a quick or easy war, Germany, like other countries realized they were painfully short of sidearms. This was particularly so because the sidearm was not only used by the military and police but was seen ad a badge of officer for various government service workers. In German Germany postmen, meter readers, train conductors, drivers license workers and bus drivers carried a sidearm... usually a .32acp or a .25acp.
Anyway, by 1941 it became clear that despite Germany having taken over various old time producers of pistols such as CZ, Radom, FN, MAB/MAS/MAC and Norway's state Armory the the supply was well short of meeting the demand from the Wehrmacht and various civilian agencies. To help ease this demand, Heereswaffenampt (Army Quartermaster branch that was for the most part the executive agency for small arms acquisition) placed contracts with various foreign manufacturers, including Spain's Star and Astra.
Astra received contracts for three models of pistol. A few Astra 400 pistols in 9mm Largo were acquired, but the number was small. Sizeable contracts were placed for Astra 300 pistols in .380acp and in 32acp (9mm Kurtz and 7.65 auto.) By far the most important and larges quantity purchased were for the Astra 600 a scaled down Astra 400 chambered for the 9x19 cal cartridge.
There were two orders for Astra 600s. The first was delivered to the Germans through France via rail.
Despite looking like a 1950s concept of what a ray gun should look like the Astra 600 was a serviceable pistol that was popular with the Navy and Air Force (perhaps because it was somewhat smaller than other 9x19 guns.) The odd design worked well and as accurate as any other European military pistol and perhaps most important it was available.
Whether because of good performance or because of availability the Germans placed a second order for Astra 600s with Astra for delivery in 1944. Unfortunately (for the Germans). by the time Astra was ready to ship the guns the landings in Normandy and the South of France had closed the rail route between Spain and Germany. As a result the guns were not delivered and put in a warehouse.
The Astra used an odd system wherein the barrel was surrounded by the recoil spring making the barrel a sort of recoil spring guide.
By the early 1950s the Germans had become 'good guys' and allies of their former western ally enemies... As the new German government got going there was a need for pistols for the newly independent police agencies. At that time someone remembered the German paid for Astra 600s sitting in a Spanish (NATO ally) warehouse... and the pistols were dellivered to Germany where the were were used for some years until supplemented by German made guns, mostly Walther P38/P1s. The now surplus Astras (P2) were sold to American dealers.
And that is the story of this Astra 600 came to live in my safe.
FWIW
CHuck
