Spanish Astra 900 Stocked Pistol

Cool Forgotten Weapons Merch! shop.bbtv.com/c...
The Astra 900 was a pistol developed to take advantage of a large Chinese demand for semiauto pistols with shoulder stocks, following on the massive sales of the Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" in that country. In the 1920s and 30s, civil war in China drove a huge market in arms, but international treaty had prohibited the importation of military arms. One loophole in the accords, however, was that stocked pistols (including fully automatic stocked pistols) were not considered military arms.
Mauser led the sales to China, but several Spanish companies jumped into the market as well, and the Astra 900 was a well made and reasonably popular gun.The semiauto 900 was chambered for 7.63mm Mauser (like the C96), and about 21,000 were made from 1928 into the 1930s. A series of improved designs followed, with the 901 (select-fire), 902 (select-fire with a fixed 20-round magazine), 903 (select-fire with detachable magazines), and 904/Model F (select-fire with detachable magazines and a rate-reducing mechanism).
/ forgottenweapons
Related:
Mauser C96 with 20-round magazine: • 20-Shot C96 "Broomhand...
Scoped C96 Sporting Carbine: • Scoped C96 "Broomhandl...
Mauser 712 Schnellfeuer: • Mauser "Schnellfeuer" ...
Shansei .45ACP Broomhandle Mauser: • Shansei .45ACP Broomha...
ATF C&R List, including NFA exempt guns: www.atf.gov/fi...

[@ShawarmaFarmer]

When I visited China I saw a room in a museum stocked with C96 and its copies from floor to ceiling in racks with stocks like this. Pretty impressive

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

Had you asked to see the stock room? Or the broom (handle) cupboard perhaps? There's a joke in there somewhere, am trying to find it. :)

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Those things were insanely popular in China

[@estebanantonio15]

Bilbao is in Basque country in Spain, not portugal. I love your videos. I watch them practically every day

[@Ruhhuuhh7765]

Eres Español u que

[@MrMongorbe]

O tiene conocimientos de geografía?

[@Jose-de5eq]

Thank you, had to be said

[@RaiderCat12]

God, it’s actually insane how much the mechanism is simplified compared to real C96s. Something about real geniuses improving on designs they take.

[@benm5913]

I've really enjoyed all these stocked pistol videos. Thanks Gun Jesus.

[@chapiit08]

I own a Mauser Bolo, complete with hollow stock, it's a pain to disassemble, I can see the benefits of the Astra in that regard.

[@JiiHooMan]

I've never been shot at with an Astra pistol, but i've almost got ran over by an Opel Astra numerous times.

[@altair1983]

...the comments on this channel :)

[@GoredonTheDestroyer]

It is yes.

[@yuri26j]

Henri Nikula you need to look before crossing the road and make sure the light is green

[@sionsoschwalts2762]

Best part is bost have an Astra F model

[@Thatonedude917]

Oh gun Jesus, I beseech thee for thine blessing

[@chrisloUSA]

Gun Jesus rules!

[@chunglii8]

Great video as always Ian! I love these videos on stocked pistols.

[@StromBugSlayer]

Thank you for this. I never could figure out how to take down the Astra. The safety! Cool. Great video.

[@nctrlnet]

Pedantic point: .ch is the Top Level Domain (TLD) for Switzerland. .cn is the TLD for China. :)

[@gorazdvahen492]

My god, did somebody actually just pronounced Schnellfeuer correctly? Kudos to you, sir, job well done! Great channel, by the way!

[@jasonirion]

wish they made new production 904 . great history lesson . keep up the good work.

[@RaiderCat12]

I’d sell my liver for a new production Model F

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

nice one!

