Astra 300 - A Pocket Pistol Bought Mostly By Germany
Forgotten Weapons
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9m 25s
The Astra 300 was introduced in 1923, copying the layout, mechanics, and handling of the Astra 400 military pistol in a much more convenient pocket size. It was made in both .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning) and .380 (9mm Kurz), with a magazine capacity of 7 and 6 rounds respectively. More than 150,000 were made in total, as the gun was quite popular with various military and security agencies in Spain. The majority of production, however, went to Germany between 1941 and 1944. They purchased 63,000 Astra 300s in .380 caliber and another 22,390 of then in .32 caliber. Most of the .380s did receive waffenamt markings (WaA251), although not all of them. Production ended in 1945, with the gun being replaced by the improved Model 3000 in 1946.
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