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Buy Astra Model 3000, Astra Model 3000. The pistol is in very nice condition IMO with normal holster wear where you would expect to see it. Chambered in 9mmK/.380 ACP. The pistol functions as it should with no feed or extraction problems using Fiocchi ammunition. The serial number indicates a 1952 production while the date code stamp A-1 indicates 1955 proof. See pictures for condition and markings
Astra Unceta y Cía was a Spanish weapons manufacturer founded on July 17, 1908, under the name Esperanza y Unceta by Juan Esperanza and Pedro Unceta. First based off Eibar, the stronghold of the Basque arms industry, the company moved in 1913 to Guernica.Buy Astra Model 3000,
History
Juan Esperanza Salvador (1860–1951) and Pedro Unceta (1854–1934), both from Eibar, founded the company in 1908 under the name P.Unceta y J.Esperanza for the purposes of the “sale of machinery and accessories of all types”. At this stage, there was no mention of the sale or manufacture of arms, although both partners had previously been engaged in this field on their own account. In 1908 Juan Esperanza had six full-time staff, and in 1910, ten staff. In 1911 he formed a partnership with Isidro Gaztañaga – Gaztañaga y Esperanza. This new company had between 20 and 30 staff. From 1911 onward patents for firearms began to be issued to P.Unceta y J.Esperanza, concerning improvements to self-loading pistols. In 1913, the manufacture of pistols began at their new factory.
Early production
In 1912 a new pistol was adopted by the Spanish military, designed by a retired military officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Don Venancio López de Ceballos y Aguirre, Count of Campo-Giro. The new gun was officially designated the Pistola Campo-Giro de 9mm Modelo 1912 but is generally referred to as the Campo-Giro after its inventor.
After an unknown number of Modelo 1912 pistols had been manufactured, the army became aware that an improved version of the pistol that had been developed by Astra-Unceta, and in January 1914 this model was adopted as the Pistola Campo-Giro de 9mm Modelo 1913. The Model 1913 was manufactured by Esperanza Y Unceta and the increased volume of orders triggered their move to a new factory in Guernica. During 1914 1,300 pistols were made before production was halted to include new modifications.
Modelo 1913
The Modelo 1913 was a delayed blowback design, unusual in a gun chambered for a powerful military cartridge. The Campo-Giro used a powerful spring to handle the recoil of the 9mm Largo cartridge and had a smaller spring beneath the barrel to serve as a shock absorber and delay the opening of the breach. It retained an external hammer and a top ejection port like the Bergmann–Bayard, but had its magazine in the grip instead in front of the trigger guard, thus allowing a much longer barrel to be fitted. The magazine release lever was just behind the oval-shaped trigger guard between it and the front of the frame. The slide was fixed to the frame by a transverse wedge behind the breach that in turn was held in place by the firing pin. The Campo-Giro was over 225mm (9 inches long), weighed over 900 grams (2 pounds) unloaded, and had an 8-round magazine. It produced a greater muzzle velocity from the 9mm Largo round than did the Bergmann–Bayard, due to its 165mm (6 5/8 inch) longer barrel. The pistol was well made and accurate, but difficult to disassemble.[citation needed]
Campo-Giro patented new improvements in 1913, 1914, and 1915, resulting in a redesigned frame, redesigned mainspring, and the magazine release being moved to the bottom of the grip. Because of the First World War, the supply of black buffalo horn that was used for the grips was interrupted and it was substituted for wood. The improved model was adopted in September 1916 as the Pistola Campo-Giro de 9mm, Modelo 1913-16. The company manufactured 13,625 examples between 1916 and 1919.[citation needed]
First World War
During the First World War, the firm supplied the Allies with an estimated 150,000 Ruby-type self-loading pistols. Ironically, the company had first introduced this design in 1911 as the Victoria, a pistol based on the Browning M1903 with improvements patented by Pedro Careaga in 1911, and by the Esperanza y Unceta company in 1912. These patents may have covered the dual-purpose frame-mounted safety (instead of a grip safety), and the method of machining the serrations on the slide using a lathe.[2] The Victoria was in turn copied by Gabilondo y Urresti in 1914, the only real improvement being to increase the magazine capacity to 9 shots and fit a military-style lanyard ring. In 1915 Gabilondo sent examples of the pistols to the French government, and after testing was completed in May 1915, the French decided to accept the Ruby as the Pistolet Automatique, Type Ruby. Substantial contracts were awarded to Gabilondo and eight partner companies, and eventually, desperation led to over 40 Spanish arms makers, including Esperanza y Unceta receiving contracts totaling at least 710,000 and perhaps as high as 950,000 pistols. Esperanza y Unceta marked their Ruby-types Model 1914, Model 1915, Model 1916, Astra, Brunswig, and Victoria. They were also stamped with the French military identification mark EU on the frame and on the base of the magazine.
Interwar period
The Spanish Army, faced with growing complaints that the Campo Giro was proving to be less durable than expected and that disassembly was too difficult, began to search for a new service weapon. Esperanza y Unceta submitted their newly designed Model 400, and Star their Model A. The Model 400 was designed by Pedro Careaga. Trials took place in 1920 and 1921 and included an 800-round endurance test and harsh condition testing. Under- and over-loaded ammunition was also used, and the pistols were measured for wear after 1000-rounds had been fired. In September 1921, the Astra 400 was adopted as the Pistola de 9mm Modelo 1921. Both models had a long career and stayed in production until 1967 and 1946, respectively.
Two versions were envisaged: The 400 intended for the army as well as the carabineros or frontier troops and the Model 300, a slightly smaller version, intended for naval and air force officers. The Model 300 would be emblematic of the firm.
Astra Modelo 400
Main article: Astra 400
The 400 was chambered for the 9mm Bergman-Bayard cartridge, named after the first semi-automatic pistol in use with the Spanish Army. The caliber is known in Spain as the 9mm Largo (Long). During the Spanish Civil War, it was found it chambered the 9mm Parabellum cartridges supplied by Germany.
Offered in .32 ACP, 9mmP, or .380 ACP, 153,085 units were produced; 63,000 of these in .380ACP, delivered to Germany, and 22,390 in .32ACP.
Astra Modelo 200
The Astra 200, a clone of the FN Model 1906, was extensively developed with several versions and calibers, .25 ACP and .22 Short primarily. 234,105 were built. Manufacture ceased in 1967, mainly taking into account new customs rules in the United States.
Name change and reorganization
In 1926 Juan Esperanza left the consortium and created his own company. The company changed its name and became Unceta y Compania.
The following year, the Spanish Army launched a new program aiming at modernizing its armaments, and Unceta, once again, won the contract.
In 1927, began the series production of Mod.900 largely inspired by the famous Mauser C96 and intended for the Nationalist Chinese. Some of these models (Mod.903) were found in the hands of German soldiers during the Second World War while model F equipped the Guardia Civil.
Although the series production of this model ceased in 1937, small quantities continued to be assembled later from remaining stocks.
Model 400/1921 and variants
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