Astra 960 Revolver

Sometimes research is an unavoidable part of what we do. I enjoy a dig for information. Just the same, the "gosh and by God method" is needed when you cannot find instructions on how to work a certain handgun. An example is when I undertook the chore of cleaning and inspecting an Astra 38 Special revolver. The Astra isn’t a Smith & Wesson but it seems that many gave good service for decades, guarding the homestead against threats and setting in the drawer loaded and ready or many years.

The Astra is manufactured in Spain by Astra-Unceta y Cia SA that manufactured a wide range of firearms from 1908 to 1997 with the excellent Astra 400 and 600 self loading handguns among these. The revolver illustrated here is similar to the Smith & Wesson Model 15 Combat Masterpiece 38 Special in general layout and operates in exactly the same manner. The Astra is a little heavier and is said to be closer to the S&W L-Frame but fits most K-Frame holsters.

When I test fired the Astra I found a smooth action and good It seems well made and the fitting is good. accuracy. I don’t know how much of this is years of burnishing the parts as the action was operated but the revolver must have been fairly smooth when new. When the Astra was a common revolver in gun shops it sold for about $89 when the S&W Combat Masterpiece was $120 or so and the 357 Magnum Astra sold for $100 to the Combat Magnum at $160. The occasional shooter got his money’s worth.

The revolver illustrated is worn but functional with grips worn smooth with only a trace of the checkering left. This indicates a lot of use, or at least a lot of cuddling the grip for comfort. When addressing a revolver that you are not familiar with we tend to base our assumptions on the revolvers most familiar to us. The Kimber revolver, as an example, is simply a modified J-Frame action, modified in a special and wondrous way but no challenge to anyone who grew up working S&W revolvers.

The modern Smith & Wesson builds on the earlier Military & Police models as does Taurus. However, I ran across the fight of my life many years ago with an early Taurus double action revolver. When you attempt to produce a clone of a popular handgun one would think that you would modify the action for simpler production. This wasn’t the case once I cracked open the sideplate of that early Taurus handgun.

There were tiny positioning springs in the sideplate that I had the devil of a time returning to their original resting place. The action was more complicated than the familiar Smith & Wesson. This experience led me to view the Astra with some fear of a repeat. As it turned out this was not the case. The Astra isn’t a straight up Smith & Wesson clone and is more similar to early Taurus revolvers. The action features a transfer bar rather than a firing pin built into the hammer.

The action isn’t leaf spring but coil spring. There is also a rather interesting modification to the revolver action that is sur-

Far prising. The coil spring fits into a wheel that rests in the bottom to the grip frame. To remove the wheel it is important to have some familiarity with the action. Once the stocks are removed you may press the wheel out by pressing left—looking down the sights from the rear, the wheel presses out to the left. The action spring and guide is easily pressed out of the wheel. There are four openings in the wheel that accept the action spring and guide and there is a slight difference in the depth of each opening.

By moving the wheel about to capture the spring in one of four openings you may set the action’s compression. The difference isn’t profound with only a total of 1.4 pounds difference at the extreme of adjustment. The double action trigger averages twelve pounds at the middle setting, the single action a crisp four pounds. I would guess a heavy trigger action for hard primers and the lightest setting for target work would be the goal. While interesting, I am not certain how practical the wheel is.

There is no set screw in the front of the grip strap since the wheel handles adjustment. Now let’s look at the procedure for removing the sideplate and cleaning this old revolver. It is often stated that cleaning a firearm is linked to frequency of use. That is mostly true. A revolver, however, may set for decades without being used and pick up lint and dust in the action. Some pour oil in the action occasionally, including cheap household oil. Some of it hardens and collects debris.

As it turned out, the revolver in question was remarkably clean. The new owner simply wanted it checked out. The barrel and each individual chamber of the six shot .38 Special cylinder were cleaned first. I also confirmed that the chambering was correct. While many Spanish revolvers such as the Brothers Hermanos were chambered for 38 Special, their chambering was so sloppy that 357 Magnum cartridges would fit!

The result of a Magnum touched off in a cheap gun that probably wasn’t even heat treated would be horrific. The Astra is a better gun and seems properly manufactured. I collected the necessary tools and placed the revolver on a cushioned pad. The revolver was double checked to be certain it was not loaded. I removed the grips easily.

A note on the grips—if you have an Astra with missing or cracked grips it looks as if Smith & Wesson grips will fit the frame, however, Smith & Wesson grips feature a screw that clears the

leaf spring. The Astra uses a coil spring that is located mid way between the grip straps. It would take re-drilling the grips to obtain any type of fit. A better solution would be to order Tombstone grips which come a bit over sized and need to be drilled in any case. The sideplate features four screws. While the Astra uses a modern transfer bar action they also use the older type of sideplate with a screw near the very top. This is a very short screw. The other three screws are longer.

