The 9mm Astra A100: It's Durability/Reliability/History record???
Jeffrey S. Rice
I have been looking at pistols for some time to find a good 9MM auto to
buy which still keeps my wallet from being completely lightened while
keeping with a good reliability record. One auto pistol I have seen that
seems to fit that criteria is the 9mm Astra A100 INOX(Stainless). I saw a
new one at a gun show recently which had 17+1 capacity for $274.00. I
understand that they are designed under the Sig frame(Sig and EAA I think
had some indirect ownership of Astra). So, tell me what you think. I
really do not know much about Astra's track record with reliability and
durability. The gun feels solid and and slightly heavier then the ave.
auto. if that means anything. Your comments/responses are welcomed and
appreciated ahead of time.
Jeff
Justin T. Huang
Jeffrey S. Rice (jer...@vt.edu) wrote:
: I have been looking at pistols for some time to find a good 9MM auto to
Jeff,
My first pistol was an A100, blue in 9mm. It has since fallen
in value by about $150. :) Seriously, I've never had a problem with
it. UMC, USA ball, Federal HydraShoks (147s), PMC Starfires, and
Winchester +p+ ammunition. I guess the price has fallen due to
lack of demand.
It field strips almost exactly like the SIG...the
takedown lever is on the opposite side. Aside from that,
the hammer is a commander style instead of the usual spur
found on the SIG.
17 round magazines are available from CDNN at $49. The
only downside is that (to my knowledge) none of the custom leather
holster makers offer a holster for the A100.
There's an article on the A100 (in .45) in the Handgun
Times, July 1993. You wanna talk about bad writing--this one is
full of typos and grammatical mistakes. But they loved it,
and so do several area gunshop owners.
Jus
--
Justin T. Huang | jth...@dolphin.upenn.edu
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~jthuang
The Law School | God made man, but Samuel Colt made us equal
James Del Vecchio
jer...@vt.edu (Jeffrey S. Rice) writes:
#I have been looking at pistols for some time to find a good 9MM auto to
#buy which still keeps my wallet from being completely lightened while
#keeping with a good reliability record. One auto pistol I have seen that
#seems to fit that criteria is the 9mm Astra A100 INOX(Stainless). I saw a
#new one at a gun show recently which had 17+1 capacity for $274.00. I
#understand that they are designed under the Sig frame(Sig and EAA I think
#had some indirect ownership of Astra). So, tell me what you think. I
#really do not know much about Astra's track record with reliability and
#durability. The gun feels solid and and slightly heavier then the ave.
#auto. if that means anything. Your comments/responses are welcomed and
#appreciated ahead of time.
# Jeff
I had an Astra A-90 in .45 ACP. It's the same thing but with an
additional, useless, manual safety. I was happy with it for several
years, except for two incidents, and I found it to be very accurate
and reliable.
I had two problems: in one incident, the barrel lug
sheared off. Interarms, the then importer, promptly replaced the
barrel for free and it was as good as new for another 3-4 years
and 5,000-10,000 (?) rds. The second incident was some welds on
the frame cracking. Again the Interarms Service department, and
Dean Conrad of the service department in particular, did a great
job and promptly replaced the entire pistol for free. I have never
received anything but prompt, professional treatment from Interarms
service and parts departments and have been extremely happy in that
regard.
Anyway, at that point I had decided that I wanted to trade the
new Astra A-90 for something I could shoot pins with and not
have to worry about wear. I got $200 in trade toward a Glock
21 at my favorite store around here, Kesselrings Guns, and I'm
now trying to acclimate myself to the balsa wood-esque feel of
the light plastic pistol.
Some points for you:
1) For the price I paid, I got a lot of use out of the Astra
A-90. Except for two failures, it was reliable and never
jamed, even with countless thousands of handloads over the
years..
2) The design is a great one. I love the setup with the controls,
and I like the wide backstrap. When you compare it to other
pistols in the same price range, it seems to come out ahead
even now. This is a good pistol.
3) I believe that the cartridge is the reason for the breakage
incidents, coupled with the fact that I shot it all the time.
The barrel on the .45 ACP version is much thinner than that
on, for example, a Colt Officers' ACP barrel. On the
9mm model I can't imagine damaging the pistol just by
repeatedly _shooting_ it. Dropping it out of a speeding
car, yeah I can see that doing some harm (you're only supposed
to do that with Rugers: everybody knows that.), but not
by shooting. It's just a 9mm, for crying out loud. Not much
can happen.
I hope this information helps you.
James Del Vecchio
Counselor
I've had a .45 A-80 (model prior to A-100) for about 10 years and would
buy another tomorrow. I've been seriously considering getting the .40S&W
A-100. Even my wife (small framed) enjoys shooting the Astra. Good buy for
the money. I also like the EAA witness line of autos; I have 9mm, .40S&W,
and .45ACP models in blue and stainless.
centin...@gmail.com
and later bought it back. In all the years I have had it the only time I ever
had issues was with some weak reloads that did not have the umph to cycle
properly. Any factory new or factory reloads have all worked properly. I
have read many reviews and comments on other sights that call this pistol
a POS. Heavy though it may be and never having had a real problem with the
gun. I would and do use it as my carry gun. Very dependable. Never a broken
part. Picked up two used mags at a gun show and they work perfect. Even though
I have no need for another A100. If I found one NIB for that price I'd
get it with no second thoughts. Both mine were purchased used and both have
worked great. If you can still get this pistol, I highly recommend it.
Gunner Asch
wrote:
#I own two A100 in 9mm. The first was my first hand gun. Sold it to a friend
#and later bought it back. In all the years I have had it the only time I ever
#had issues was with some weak reloads that did not have the umph to cycle
#properly. Any factory new or factory reloads have all worked properly. I
#have read many reviews and comments on other sights that call this pistol
#a POS. Heavy though it may be and never having had a real problem with the
#gun. I would and do use it as my carry gun. Very dependable. Never a broken
# part. Picked up two used mags at a gun show and they work perfect. Even though
#I have no need for another A100. If I found one NIB for that price I'd
#get it with no second thoughts. Both mine were purchased used and both have
#worked great. If you can still get this pistol, I highly recommend it.
The Astra 100 is an excellent firearm
Though I do prefer the Star BM.
http://www.armslist.com/posts/3366570/north-east-mississippi-handguns-for-sale--star-bm-9mm