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{{Infobox Weapon
{{Infobox weapon
| name = Astra Model 900
| name = Astra Model 900
| image =Astra900.png
| image = ASTRA 903.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| image_size = 300px
| caption =
| caption = An Astra 903 pistol.
| origin = [[Spain under the Restoration|Kingdom of Spain]]
| origin = [[Spain under the Restoration|Kingdom of Spain]]
| type = Semi-automatic pistol, Machine Pistol (Astra Model 904)
| type = Semi-automatic pistol<br>Machine pistol (Astra Model 902 and Astra Model 904)
<!-- Type selection -->
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged = YES
| is_ranged = YES
<!-- Service history -->| service = 1927–1945
| used_by = See [[#Users|Users]]
<!-- Service history -->
| service =
| wars = {{plainlist|
*[[Northern Expedition]]
| used_by = [[#Users|See Users]]
*[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]
| wars = [[Spanish Civil War]]<br/>[[World War II]]
*[[Spanish Civil War]]
<!-- Production history -->
*[[World War II]]}}
| designer =
<!-- Production history -->| designer =
| design_date =
| design_date =
| manufacturer = [[Astra-Unceta y Cia SA]]
| manufacturer = [[Astra-Unceta y Cia SA]]
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| number = 35,076 (all versions)
| number = 35,076 (all versions)
| variants = 900, 901, 902, 903, 904
| variants = 900, 901, 902, 903, 904
<!-- General specifications -->
<!-- General specifications -->| spec_label =
| spec_label =
| weight = 1.275 kg (Astra 903)
| weight = 1.275 kg (Astra 903)
| height = 150 mm (Astra 903)
| height = 150 mm (Astra 903)
| length = 308 mm (Astra 903)
| length = 308 mm (Astra 903)
| part_length = 160 mm (Astra 903)
| part_length = 160 mm (Astra 903)
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->| cartridge = [[7.63×25mm Mauser]]<br> [[9mm Largo]]
| cartridge = [[7.63×25mm Mauser]], [[9mm Largo]]
| cartridge_weight =
| cartridge_weight =
| caliber = 7.63mm, 9mm
| caliber = 7.63mm<br> 9mm
| barrels =
| barrels =
| action =
| action =
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| sights = Iron
| sights = Iron
}}
}}
{{more footnotes|date=November 2014}}


The '''Astra Model 900''' is one of many Spanish copies of the German [[Mauser C96]] semi-automatic pistol. It shares the same caliber, magazine capacity, and holster type and is generally very similar to the German handgun.
The '''Astra Model 900''' is one of many Spanish copies of the German [[Mauser C96]] semi-automatic pistol. It shares the same caliber, magazine capacity, and holster type and is generally very similar to the German handgun.


==History==
==Machine-Pistol Variants==
The Spanish gunmaker Astra-Unceta y Cia began producing a copy of the Mauser C.96 in 1927<ref name="WG">{{cite web | url=https://modernfirearms.net/en/handguns/handguns-en/spain-semi-automatic-pistols/astra-900-2/ | title=Astra automatic pistols: Astra 900, Astra 901, Astra 902, Astra 903, Astra F (Spain) | date=13 March 2021 }}</ref> that was externally similar to the C96 (including the presence of a detachable shoulder stock/holster) but with non-interlocking internal parts. It was produced until 1941, with a production hiatus in 1937 and 1938, and a final batch assembled from spare parts in 1951.<ref name="1896mauser.com" />


