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 . First located in the city of Eibar , the stronghold of the Basque arms industry , the company moved in 1913 to Guernica . Founders . 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 were 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 onwards patents for firearms began to be issued to " P . Unceta y J . Esperanza " , concerning improvements to self - loading pistols . In 1913 , 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 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 , and in January 1914 this was adopted as the " Pistola Campo - Giro de 9mm Modelo 1913 " . The Model 1913 was manufactured by " Esperanza Y Unceta " and the increased 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 . 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 breech 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 . 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 wood was substituted . 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 . 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 . 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 . Post - war period . The Spanish Army , faced with growing complaints that the Campo Giro was proving to be less durable than expected , and that disssembly was too difficult , began to search for a new service weapon . The response was swift , with Esperanza y Unceta submitting 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 a 800 round endurance test and harsh condition testing . Under - and over - loaded ammunition was also used , and the pistols measured for wear after 1000 rounds had been fired . In September 1921 , the Astra was adopted as the " Pistola de 9mm Modelo 1921 " They had a long career and stayed into production until 1967 and 1946 respectively . Two versions were envisaged : The 400 intended for the army as well as the " carabinero " s or frontier troops and the 300 , a slightly smaller version , intended for naval and air force officers . The Model 300 would be emblematic of the firm . Caliber for the 400 was the 9mm Bergman - Bayard , 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 copies were produced ; 63 , 000 of these in . 380 delivered to Germany , 22 , 390 in . 32 ACP . The final destination of this large quantity of weapons remains an enigma . The Astra 200 , a clone of FN Model 1906 , was produced with 234 . 105 specimens in several versions and calibers . 25 ACP and . 22 Short primarily . Manufacture ceased in 1967 , mainly because of new customs rules in the United States . In 1926 Juan Esperanza left the consortium and created his own company . The company changed name and became Unceta y Compania . The following year , the Spanish Army launched a new program aiming at modernizing its armaments and it is once again Unceta which won the contract . Mod . 900 , M 400 , Mod . 600 . In 1927 , begin the series production of Mod . 900 largely inspired by 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 the 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 . Astra mod . 400 , or Model 1921 , a weapon of legend . In France , the Model 400 was called the “ French - bean ” , because its principal characteristic drawn from the ammunition as varied as 9mm " Largo " ( the original caliber ) , 9mm Steyr , 9mm Short , 9mm Parabellum , 9mm Browning Long , 9mm Glisenti , and . 38 ACP . The success of this weapon was such that it was produced until 1941 . The weapon was exported to Chile , Germany , Colombia , Ecuador and France . 106 , 175 units were manufactured , the majority in 9 mm Largo . One also notes the production of parts in the following calibers : 7 . 63 Mauser , 7 . 65 mm Parabellum or . 30 Luger as well as 9 mm Parabellum . M 400 , model 1921 / Spanish M 400 , model F . ASCASO ( characteristic ) During the Civil War , the employees of Astra alined with the Republicans while the owner , Mr . Uncetta , a Nationalist , annoyed with some of the new authorities of the Basque government which resulted from the elections of 1936 , left the company , and over to the Nationalists . In April 1937 , the town of Guernica was bombed by the aircraft of the Condor Legion . Nationalist troops seized the city later a few days and manufactures it , redirected by Uncetta , started to produce in an intensive way for the troops of Franco and the armies of the Third Reich . With this completely unforeseen situation , the Republican camp decided on the creation of two military arsenals . The first was established in the suburbs of Barcelona . It produced the M 400 model 1921 called “ el puro ” , which was renamed F . ASCASO in the honor of a famous anarchistic leader , friend of Buenaventura Durruti , killed in the first battle of Barcelona . The weapon manufactured in this new republican arsenal , whose workmen were in their immense majority of the anarchist - trade unionists of powerful federation CNT , was of an about equal quality and a precision identical to that of its counterpart of the Basque Country in spite of particular dimensions , and difficulties of obvious provisioning and organization . The total production was approximately 8 . 000 parts . Machine pistol s were also produced in this factory ; they are easily identifiable by the gravage of three letters CNT on the side of the cylinder head . Another copy of the M 400 was carried out by another arsenal in the area of Valencia . It is recognizable by the presence of logo R . E . ( Spanish Republic ) on the plates of the gun . 15 . 