[@jameslawrie3807]

Another reason for selecting Japan and not some place like the French Concession or the International Settlement in Shanghai was that Chinese port cities were frequently fought over and that would usually limit in a large way to selling the weapons to the occupying clique and not the best market (the port infrastructure and foreign interests were rarely damaged). Hong Kong and similar places followed the official line of banning weapons shipments and circumvention was often limited to the colonising power's industry, foreign industry had to follow the rules a lot more. Japan in that time had close ties to the Fengtian Clique of Manchuria and was already funnelling arms into China via the Kwantung Army, a Japanese army in a Chinese 'leased' territory. (The USSR was supplying everyone but especially the KMT, the Italians sold to everybody, the USA private industry was pouring weapons in via circuitous routes and so on and so on). The Mauser was especially liked for its very high velocity which translated into penetrating power. First generation vests were commonly in use in Shanghai and similar areas and they'd be rated as either 'Pistol Proof' for the less protective and 'Mauser Proof' for the more protective. Among the Clique militaries even helmets were almost unknown so its relatively flat ballistics aided 'instinctive shooting' without using sights rather than any penetration as the mud brick construction of a lot structures was essentially a sandbag. The Mausers and other stocked pistols were often used alongside heavy dao (swords) and excelled in snap-shooting close combat in urban combat, China at the time often being covered in closely set walled villages.

[@catfuz]

Thank you Ian, I had asked before where I could find out if my Mauser C96 could take a stock. Now I'm going to search through this document to find if it can!

[@catfuz]

From what I have found it seems that Mauser C96's can only be fitted with original stocks from before 1940. It's in Section 3 (page 35). "the Mauser, Model 1896 semiautiomatic pistol accompanied by the original German mfd. detachable wooden holster/shoulder stocks, all semuautomatic German mfd. variations produced prior to 1940, any caliber." (page 39)

[@Jesses001]

So basically a Mauser with an easier field strip. I like it. That jeweling is a nice touch, ha. This pattern pistol is really awkward as a pistol. As a carbine however, I feel this thing, especially the detachable magazine version, is a good weapon even today. I would totally rock a detachable magazine Mauser (or Astra) as a home defense carbine.

[@trevorworthington6739]

C96 disassembly for cleaning is two steps. The Astra's only real improvement on disassembly is that you don't have to drop the magazine floorplate first, which isn't much of a bonus considering how much worse the Astra is in every other way. Once you get used to shooting the Broomhandle as a pistol, it's not as bad as it looks, just unconventional.

[@Jesses001]

Well it is not unwieldable by any means, but I find the weight very awkward when shooting it as a pistol. I feel it is really comfortable as a carbine though. Wrap your hand around the front of the magazine and pull it in tight.

[@trevorworthington6739]

Jesse Sisolack agreed, it's wonderful with the stock attached. It's the grand-daddy of the modern PDW.

[@SageManeja]

Looks like a Spanish manufactured designed based on german designs, just like the HA-1112 (based on the Bf 109 G-2) wich would become the last Bf 109 in service after being retired in 1955.

[@russelsellick316]

I had great fun shooting an Astra 903 ...only 20 rounds sadly and I got 3 bursts..

[@k9foru2]

my grandfather has a similar looking pistol he brought back from WW2 Pacific theatre

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

+Hayden Lewis It could have been a C96 copy. IIRC they were used by Chinese in Sino-Japanese war and could have been captured by a Japanese soldier, then brought back by OP's grandfather

[@Jesses001]

I am sure the firearm enthusiasts here would love some pictures if you have them handy...I mean I doubt you do but I figured it is worth mentioning, ha.

[@k9foru2]

I don't know much about it but I was told it was a Japanese Officer's Pistol, and no I don't have any pictures unfortunatly

[@Jesses001]

Well it was uncommon, but the Japanese did indeed have some C96s. They generally had lower quality handguns so I bet whatever office had that Mauser really kept a hold of it. It would had been both a good handgun compared to what else he had available and a status symbol.

[@AldanFerrox]

Bilbao is in Spain Ian, not in Portugal.