The Spanish copies of the C96 were generally intended for export to China,<ref name="1896mauser.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.1896mauser.com/spanish.htm |title=Spanish Guns |website=1896mauser.com |access-date=28 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209012559/http://www.1896mauser.com/spanish.htm |archive-date=9 February 2009 }}</ref> but after the commencement of the Sino-Japanese war, the remaining Astra 900s were used in the Spanish Civil War, and numbers were also sold to Germany in the period 1940–1943.<ref name="1896mauser.com" />
The [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque]]-manufactured [[Astra-Unceta y Cia SA]] Astra 901 is a compact [[machine pistol]], with a magazine capacity of 10 [[7.63×25mm Mauser]] cartridges, which is a considerably smaller capacity than is standard for a machine pistol. The next model, the Astra 902, was provided with a fixed magazine of 20 cartridges and a lengthened barrel, and Astra 903 had a removable magazine instead of the usual fixed one. Astra later added a mechanism to slow the rate of fire and make the gun more manageable (to an extent) when being fired on [[full-auto]] or [[Burst fire|burst modes]], calling this the Model 904. The Model 904 is comparable to the German [[Mauser M712#M1932 .2F M712 Schnellfeuer|Mauser M712 'Schnellfeuer']] Broomhandle pistols, having a detachable magazine, automatic fire capabilities, and general appearance.


==Design==
The Astra Model 904 was produced in a [[9 mm Largo]] variant, the Astra Model 904E, which was identical to the Model 904 in all other respects.
The [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque]]-manufactured [[Astra-Unceta y Cia SA]] Astra 901 is a compact [[machine pistol]], with a magazine capacity of 10 [[7.63×25mm Mauser]] cartridges, which is a considerably smaller capacity than is standard for a machine pistol. The next model, the Astra 902, was provided with a fixed magazine of 20 cartridges and a lengthened barrel, and Astra 903 had a removable magazine instead of the usual fixed one. Astra later added a mechanism to slow the rate of fire and make the gun more manageable (to an extent) when being fired on [[full-auto]] or [[Burst fire|burst modes]], calling this the Model 904.

The Model 904 is comparable to the German [[Mauser M712#M1932/M712 Schnellfeuer|Mauser M712 'Schnellfeuer']] Broomhandle pistols, having a detachable magazine, automatic fire capabilities, and general appearance.

The Astra Model 904 was produced in a [[9mm Largo]] variant, the Astra Model 904E, which was identical to the Model 904 in all other respects.

==Production and distribution==
The following models were made by Astra:<ref name="WG"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/astra-model-900/ | title=Astra Model 900 | date=28 September 2016 }}</ref>
[[File:Colección Museográfica de la Legión en Almería 062.jpg|thumb|right|Astra 900 with shoulder stock.]]