Each screw appears different. I laid them out in a pattern exactly as they came out of the revolver. The screws were not difficult to remove. Next, I lightly tapped the revolver and the bottom of the plate loosened. I slipped a hardened screwdriver bit into the gap in the frame just behind the hammer and twisted just slightly at the top of the sideplate, removing it gently. When it came time to replace the sideplate it slipped into There are tools marks present.

The Astra uses a transfer bar system. place with hand pressure; I did not need a rubber mallet as sometimes is needed to loose the sideplate and also to return it to its original position. I would have to say the sideplate isn’t as tightly fitted as a Smith & Wesson but is very similar in construction without any type of extra positioning screw. The action also appears to be very Smith & Wessonlike. The revolver’s serial number is stamped on the sideplate.

There are visible tool marks inside the revolver not found on Smith & Wesson revolvers of the era, but then the Astra cost about half the price. The double action trigger system of the Astra revolver presented no surprises. The operation is the same as a Smith & Wesson save for the transfer bar and coil spring. It is probably more similar to a Taurus revolver than a Smith & Wesson. It is easy enough to remove the cylinder by pressing it forward once the sideplate and screws are removed.

Far Just the same you really don’t need to do this for routine cleaning. I would say the design would lend itself to tightening up with standard Smith & Wesson type end shake bushings from Power Custom but the Astra illustrated had no end shake to speak of. Once the sideplate is removed, get a good look at the internal parts, even take a picture. The hammer block fits into a slot in the sideplate and is easily moved out of place.

When you use a rubber mallet to bump the trigger guard and loosen the sideplate, the hammer block sometimes pops out of place. Having a good "before" picture is a nice reference. To completely disassemble the revolver the hammer block is pulled up and out; it is only a press fit. Relieve strain on the action by pressing the internal wheel to the left and remove it, slipping it off the coil spring.

The hand is removed by applying leverage on the upper end and working the lower edge of the hand upward and off of the trigger. The hammer comes out easily by pressing the cylinder release to the rear and lifting the hammer out. The trigger will need to be pressed to the rear to remove the hammer. Then release the trigger. While the revolver appeared clean internally I began to notice small areas of crud and what appeared to be lint. The rebound lever isn’t difficult to remove, wriggle it up and out and

The internal parts maintain a good fit and the action is quite smooth. watch the rebound spring. This part is simple enough and I would bet the spring is the same as a Smith & Wesson but I might lose that bet. Remove the trigger. Rock it back against the bolt stop, tilting the trigger off the bolt stop and the trigger up and out of the frame. The bolt stop (sometimes called the cylinder stop) is often under a bit of spring pressure so be careful if this part is removed.

Press the edge of the bolt stop down into the frame to remove this part. I have used heavy tweezers or a small but stout screwdriver to get this done. For those who have disassembled Smith & Wesson revolvers the Astra will not present a difficulty, perhaps it is actually a bit less difficult to take down. I flushed out the inside of the revolver and let it dry. There was the least bit of grit considering the revolver’s age. Putting the revolver action back together isn’t difficult.

A small, thin punch is a good tool to press the bolt stop back into the frame. A Brownells Rebound Slide Spring Tool is useful for replacing the rebound slide, though quite a few old hands just use a screwdriver. If you are going to be in the business, the proper tool is much better. The trigger and hammer are easily shifted into place and the transfer bar slips into place. Be certain the transfer bar is properly aligned or the sideplate will not set in place.

The slide plate wasn’t difficult to press into place at all. I suppose I have been at this for fifty years, but just the same, the Astra revolver seems less tightly fitted than 1970s era Smith & Wesson revolvers. A few observations on the Astra. I would not attempt any of the procedures often outlined While the adjustment is not broad, it is useful. to smooth up a Smith & Wesson action. After all, quite a few hammer interfaces have been ruined and made dangerous by ten-thumbed gun butchers.

Carefully polishing the surfaces has worked with many quality double action revolvers and the same procedure works with Taurus revolvers. With the Astra, well, this example did not need any polish as it was already quite smooth. I suppose someone with a three-inch barrel .44 Terminator, another Astra variant, may wish the action polished. While the action seems well made of good materials we really don’t know much about the metallurgy of this handgun. I would lubricate the parts and let it go at that.

As for spare parts, my recent searches could not find any available internal parts, although I did locate a barrel for sale. Some of the major suppliers had a good many Astra 400 and Astra 600 self loading pistol parts. I found a pin for an Astra Cadix .22 revolver. That’s it. So far as I am able to determine there are no spare parts available for this revolver and I would be careful about taking in any work on it beyond cleaning as there seem to be no resources for spare parts.

As for springs, some Smith & Wesson springs probably fit. The Astra revolver is an interesting piece of history that some of us will see in the shop. Be certain of what you are getting into. AG