[@pedrotome9119]

Hi!! Loved this video, as I always do. Bilbao is NOT in Portugal. I also wish it was. But it is in Spain. I love Spanish guns, and they made several interesting guns. I am portuguese and I lament that the few makers we had, now do not exist, as it is happening with other industries, etc... Anyway: at least now there is this channel, that keeps teaching me...

[@harryjoe860]

I saw one for sale once for 1500 with a cracked stock. It had fake red 9 handles and the bolt didn't lock back

[@johny_baba]

These Pistols (along with some original Mauser C-96s too) were used by Freedom fighters of India too,Notably by Chandrashekhar Azad.

[@NatsuKashi00]

That's an impressively simple locking/unlocking mechanism. Sure, it can't fire 9mm Luger, but if the Luger was too expensive for the US Army, Chinese warlords were going to want something much simpler and cheaper too.

[@johnq1753]

The C96 was also available in 9mm Luger.

[@nuueq]

Mauser 7.63x25 is more powerful cartridge than 9x19 Luger.

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

Hey Ian, when are you going to do some more shooting videos on FW? These auction things are OK but I miss the stuff with live ammo firing and your appreciation and analysis of the gun as a working machine.

[@mattorama]

Have you ever done a video on what it's like to actually run around with one of these wooden foot long stocks on your hip?

[@feraligatorade99]

Disappointed that the universal disassembly tool was replaced with a bullet.

[@MayDayMei98]

No One: Chinese Guy who bought a full auto Mauser-lookalike: My hand cannon goes *BRRRRRT*

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

The people of the sun realm make pretty good pistols.

[@fbweaver63]

thank you

[@TheBitwise]

Can you imagine having (10 rounds per magazine * [900 rounds per minute / 60 seconds per minute = 15 rounds per second] = 0.6* [repeating] seconds) 2/3rds of a second worth of firing time? What were they thinking? How many trigger pulls could a shooter get into a 0.67 second window?

[@notfeedynotlazy]

One. To a single target you wanted very, very full of holes. Not being sarcastic, was the actual usage of full auto pistols in 1920's China: they were among the favored weapons for assasinations.

[@DinglePinky]

Can you tell the history of the CETME ameli machine gun also the mechanics, if you have the time and the weapon.

[@DinglePinky]

Pls.

[@DinglePinky]

+Miguel Ángel Simón Fernández I know the forefathers of CETME but what I want to know is the history of the Ameli machine gun, how it went to service in Spain. About the mechanics of weapon is the same as all weapons of CETME

[@DinglePinky]

+Justin Carl Guerrero I'm sorry, I'm using a small phone I can't type properly and my sentence are missing some words.

[@robertkubrick3738]

I like this. As for the sights? You never know, you might get massed troops on a bridge or something. Good video as usual.

[@Roguesquadroon]

Bilbao, Portugal... sureeeee :D

[@jimmelnyk7506]

Picking nits here...for China you need ".ca", ".ch" will route your e-mail to Switzerland. Keep up the good work.

[@sgthop]

.ca is Canada, China is .cn

[@flyingninja1234]

Oh Spanish patent laws, you are quite interesting.

[@Jesses001]

Actually the patent was up on this design by the time Astra started making them...though if it was not I am sure they would make it anyway, haha.

[@RCZM64]

On top of that, they added enough changes so it could only be "cosmetically similar", according to an Astra company guy, back then.

[@flyingninja1234]

I see thank you

[@flyingninja1234]

I see thank you

[@Insufferable_Furry_Trash]

Zod McStuffins I see thank you

[@PeggyHill90210]

Love the videos, just a suggestion, I feel like everything would look a little smoother with straight cuts instead of fades. Sometimes you voice gets caught up in the fade. Just an idea.