==Production and Distribution==
[[Image:ASTRA 903.jpg|thumb|right|An Astra 903 machine-pistol.]]
* Astra 900: 21,000 weapons from 1927 to 1941 for China, [[Latin America]], [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Spanish Republicans]], and the [[Wehrmacht]] (1,050 delivered in 1943).
* Astra 900: 21,000 weapons from 1927 to 1941 for China, [[Latin America]], [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Spanish Republicans]], and the [[Wehrmacht]] (1,050 delivered in 1943).
* Astra 901: 1,655 weapons in 1928, destined mainly for China.
* Astra 901: 1,655 weapons in 1928, destined mainly for China.
* Astra 902: 7,075 weapons in 1928 to 1933. Some delivered to China, others delivered to the [[Wehrmacht]] in 1943.
* Astra 902: 7,075 weapons in 1928 to 1933. Some delivered to China, others delivered to the [[Wehrmacht]] in 1943.
* Astra HOPE: 500 weapons made in 1929.
* Astra 903: 3,082 weapons in 1932 to 1934. Same users as the 902.
* Astra 903: 3,082 weapons in 1932 to 1934. Same users as the 902.
* Astra 904: 90+ weapons in 1934.
* Astra 904: 90+ weapons in 1934.
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* Astra E: 548 weapons assembled between 1949, 1951 and 1961 from stored parts. Reserved for export to Egypt, India, Iraq and Pakistan.
* Astra E: 548 weapons assembled between 1949, 1951 and 1961 from stored parts. Reserved for export to Egypt, India, Iraq and Pakistan.
* 8 × Astra 900, 12 × Astra 902, and 9 × Astra 400, all richly engraved, were presented to [[Joseph Stalin]] during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.
* 8 × Astra 900, 12 × Astra 902, and 9 × Astra 400, all richly engraved, were presented to [[Joseph Stalin]] during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+Model data
|-
! Model
! Astra 900
! Astra 901
! Astra 902
! Astra 903
! Astra 904
! Astra F
! Astra E
|-
! Length
| 29&nbsp;cm
| 29&nbsp;cm
| 33&nbsp;cm
| 31&nbsp;cm
| 31&nbsp;cm
| 31&nbsp;cm
| 31&nbsp;cm
|-
! Length (Stock attached)
| 64&nbsp;cm
| 64&nbsp;cm
| 72&nbsp;cm
| 68&nbsp;cm
| 68&nbsp;cm
| 68&nbsp;cm
| 68&nbsp;cm
|-
! Barrel
| 14&nbsp;cm
| 14&nbsp;cm
| 18&nbsp;cm
| 16&nbsp;cm
| 16&nbsp;cm
| 16&nbsp;cm
| 16&nbsp;cm
|-
! Weight (loaded)
| 1.26&nbsp;kg
| 1.26&nbsp;kg
| 1.53&nbsp;kg
| 1.45&nbsp;kg
| 1.45&nbsp;kg
| 1.45&nbsp;kg
| 1.45&nbsp;kg
|-
! Caliber
| 7.63 Mauser
| 7.63 Mauser
| 7.63 Mauser
| 7.63 Mauser
| 7.63 Mauser
| 9&nbsp;mm Largo
| 7.63 Mauser
|-
!Magazine (Mag) <br/> or Charger (Clip)
|10 rounds (Clip)
|10 rounds (Clip)
|20 rounds (Clip)
|10-20 rounds (Mag)
|10-20 rounds (Mag)
|10-20 rounds (Mag)
|10-20 rounds (Mag)
|}


==Users==
==Users==
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you. -->
*{{Flagcountry|Egypt}}
*{{Flagcountry|India}}
*{{Flagcountry|Iraq}}
*{{Flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
*{{Flagcountry|Japan}}
*{{Flagcountry|Pakistan}}
*{{Flagcountry|Republic of China}}
*{{flagicon|Spain|1931}} [[Second Spanish Republic]]
*{{Flagcountry|Spain}}


*{{Flag|Republic of China (1912–1949)}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Philip Jowett |title=The Chinese Army 1937–49: World War II and Civil War |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-1841769042 |pages=22, 43}}</ref>
==See also==
*{{Flag|Empire of Japan}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Antaris |first1=Leonardo |title=Astra Automatic Pistols |year=1988 |publisher=FIRAC Pub. Co |isbn=0962076708 |pages=150 |edition=1st}}</ref>
*[[Bergmann–Bayard model 1910]]
* {{Flag|Nazi Germany}}
* {{Flag|Spanish Republic|name=Second Spanish Republic}}: Astra Fs known to be issued to the Guardia Civil.<Ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wargm.org/armoury/index.php?mode=2&cat=Allied+and+Neutral+Self+Loading+Pistols&item=18 | title=The Armoury }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/astra-model-f-video/ | title=Astra Model F (Video) | date=4 November 2016 }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{no footnotes|date=November 2014}}
* Luc GUILLOU & PHILIPPE GOURIO, ''The Astra Guns'', Pardès Editions, 1991

==External links==
*[http://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-astra-903-nothing-new-in-advertising/ Astra 903 Advertising]


[[Category:Machine pistols]]
[[Category:Machine pistols]]
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[[Category:World War II infantry weapons]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons]]
[[Category:9mm Largo firearms]]
[[Category:9mm Largo firearms]]
[[Category:7.63×25mm Mauser firearms]]