000 units were produced in this firm throughout conflict . No marking of a bench test is present on all these copies . The completion is different compared to the original because of the great diversity from the treatments of surface whose each arsenal used a clean formula . Another copy of Astra M400 ( less known ) named ORPHAN exists . It was manufactured in the 1930s when ASTRA exported and manufactured on the Asian continent , its exact origin to date remains obscure and unknown . Caliber : 9x23 mm Largo , also called 9 mm Bergmann - Bayard & 9mm Mars , a ctg . very similar to the 9mmx23mm Steyr , all rimless versions of the earlier Colt . 38acp Overall length : 220 mm Length gun : 150 mm Height : 120 mm Weight : Magazine : 8 round simple column Safety is on the left side of the weapon , and is plastic Grips are black , marked with a circle name F . ASCASO Cylinder head steel the logo in a circle marked F . ASCASO , TARRASA , CATALUNA 1930 a gun of indication gauges 12 for a military use of them and others was adopted by the army and the Spanish navy . Other governments adopted it too ; it will be named ASTRA 500 . ASTRA model 600 Whereas the government , resulting from the civil war , carries out the closing of many arms factories , Unceta y Compañia , in company of rare firms such Star Bonifacio Echeverria S . A . and Gabilondo y Compañia are authorized to continue their activities . During the Second World War , in spite of the official neutrality of Spain , the firm takes part in the German effort of war by the means of the Astra 600 . According to the schedule of conditions of the German Army , it will be confined in 9mm Parabellum , manufacture will begin in 1943 , and 10 , 450 copies of the 600 were delivered in May and June 1944 . The deliveries ceased vis - a - vis the military situation on France . The contract will be honoured well later in 1950 and 1951 . The German Federal Republic , to arm its police officers will require of allied the possibility of being made deliver the balance of the weapons paid in 1944 . In 1950 , a first delivery of 3 . 500 units will take place , followed , in 1951 , of the balance of the contract initiated during the conflict and correspondent with 31 , 350 more 600s delivered . The other nations which imported the Astra 600 are : The Astra 600 / 43 , as is true with the vast majority of handgun designs , continues to be carried to a very limited degree by civilians . Many were imported into the USA and sold to the general public , where they still see some use . The design is generally considered ugly and antiquated in its appearance and its method of disassembly and re - assembly for cleaning is often intimidating . Despite this , the weapon has remarkable design strengths in terms of safety , durability , reliability , accuracy and ( surprisingly to many due to its awkward appearance ) , ergonomics . The cartridge it fires is reasonably powerful and widely available globally , and as is the case with many early 20th Century guns , production costs to manufacture faithful new copies of the design would be prohibitively expensive due to machine time and the use of large amounts of expensive steel . 1946 . The firm reorganizes and diversifies its activities while launching out in the production of industrial plants without to give up its shutter arms manufacturer . It will produce primarily tires , hydraulic pumps and machine tools for the textile . For the armurière production , it obtains new machines and lance with the research projects in order to renew its range . The Astra Model 3000 will be the result of the one of between - them and its manufacture will begin the following year . In 1947 , the model Astra Model 3000 is put in production in order to replace them Astra Model 300 . More than 44 , 000 Astra 3000 will be thus manufactured until 1956 , date on which Astra Model 4000 Falcon replaced it . In 1953 . The firm adopts its final name of Astra y Unceta the CIA , S . a . Of the model Astra Model 800 Condor in 1958 until Astra A - 80 , of Astra A - 90 , Astra - 100 of the years 1980 the production packs and relates to also revolvers which are counterparts of Colt , Ruger or Smith & Wesson . Astra continues the production and the development of many reliable and elegant models which made its reputation among the amateurs of weapons and the pride of Basque industry armurière . During 1998 , under the impulse of the government Basque , a new company made up of the fusion of Astra Unceta y Cia and Star Bonifacio Echeverria S . A . will be born . This new entity will name ASTAR , but its duration will be transitory , périclitant at the end of one year . Code year of fabrication . Since the 1927 all Spanish weapons , tested on the official bench of test of Eibar , is marked or engraved , in general on the carcass , by letters which represent the year of manufacture . Table of the correspondences letters years of manufacture . The end . Augusto Unceta - Barrenechea , the last successful manager and owner of Astra , was killed by ETA in 1977 . After Astra went out of business , it was merged with STAR . This company began making weapons as ASTAR ( Astra / Star = ASTAR ) . Astra went out of business at the same time as STAR . Astra Arms S . A . - Switzerland . In the year 2008 , 100 years after the foundation of Esperanza y Unceta ( Astra Unceta y Cía ) , a Swiss firearms manufacturing company , founded by the Italian entrepreneur Massimo Garbarino and located in the city of Sion , has adopted the name Astra Arms S . A . and took over the rights on the Astra trademark . Astra Arms S . A . has established a manufacturing line for high level 1911 - type pistols ( the " U . S . " model and the " Daytona " model ) , as well as a manufacturing line for AR - 15 rifles ( the " StG - 15 " & " StG - 4 " models ) , to be distributed on those civilian markets which are at the time lacking similar American products , whose export requires the issue of an End user certificate . At present times , the Astra Arms S . A . products are distributed on the European civilian market and Central and South American , Asian and African military market .