[@pattodd5310]

Enjoyed this overview of the ASTRA 900 pistol. Do you have a video in your library showing a complete disassembly down to a bare frame, and the re-assembly process. I have acquired a 900 that has been disassembled and I have no idea how to put it back together. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[@xriz00]

How did the 904F mechanism for reducing the rate of fire work?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

I have a video on that subject coming shortly. :)

[@RaiderCat12]

@@ForgottenWeapons How can I find it now? I am rather curious because I don’t recall ever finding it.

[@sentigalassi3148]

7.63 ammo is super hard to find .7.63x25 is a unicorn.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

I would say "occasionally unavailable" rather than "unicorn". My local shop usually has it on the shelf. You want "unicorn" ammo, try finding fodder for a French Mle 1873 or German Reichsrevolver.

[@sentigalassi3148]

+Christopher I'm always at my local turners .They never have it in stock or you have to tell them to order it which in CA will take at least 2 weeks to order anything "special" . But I do know of a place that sells the bullets without the casing .

[@n4zou]

7.62x25 works fine as long as you reduce the power in the shell by 25%. Personally I would never shoot it. It's really a collectable relic.

[@eos5564]

Is the ASTRA wood holster/stoch supposed to have the loop on the hinge? Saw it on Wikipedia? or both german and spanish have it on some and not others?

[@gehinkun]

I thought "box cannon" came from the "box" holster/stock?

[@simonp347]

Emanu Garnheim That is correct. Ian misspoke

[@gosonegr]

Ironically, nowadays you can't have this pistol in Spain for having an stock.

[@damiangrouse4564]

I could use one of these. Wonder what they are going for?

[@PGTRegard]

Ian, how did the 20 round fixed magazine on the 902 work with stripper clips? Did you have to hold the bolt back for the next stripper clip or did it stay back with an internal catch of some sort?

[@DAVEMC1000]

Were they all jeweled inside like that?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Yes.

[@Boomeus]

It's a mechanical technique, as I understand things. Helps oil to adhere to the surface.

[@HughesEnterprises]

Hmm. My place of work has one of these for sale for $1250 without a stock... might have to check it out considering the Julia estimate.

[@jgriz13]

I wonder at what point Spanish law began recognizing foreign firearm patents. It's always interested me that infringement was so rampant in Spain--and for such a long period of time.

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

No, they changed after WWII, under Franco who was a stickler for legality and fairness

[@ToastyMozart]

If I had to guess, it was when they joined the EU. Permitting flagrant cloning of patents belonging to your trade partners tends to not go over well. Though IIRC Mauser's patent on the C96 would have expired by this point.

[@abitnutz6747]

Which of the Spanish firearms manufacturers do you think has the best quality? Star, Llama, Astra...other?

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

Depends on what years. I would say Star was the best altogether after the spanish civil war, the firestar pistols were quite good . Llama did produce some atractive and compact guns in it's later years.

[@cesargijon]

Astra had excellente quality, hight strengh steel and great finish... probably the best along with Star. LLAMA made good guns until the 1950´s, when they adopted the invesment casting process, and many of their pistols were more beautiful than good guns. Star was high quality too. So LLAMA made good guns until 1956 and some ot their later mOdels, like the LLAMA MAX 1911 compatible was a good gun too, with good steel. However other LLAMA guns are forgettable.

[@chadbarrett3545]

Over all is this a better gun then the c96? objectively I mean.

[@AjackLee4]

They're built tankier than the original, and with new springs in them can even handle 7.62x25mm tokarev.

[@kevinoliver3083]

Could you use 10-round chargers with the scope in situ. Or just the 6-round ones meant for the short magazine pistols?

[@BaxterBandCreek]

Hoping you may be able to help me find a recoil spring for my TS22 semi...Having a hard time locating one...Or does Astra make a spring interchangeable for my TS22

[@williamwalker9315]

I'm gonna make a Red9 C96 my carry gun.

[@MrJob91]

A nice crusty cookie

[@doblesptag]

Bilbao was and is in Spain.

[@andersont4050]

It`s also a great pistol to hunt las plagas.

