Astra 400
I have heard alot of different things about this pistol. What all rounds will this pistol actually cycle? I know what the book says but I have heard alot of different things.
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I recently got an old Astra 400. Never intended to. Turns out to be interesting. Serial numbers match, doesn't appear to have been hurt. Serial is very close to 100,000. Chamber says "9mm&38. Top rear of slide says:
Unceta Y compania
Guernica, Espana
Pistola de 9mm (38)
Modelo 1921 (400)
proof mark on left top of trigger guard is burning bomb with 'I'inside.
My questions are - is this one of the high quality ones, or one of the not-so-high quality ones, and is this "9mm&38 chambering 9mm bayard/largo (and are 9mm bayard & 9mm largo the same) - I'm new and ignorant, so any help would be welcome.0 -
Reliably- 9mm largo, 9mm Steyr, and .38 auto (NOT .38 SUPER!) 0 -
So it does not reliably feed 9mm para? I had heard that you could shoot 38 super in these pistols but was a little skeptical due to the pressures generated by the round. 0 -
I believe that 9mm largo is also called 9mm bergman bayard. I have seen one that some fool decided to shoot .38 super in. It was being passed around at a show, he must have gotten very hurt. 0 -
I recall an American Rifleman review, of many years ago, testing about ten different cartridges including 38 Super in the Astra 400.
Apparently the 400 has special chamber dimensions to enable a variety of 38 and 9mm cartridges to fire in it. This is not so in the Astra 600.
The 400 is a straight blowback pistol so I question the validity of higher pressure cartridges in it although they are roughly in the same energy class.
An Email went to the Rifleman a few weeks ago on this and the 7.7 Japanese Arisaka reviews and have yet to hear back.
If some old timer with a collection of back issues could research the articles, it would be a real help.
Assuming factory loaded 38 Super and not the 9mm Mauser or the new 9x23 blew up the above gun, I'd await the NRA article before experimenting.0 -
Major George C. Nonte once did a piece on what could happen if you did the multi caliber trick with the Astra 400 and things did not work out right. A 9mm P that missed the extractor and fired with 4mm excess headspace was not a pretty sight.
The major brands don't make .38 Auto any more, there might be custom loaders. Starsandstripes.com lists it.0 -
I have a shot a lot of 9x19 ammo thru mine when I didn't know better. I would stick to 9mm largo. I handload for mine using 38 super brass and 125gr .358" jacketed bullets. 0 -
Rather than issuing a retraction, the American Rifleman March 2009 addressed the multi caliber issue without admitting guilt. They responded to another writer, who also knew of Hatcher's A.R. article giving its date of January 1948, but replied to my questions.
They now recommend shooting only 9mm Largo and 38 Automatic standard velocity in this pistol.
I'd like to see a reprint if someone has it.
Retractions in a Q&A column is a weak way of addressing a dangerous urban legend of their making.
Now if they'd backpedal some on another urban legend, the 7.7 mm Japanese rifle.0 -
If you fire 9mm luger out of it, all that is holding the case flush to the bolt face is the extractor. No proper headspacing. And given the different extractor grooves and extractor dimensions for 9mm luger vs 9X23 largo, it isn't going to hold it all that well either.
As has been said you can fire 9X23 Largo, .38 ACP, 9mm Bergmann-Baynard, and 9mm Steyr. All of these are essentially the same case dimensions and work to the proper pressures.
You can use 38 super or 9X23 Winchester brass for reloading if you stick to proper loads but don't use factory ammo in these calibers!0
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