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Title:	PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC -  SPANISH PISTOL ASTRA MODEL 900 7.63MM SN# 27317
Maker/Manufacturer:	UNCETA Y COMPANIA
Date of Manufacture:	1933-1934
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 1448
Measurements:	OL: 29.2CM 11 1/2" BL: 13.9CM 5 1/2" 2.14 lbs. empty

Object Description:

SPANISH PISTOL ASTRA MODEL 900 7.63MM SN# 27317
Manufactured by Astra-Unceta y Cia, Guernica, Spain - Standard Astra M900, short-recoil operated, semi-automatic pistol. Fixed front, adjustable tangent rear sight. Blued finish. Grooved walnut grips. 6-groove rifling; right hand twist. 10-round fixed feed mechanism loaded with stripper clips. Weapon weighs approximately 2.14 lbs. empty. Weapon slotted for shoulder stock. Chinese import.

Markings:
Frame: 27317. "ASTRA" AUTOMATIC PISTOL CAL 7.63/PATENTED JULY 12, 1928/UNCETA Y COMPANIA GUERNICA (SPAIN)/ 3 Chinese characters. Chinese character translate "Made in Spain." Various Spanish proofs.
Barrel: Spanish proof.

Notes: Approximately 35,000 Model 900s were said to have been produced, with 30,000 reportedly sold in China.

"Spanish companies took advantage of Mauser's reduced production after the end of the First World War introducing copies of the Mauser C/96 Military Model in the 1920s to capture such traditional Mauser markets as China and South America. Unceta y Cia introduced the Astra 900 in 1927, selling nine thousand to China in 1928.
The gun resembles the Mauser C/96 externally, but with significant manufacturing changes. A removable sliding cover plate on the left side gives access to the lockwork, and a separate barrel return spring lies in the frame below the chamber. The standard of manufacture is very high, and the finish was generally excellent. The lockwork is pinned to the right side of the frame and differs from the Mauser pattern in several respects; for example, the bolt lock is pinned to the barrel extension and is forced to engage the bolt by the spring-loaded trigger bar. The bolt and barrel are locked together for a short distance on recoil, until the end of the bolt lock strikes a transom in the frame and is driven down to free the bolt as the barrel stops. The downward movement of the bolt lock presses on the trigger bar and acts as a disconnector. The recoiling bolt cocks the hammer and returns to chamber a new round, whereafter the barrel return spring forces the barrel forwards and the bolt lock rides up into engagement once more.
The Astra 900 is much the same as the Mauser C/96, but somewhat heavier owing to more steel in the barrel and barrel extension. It chambered the 7.63mm Mauser cartridge, of course. In addition to China, many guns were exported and others served the Spanish Security Police and Guardia Civil." - Hogg & Weeks

"HISTORY: During the 1920s, Mauser enjoyed an excellent export market for their C-96 'Broom Handle' and 'Bolo' pistols, and aware of the potential sales, Astra developed the 900 Series pistols to compete with Mauser. Although similar in exterior appearance to the C-96, internally Astra designers opted for simplicity. About 35,000 Model 900s were said to have been produced, with 30,000 reportedly sold to China. The model was also produced in selective fire versions in both 7.63 Mauser and 9mm Largo.
MECHANICAL FUNCTIONING: This well-made and finely designed short recoil-operated, semiautomatic pistol differed internally from the Mauser in many aspects. The barrel was inserted into the barrel extension, rather than formed with it. Instead of removable lockwork, the Astra has a sliding sideplate to expose the action. The operation is also different in that as the barrel and bolt recoil back on firing, they are locked together until the bolt strikes a wedge in the frame, pushing it down to disconnect the trigger bar and unlock the bolt. Like the Mauser, loading on the 900 and 902 was accomplished with a stripper clip, loading from the top with the bolt locked in the rearward position. Astras will also be found with detachable box magazines, but these, invariably, are of the selective-fire type. Takedown of the Astra 900 series is accomplished by first being sure that the arm is unloaded. Then after cocking the hammer and lining the safety up with the groove in the sideplate, push the barrel back slightly to relieve spring tension and push the rearmost square crosspin through right to left. The side
- "Unceta y Cia also took advantage of German's weakened position following the war by introducing its own copy of the C.96, called the Astra Model 900. Like the Beistegui Hermanos product, Astra's Model 900 closely resembled the C.96. It was about the same size and had a heavier barrel, making it slightly heavier overall. Internally, the Astra differed from the Mauser as well. Whereas Mauser made its barrel and barrel extension as a single unit, requiring extensive and costly machining, Astra made its barrel separately, then screwed and heat-shrunk it into the barrel extension. The return spring was placed in a channel drilled into the receiver in front of the magazine well and just beneath the barrel. The Mauser's barrel return spring, by contrast, was located within the bolt mechanism. Also contrary to the Mauser Astra's decision to pin the lockwork in place in the frame, rather than making it a separate and removable module as Mauser had done. Astra's lockwork was also completely different in its configuration than the Mauser's, hence none of the parts would interchange. Since the Model 900's lockwork was not removable, Astra added a cover plate on the left side of the frame so that it would slide off easily while gaining access to the pistol's firing mechanism.
Workers at the Unceta factory lavished great care on each Model 900, carefully fitting the parts by hand. Numerous parts had their own serial numbers to indicate which gun they belonged to. The parts included the following: frame, rear sight components, bolt, barrel extension, locking block, sideplate, two frame crossbolts, magazine parts, and grips. The inner portions of the frame and sideplate were jeweled to help retain a thin film of lubricating oil around the lockwork. The painstaking rust-bluing process used in finishing most of these guns - some of which were engraved and chrome or even gold-plated - gave the flat sides of the frame a beautiful reflective sheen.
The Model 900 was indeed a durable and beautiful gun. Improved versions were equally successful for Astra and posed serious competition even for Mauser. This obvious quality enabled Unceta y Cia to keep the Model 900 and its variants in production for many years. In fact, the company did not sell its last Model 900 variant until 1960, well beyond the demise of the C.96 in 1937 and Beistegui's production of its Mauser clones in 1934." - Gangarosa

"The inability to repair the pistol in the field was likely not a serious disadvantage in China - damaged or inoperative weapons were generally discarded on the field, and functional ones acquired, often stolen, to replace them. In fact, these great losses on the battlefield allowed Unceta and its competitors to sell many Mauser-type self-loaders in Asia." - Edward C. Ezell

References:
Balderson, Robert H. COLLECTOR HANDGUNS. 5th Ed. House of Collectibles. N.Y., N.Y. 1996.
Ezell, Edward C. HANDGUNS OF THE WORLD. Stackpole Books. Harrisburg, Pa. 1981.
Gangarosa, Gene. SPANISH HANDGUNS: THE HISTORY OF SPANISH PISTOLS & REVOLVERS. Stoeger Publishing Co. Accokeek, Md. 2001.
Hogg, Ian & John Weeks. PISTOLS OF THE WORLD. DBI Books, Inc. Northbrook, Il. 1992.
Hogg, Ian S. & John S. Weeks. MILITARY SMALL ARMS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. 7th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1998.
Schwing, Ned. 1998 STANDARD CATALOG OF FIREARMS. 8th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1998.