[@DanielSvensson666]

Great video.:D

[@thomasemerick7592]

Does anyone have information on how the gun serial number relates to the specific model?

[@SpartanA054Moose]

Have a nice day

[@kong6ixchannel]

How much price for this gun from 1923 made from Spain ?

[@keithmoore7390]

that must have been a sales sample going by the condition, have you seen the Chinese copies in.45 and selective fire? I understand their special forces still use them! did they ever import them to the U.S.?

[@gingyburticus6805]

CHINA?! BUT THEY'RE KLILLIN US ON TRADE!

[@highestqualitypigiron]

an M1903 has to pay for patent violations to Mauser while this doesn't? Oh patent laws you sure prevent copying like you're supposed to.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Spanish legal issues aside, patents on the C96 had expired by the time these were made.

[@jchap15901]

@3:24 while that may have been true for mainland China, wherebuyguns.hk was already fully opetarional by this time

[@MarvinCZ]

What happened to the Universal Disassembly Tool?

[@andywander]

What is it about the 2nd pin that holds the slide on?

[@miscbrah3508]

based ian

[@laurensscheerstra6469]

Hi Ian what do you do for work?

[@Nonii-92]

This

[@HellYeahCorp]

He's an engineer of some sort.

[@SanguineThor]

Possibly what Eva from MGS3 was using!

[@SanguineThor]

Minus the stock though

[@tenlittleindians]

No wonder the Chinese loved it; it comes apart like a Chinese wooden puzzle!

[@TheToTaLCoW]

Bilbao in Portugal? Well, Americans are known for their good geography knowledge...

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time.

[@leisergeist]

Welp, you messed up one fact in the last 30 years. I'm sorry Ian, but you're fired.

[@ProudToBeNoob]

Also: google.ch would be Swiss google.

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

Maybe he confused it with Portugalete

[@NikoMoraKamu]

i'm sure that is the case , portugalete and bilbao are very near

[@sjoormen1]

But comparing astra with mauser, could astra be looked as improved mauser?

[@RCZM64]

They changed enough so it would be easier and cheaper to manufacture (and in part to avoid the risk of a patent war), which also made the pistol more reliable and easier to disassemble. Also introduced detachable magazines before Mauser did. The Modelo F made for Guardia Civil in 9 Largo (not many built) was in service in Spain during the Civil War, and until the Z45 substituted it completely.

[@sjoormen1]

Thanks for fast and sensible reply. I like old weapons, I really do.

[@HellYeahCorp]

I think I'm going to miss the "Dauerführer", "Einzelführer" and "Schnellführer" on this channel.

[@Aimless6]

Better make that Dauerfeuer. Sustained Fire Fuhrer as in Leader or Guide or Scouting Troop Leader, got kind of a bad reputation a few years after this gun was made. (DOW-er, er as in Earth) (Foy-er as in Joy)(Einz-L as in Heinz ketchup)(Sh-Nell as in Shell)

[@HellYeahCorp]

Aimless6 I am German. I am also the guy normally correcting Ian when his pronunciation is off. "Dauerführer" is a joke from the comments of an older video. (Because he used to pronounce it like that.)

[@Aimless6]

Aramiro Ah, sorry. I read somewhere, if you don't hear a language spoken by your parents before you're five, you can't even hear some tones. In English there are many many words, written in a different way, that all sound the same to me.

[@HellYeahCorp]

Aimless6 Lindybeige has a good video about those if I'm not mistaken.

[@davidstegman8147]

Who made the .45 auto version?

[@manfredrichthofen2494]

Bilbao is also famous for its sausages...Chorizo Bilbao.

[@ianbabcock6802]

It's full of jam?

[@rogergarcia4349]

Bilbao is in Spain, not in Portugal!

[@nichevo1]

When did these and the Mausers come back from China? Why, were they confiscated or warrantied out? Did Chiang Kai-shek, or Mao, trade them in for newer models?

