The Astra Model 900 is one of many Spanish copies of the German Mauser C96

Mauser C96

The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937...

 semi-automatic pistol. It shares the same caliber, magazine capacity, and holster type and is generally very similar to the German handgun.

Machine-Pistol Variants

The Basque

Basque Country (autonomous community)

The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....

- manufactured Astra-Unceta y Cia SA

Astra-Unceta y Cia SA

Astra Unceta y Cía. was a Spanish weapons manufacturer founded on July 17, 1908 under the name of Esperanza y Unceta by Juan Esperanza and Pedro Unceta...

 Astra 901 is a compact machine-pistol, with a magazine capacity of 10 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridges, which is a considerably smaller capacity than is standard for a machine pistol. The next model, the Astra 902, was provided with a fixed magazine of 20 cartridges and with a lengthened barrel, and Astra 903 had a removable magazine instead of the usual fixed one. Astra later added a mechanism to slow the rate of fire and make the gun more manageable (to an extent) when being fired on full-auto or burst modes, calling the model with this the Model 904. The Model 904 is comparable to the German Mauser 712 'Schnellfeuer' Broomhandle pistols, having a detachable magazine, automatic fire capabilities, and general appearance.

The Astra Model 904 was produced in a 9 mm Largo

9 mm Largo

The 9×23mm Largo centerfire pistol cartridge was developed in 1901 for the Bergmann Mars pistol. The round was considered powerful for the day, producing a muzzle energy of between 330 and 430 foot-pounds depending on the loading...

 variant, the Astra Model 904E, which was identical to the Model 904 in all other respects.

Production and Distribution

• Astra 900: 21,000 weapons from 1927 to 1941 for China, Latin America
  Latin America
  Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
  
  , Spanish Republicans, and the Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
  
   (1,050 delivered in 1943).
• Astra 901: 1655 weapons in 1928, destined mainly for China.
• Astra 902: 7075 weapons in 1928 to 1933. Some delivered to China, others delivered to the Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
  
   in 1943.
• Astra HOPE: 500 weapons made in 1929.
• Astra 903: 3082 weapons in 1932 to 1934. Same users as the 902.
• Astra 904: 90+ weapons in 1934.
• Astra F: 1126 weapons in 1936. Issued to the Guardia Civil during Spanish civil war
  Spanish Civil War
  The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
  
  .
• Astra E: 548 weapons assembled between 1949, 1951 and 1961 from stored parts. Reserved for export to Egypt, India, Iraq and Pakistan.

Numerical data

MODEL	ASTRA 900	ASTRA 901	ASTRA 902	ASTRA 903	ASTRZ 904	ASTRA F	ASTRA E
Length	29 CM	29 CM	33 CM	31 CM	31 CM	31 CM	31 CM
Length with Stock attached	64 CM	64 CM	72 CM	68 CM	68 CM	68 CM	68 CM
Barrel	14 CM	14 CM	18 CM	16 CM	16 CM	16 CM	16 CM
Weight loaded	1,26 KG	1,26 KG	1,53 KG	1,45 KG	1,45 KG	1,45 KG	1,45 KG
Caliber	7.63 Mauser	7.63 Mauser	7.63 Mauser	7.63 Mauser	7.63 Mauser	9mm Largo	7.63 Mauser
Magazine (Mag) or Charger (Clip)	10 rounds (Clip)	10 rounds (Clip)	20 rounds (Clip)	10-20 rounds (Mag)	10-20 rounds (Mag)	10-20 rounds (Mag)	10-20 rounds (Mag)

External links

• Astra 900 (Spanish Copy) Information
• Weapons of the Spanish civil war Spanish only