Latest revision as of 05:35, 31 July 2024

Astra Model 900
An Astra 903 pistol.
TypeSemi-automatic pistol
Machine pistol (Astra Model 902 and Astra Model 904)
Place of originKingdom of Spain
Service history
In service1927–1945
Used bySee Users
Wars
Production history
ManufacturerAstra-Unceta y Cia SA
No. built35,076 (all versions)
Variants900, 901, 902, 903, 904
Specifications
Mass1.275 kg (Astra 903)
Length308 mm (Astra 903)
Barrel length160 mm (Astra 903)
Height150 mm (Astra 903)

Cartridge7.63×25mm Mauser
9mm Largo
Caliber7.63mm
9mm
Muzzle velocity461.28 m/s (1,513.4 ft/s)
Maximum firing range1,000 m (1,100 yd)
Feed system10, 20 round box magazine
SightsIron

The Astra Model 900 is one of many Spanish copies of the German Mauser C96 semi-automatic pistol. It shares the same caliber, magazine capacity, and holster type and is generally very similar to the German handgun.

History

[edit]

The Spanish gunmaker Astra-Unceta y Cia began producing a copy of the Mauser C.96 in 1927[1] that was externally similar to the C96 (including the presence of a detachable shoulder stock/holster) but with non-interlocking internal parts. It was produced until 1941, with a production hiatus in 1937 and 1938, and a final batch assembled from spare parts in 1951.[2]

The Spanish copies of the C96 were generally intended for export to China,[2] but after the commencement of the Sino-Japanese war, the remaining Astra 900s were used in the Spanish Civil War, and numbers were also sold to Germany in the period 1940–1943.[2]

Design

[edit]

The Basque-manufactured Astra-Unceta y Cia SA Astra 901 is a compact machine pistol, with a magazine capacity of 10 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridges, which is a considerably smaller capacity than is standard for a machine pistol. The next model, the Astra 902, was provided with a fixed magazine of 20 cartridges and a lengthened barrel, and Astra 903 had a removable magazine instead of the usual fixed one. Astra later added a mechanism to slow the rate of fire and make the gun more manageable (to an extent) when being fired on full-auto or burst modes, calling this the Model 904.

The Model 904 is comparable to the German Mauser M712 'Schnellfeuer' Broomhandle pistols, having a detachable magazine, automatic fire capabilities, and general appearance.

The Astra Model 904 was produced in a 9mm Largo variant, the Astra Model 904E, which was identical to the Model 904 in all other respects.

Production and distribution

[edit]

The following models were made by Astra:[1][3]

Astra 900 with shoulder stock.
  • Astra 900: 21,000 weapons from 1927 to 1941 for China, Latin America, Spanish Republicans, and the Wehrmacht (1,050 delivered in 1943).
  • Astra 901: 1,655 weapons in 1928, destined mainly for China.
  • Astra 902: 7,075 weapons in 1928 to 1933. Some delivered to China, others delivered to the Wehrmacht in 1943.
  • Astra 903: 3,082 weapons in 1932 to 1934. Same users as the 902.
  • Astra 904: 90+ weapons in 1934.
  • Astra F: 1,126 weapons in 1936. Issued to the Guardia Civil during Spanish Civil War.
  • Astra E: 548 weapons assembled between 1949, 1951 and 1961 from stored parts. Reserved for export to Egypt, India, Iraq and Pakistan.
  • 8 × Astra 900, 12 × Astra 902, and 9 × Astra 400, all richly engraved, were presented to Joseph Stalin during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.

Users

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Astra automatic pistols: Astra 900, Astra 901, Astra 902, Astra 903, Astra F (Spain)". 13 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Spanish Guns". 1896mauser.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Astra Model 900". 28 September 2016.
  4. ^ Philip Jowett (2005). The Chinese Army 1937–49: World War II and Civil War. Osprey Publishing. pp. 22, 43. ISBN 978-1841769042.
  5. ^ Antaris, Leonardo (1988). Astra Automatic Pistols (1st ed.). FIRAC Pub. Co. p. 150. ISBN 0962076708.
  6. ^ "The Armoury".
  7. ^ "Astra Model F (Video)". 4 November 2016.