[@mr.bobcyndaquil]

They may have been captured multiple times by vaious forces.

[@simbaABR]

red 9 from resident evil 4?

[@paulshayter1113]

Bilbao? Wasn't he from Middle Earth? ;-)

[@tacticoolcommando7305]

What are these worth?

[@AjackLee4]

Around a thousand to 3 thousand depending on condition.

[@bobbylee2853]

“Made in sun country” was a smart thing to mark on the gun since the nationalists had a sun on their flag. Also a tie in with Sun Yat-Sen.

[@brabhamfreaman166]

A wooden holster! - why didn't that catch on?!

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

your comments on the firepower etc. are spot on. Being a bit finicky about flags, the correct flag for your post should be not the modern one you posted but the official one until 1931. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Flag_of_Spain_%281785-1873_and_1875-1931%29.svg/120px-Flag_of_Spain_%281785-1873_and_1875-1931%29.svg.png

[@BurnTheNuance]

Have enough names bro? Haha..

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

Nope, Simón is a surname. It is custom in Spain and Portugal to use both parents last names. Our women don't have different maiden names and married names. Miguel Angel is the spanish equivalent to Michelangelo in italian

[@Tedshatimporium]

what do u think is on Annie Oakleys chin..

[@jessb91106]

IAAAAANNNN!!!

[@100ll_REPUBLIC]

I have one

[@TheA10king]

I’ve got a serial number 22800 anybody know anything about it

[@montimuros2837]

Alas, the flag is wrong. You used the modern Spanish flag, which has a different coat of arms.

[@SONOFAZOMBIE2025]

should blur it out to confuse the censors

[@esejony65]

Not using the coat of arms of Gernika to show Astra. Oh the shame...

[@montimuros2837]

+esejony65 Oh. Now I get it xd. My bad

[@Lisztomaniac1022]

I believe these were also used by the germans in ww2

[@ruskgaming6019]

its full of Greece but I thought it was Spanish?

[@henrymach]

Man, that's a lot of grease

[@acedia_14]

Google.ch it may not have existed in the 1920s but it doesn't exist now either.

[@pjny21]

Han shot first. Just sayin'

[@cardboard_shaft]

where the HELL is your tax stamp!?

[@AjackLee4]

The Mauser type and other old, stocked pistols are exempt from the NFA.

[@diktatoralexander88]

Hey Ian, did you get my comment about me naming a character after you?

[@diktatoralexander88]

I named a character "Ian". The character is a drug addict, whos addicted to "Magic Mushrooms"

[@joemire]

Why Spain is so obsessed with German firearms?

[@apegrasshoplizard]

Closet nazis

[@maringarcia95]

@@apegrasshoplizard ?

[@vincenttang0912]

Google.ch lol

[@grafixbyjorj]

A great place to look for a K31:)

[@AGS363]

HISTORICAL FACT: 1920s China was the place were the term "Warlord" came in use.

[@InSanic13]

warlord (n.) also war-lord, *1856*, from war (n.) + lord (n.). Often a translation of German Kriegsherr or Chinese junfa.

[@AGS363]

"came in use"...you pathetic joke. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warlord

[@InSanic13]

AGS363 Why so hostile, m8?

[@AGS363]

Proper KZbin etiquette.

[@BurnTheNuance]

Calm the fuck down douche lord. Words are generally "in use" when they are created. Also nice wiki link, didn't they teach you it's not a credible citation in whatever country you're from? So you were wrong (or at the very least nieve enough to act smug about reading a wiki article) they showed you were wrong and you threw a hissy fit. If anyone is a joke it's your mother for giving birth to a dipshit like you.

[@franktalan5441]

i have an Astra 900. for some reason when i remove the second locking pin, the upper receiver will not simply come off like you demonstrated. the only way i can disassemble the pistol is to remove the firing pin assembly first, then the pistol can be disassembled. i don't know what the heck I'm doing wrong?