Any first hand experience with the Astra 400?

[Harry O]

There is an unusually nice one at a local pawnshop that is reasonably priced. I know that it takes 9mm Largo ammunition, not 9mm Luger (although some people say it can be shot in the Largo, I am not going to do it). I know that Starline has reasonably cheap brass. Bullets are the same as the Luger. However, the cheapest loading dies I can find are $160.

There are some people on the web who say that the Largo can be reloaded in 9mm Luger dies, something like reloading a .32 Magnum in .32 Long dies (which I do) or a .357 Magnum in .38 Special dies. The difference is that both the Largo and the Luger are tapered slightly. They are the same diameter at the front and rear, but the Largo is 4mm longer. Has anyone here actually done that?

What is the Astra like? How about its accuracy. None of the 9mm Lugers I have shot could be called accurate. I would get rid of a revolver that was as inaccurate as them, but that seems to be the nature of the beast. I have read that being a blowback, it kicks more than a Browning type semi-auto that keeps the mass of the barrel and slide together. With 9mm, I would not think that is a problem. Any first hand experience?

[Larry Gibson]

Try .38 Super dies or .38 special dies. I've loaded 9mm Largo with both for the Astra 400. I used 4 gr Bullseye with 124 gr .356 cast bullets. A 9mm FL die makes a nice taper crimp die to remove case mouth flare.

Larry Gibson

[45 2.1]

38 Super reloading dies work fine. Usually, the gun will take and function well with 38 Super brass, but will chew on the rims some. Do NOT shoot 38 Super cartridges in it though, 38 Auto is fine if you find some. The easiest 9mm Largo brass supply is from Starline. Nice, finely machined pistols from a bygone era.

[broomhandle]

Hi Harry O,

I used regular 9 mm dies for about two years till I found a set of 38 super dies at a gun show for $10 I have a Star SUPER in 9 mm largo it can achive some impressive FPS

There is a 9 mm Largo board with tons of info & loads.

The 9 mm dies worked well and will take tho longer cases with no probems,just a little dim. change.

I would use the 9 mm Largo Starline brass it will help prevent extractor problems in the long run as the regular 9 mm cases will not be headspacing on anything except the extractor pressure.

My pal has five or six Astras, they are well made and very accurate from what I have seen.

Best to you,

broomhandle

[only1asterisk]

38 Super dies work for me.

David

[Two401Pm]

Astra 400 fine pistol. If you dissamble for cleaning watch out for that main spring. It is very stout. some even refer to them as the main spring from h**l.

[Harry O]

Just got to shoot it for the first time this weekend. Nothing unexpected.

I dreamed about getting one through the mail back in the very early 1960’s. They were selling for $19.95 at the time and you could buy all the surplus 9x19 cartridges you wanted for the same price as .22LR cartridges. They said it would shoot 9x19 cartridges and that is all my Uncle ever shot in his. After I actually shot his I was somewhat less enthusiastic, but still thought about it since it was within my price range. However, I ended up waiting longer, saving longer, and buying a K-22 instead (at my Father’s suggestion). As usual, he was right.

I ran across this one recently in a hockshop. It was at a reasonable price (10 times what it used to sell for, but that is much less of my income now than it was back then) and was in above average condition. I figured I might as well get it.

It shoots about as well as my 9x19’s with unsorted (variable length) brass. In other words, no where near as accurate as any revolver I own. I know that Starline has some correctly headstamped 9mm Largo brass, but I ran across some 9x23 Win for a little less and bought it instead. 9x23 is the same size as Largo on the outside, but with heavier walls. Since the Astra is a blowback pistol, heavier brass is welcome.

I loaded them with RCBS 9x19/9x21/9x23 dies. No problems of any kind. There is a wide range of suggestions on the maximum loads (from individuals rather than factories) so I started with a fairly conservative load of 4.8gr of W231 and a 124gr FMJ bullet. It fed, extracted, and ejected properly. 50 rounds without a bobble of any kind. I don’t intend to change the load. It works.

I think part of the reliability might be the magazines. The metal in them is between 2 and 3 times the thickness of Browning P-35 magazines. It may seem crude, but if you have ever tried rebending the magazine lips of one that used to work, but has started misfeeding, you know what a PITA that is.

Recoil did not seem to be much different from conventional 9mm’s (some I have read say that the blowback makes it seem worse – if so, I couldn’t tell it). Pulling back the heavy recoil spring was difficult. It is without a doubt the heaviest recoil spring I have felt on any semi-auto. My wife tried and could not pull it back at all. Not a womans gun I guess. Anyway, I have better, but I would not feel undergunned with this one. Anyway, an interesting gun.

[MtGun44]

Make sure you understand the latching system for the fwd slide nut before
trying to dissassemble it. I have a Astra 600, and the recoil spring is quite
stout,too. Many guns are damaged trying to get the nut out with pliers, etc.

Strange design - L-head pins everywhere, kind of a Spanish puzzle, but mine
works just fine, altho the grip angle takes some getting used to. How much
more velocity does the Largo get over the Luger?

Bill

[Harry O]

I have not checked the velocity yet. I was shooting at an indoor range. The load I used is the same as I use for my 9x19's, so, with the larger case, I would expect the velocity to be a little lower. Shouldn't be much though. Keep in mind that I have seen up to 6.0gr of W231 published (I used 4.8). It can probably go higher, but why pound a 90 year-old gun apart.

I have the instructions on disassembling it, but have not tried it yet.

[MtGun44]

Interesting. I had always assumed that the Largo was a more powerful
round.

Throw a towel over the nut when you are removing it. Won't go so far and
can't damage anything across the room, or get lost in the stuff in the
basement (if it's like my basement).

Bill