Astra 600

[happy7]

Not trying to make anyone jealous, but finally I get to be the lucky one, and figure I will share my good fortune with you all who will appreciate what I am feeling. My mom called me yesterday to say she had unearthed my Great Uncle Paul's long lost pistol that he recovered from a German in WWII. She also has the military paper that he needed to bring it back with him, and it has its holster. I always knew it was an Astra from my memory of the one time I had seen it way back, but always assumed it was a 400. I hadn't seen it since my mom showed it to me for the first time after my Grandma died like twenty years ago when I was home briefly for the funeral, and it was supposed to come to me due to my interest in firearms, but I was overseas and while it was at my mom's she lost track of where it was. There was also a breakin and I wondered if that was one of the things stolen, and figured I may never see it again. It is funny, although my Grandpa was a missionary to Africa and actually shot an elephant over there, they never were big firearms fans and growing up visiting my grandparents I always heard about the "gun" which was supposed to exist, often refered to in Songo, an african language, so us kids wouldn't know they were talking about a gun. I always thought it was the rifle my Grandpa killed the elephant with, but later learned that was just a borrowed rifle in Africa, and that it was Uncle Paul's pistol they were referring to. I know my grandparents never shot it and why my uncle even gave it to them is a mystery.

Anyway, I haven't seen it yet, as my parents live about 40 miles away. I will get it in the next couple days, but from the markings they read to me over the phone I can tell it is a model 600 in 9mm luger instead of a 400 in 9 mm largo. I have never had a 9mm before. I do have dies, etc, cause I reload for my dad but he bought the bullets for it, so I have no molds. I guess I will have to see how much I will shoot it and if I will buy a mold for it. Probably I will not shoot it much, since it is fairly rare. Only 10500 were delivered to the Nazis in wwii and this is one of those.

[OBXPilgrim]

Geez, Happy7 good job!!

Let's see the parabellum porno (post some pics) after you get it, would ya?

[MtGun44]

I have a nice Astra 600. Be careful to understand how to take it apart as
many are boogered up by not knowing that there is a thin sleeve between
the slide end nut and the barrel that locks the knurled nut so it cannot rotate.
You must depress the sleeve with a hard block of wood or similar item to
rotate the slide nut with your fingers. NOTE that the mainspring is very
strong, don't go shooting parts across the basement that cannot be
replaced.

Also, the whole gun is held together with L-head pins, a very unusual design.

Don't get carried away with the reloads as this is a straight blowback design
and has NO lockup, just the inertia of the heavy slide and the heavy mainspring.

Cool design, odd grip angle, typical for the time tiny sights. Mine has
been very reliable, but I do not shoot it a lot. Two mags and original holster
came with mine. $36 in NRA excellent condition in 1967 American Rifleman.

Good luck, it should be a decent shooter, and with that history, a real family
heirloom.

Bill

[happy7]

Thanks for the advice. Even expecting it, I still shot parts at the ceiling on disassembly. . Hopefully I can get the hang of that. But I don't plan to shoot it a lot. I took it out and shot it a couple days ago. Trigger is very crisp, but also quite heavy. Shot about three inches at 25 yards with some factory ammo I had. I was a lot of fun to shoot.

That is interesting about the price in 1967. That means that it did not have much commercial value when it was given to my grandfather.

Here are some pictures.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm157/happyjoyfully/Img_5321a.jpg

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm157/happyjoyfully/Img_5322a.jpg

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm157/happyjoyfully/Img_5320a.jpg

[OBXPilgrim]

Swwweeettt!

[happy7]

I got ahold of a new mold for this gun, a 356402. I had been shooting 356242 boolits as well as some Fiocchi Js with not too great of accuracy and figured the gun was just not that accurate. However, I cast up some of the new 402s a couple days ago and loaded them. I got to shoot them today and to say I was pleased would be an understatement. Group of 8 shots is under an inch and if you take out the flyer, its only about a half inch. Shot at 15 yards.

These were sized to 0.356 and lubed with speed green, then loaded with W231.

Sorry I took the pictures of the pistol off Photobucket. I forgot they were on here.

[Bret4207]

AHA!!! PROOF that those ratty old Spanish guns are junk!!!!:mrgreen:

[9.3X62AL]

That critter can SHOOT, all right. Of course, its operator seems to be pretty squared away, too.

It is really cool to breathe life back into an old firearm that has lain fallow for so long.

[45 2.1]

Take good care of it, the nazi marked Astra 600s bring a very tidy sum now.

[happy7]

Yes, I don't plan to shoot it very much and it gets a good coat of rig grease before it hits the safe. After seeing the way it shoots I almost wouldn't mind buying a non nazi, non heirloom one for plinking.

[dominicfortune00]

happ7

For dissassembly, try to find an empty cartridge casing that fits onto the barrel, but not over the sleeve.

This way you put the casing over the end of the barrel, push it down on a hard surface to disengage the sleeve, and turn the barrel nut free.

Then slowly raise the pistol to relieve the spring pressure.

A Gun Parts catalog can be your friend as they have many disassembled views of guns.

Good Luck with that 600.