[Mark G.]

Does anyone own any of these autos? What is the good and bad? Are they worth owning? Is one better than the others? Thanks for your help.

[Bowlcut]

Darrin own an Astra 90 so he will chiime in Im sure. But ive shot it for probaly 100 rounds maybe. Its a nice gun. It shoots really straight, makes tight groups when you are trying for them. Feels good in hand, from what Ive heard Sig helped design it or something. Lay it beside a simlarily aged sig and it looks similar. 15 round mags were 50 bucks. Though probaly 1500 rounds its FTE 3 times, all could be blamed on cheap ammo being put though it and not having enough energy to cycle the slide properly.

We today put it beside an Astra 100. Only major difference was the saftey on the 90 is on the slide.

[Drakejake]

I have a collection of Astra A-100s in 9mm, .40. and .45, and in various finishes: polished blue, matte nickel, and polished nickel. These Sig 228 clones are very comfortable to shoot and comfortable to hold. The 9mm takes a 17 round factory Meg Gar mag. The .40 takes a similar mag that holds 13 rounds. These are all-steel, but the steel may be a bit softer than that used in other pistols. They are accurate and fun to shoot. They have a decocker but no manual safety. Takedown for cleaning is extremely fast and easy. You should be able to get one in excellent condition for about $300.

Drakejake

[Lazarus40]

I own one of each Astra in 9mm . the A80, the A90 and the A100. Of the three, I prefer the sleeker look of the A100, but the blue quality is far superior on the A80 and A90 as the A100 is an EAA gun and they wanted these guns to sell cheap, so less polishing I guess.

The A80/90/100 mags are longer (back to front) than most other 9mms as there is no frame size difference between the 9mm and 45ACP as is true of many other companies who make 45s and 9mms together. This additional length can make finding mag pouches a bit harder.

The A80 has a bottom mag release like a Walther P-38. The A90 moves the mag release to the area behind the trigger like on a 1911. And the A100 dispenses with the manual safety of the A80 and A90 (on the slide like a drop-hammer safety in the Beretta or P-38), relying on the decocker lever to return a cocked gun to double-action first shot. Although this safety LOOKS like a Drop-Hammer safety, it is not. Decocking is accomplished by a lever under the left grip just like a SIG-Sauer P225/226 or 228.

There are some other differences. The A80 was made in 38 Super and 9mm Steyr as well as 30 Luger chamberings (in addition to the 9mm and 45 ACP). The A100 is the only Astra of this series to be made in 40 Short and Weak. The 38 Super chambering was discontinued when the A100 came along, along with the non-catalogued 9mm Steyr and 30 Luger chamberings.

My A100 will shoot into a 2" group (at 25 yards off the bench) all day with Speer Gold Dot and Geco FMJ. My A80 Prefers Remington and it has produced a 15-shot group under 1.25" center-to-center off the bench. The A90 does not shoot quite as well as that, producing groups like 2" or slightly more off the bench at 25 yards, but it has also never jammed and shoots right to point of aim.

[shooter1]

I own an A75 in 9mm. Excellent little gun. Heavy as a brick, but accurate and reliable.
str1

[armoredman]

I had an A-80 as my first semi-auto handgun. Looooong trigger pull, but I liked it a lot. I had an A-100 45 that wouldn't shoot on paper for me, and me only, (had others shoot it, no problem, go figure), which was promptly traded for something else. I wouldn't mind having that old A-80 back, 20 years later....
Had an A-70 S/A compact 9mm, nice pistola, and when I wanted to upgrade t the A-75, the feel wasn't the same. That was when I started migrating towards the Tanfoglio/CZ line I am at today.
Astra is gone, but never forgotten.

[albanian]

They are nice guns but since they don't make them anymore and parts and mag are hard to find and expensive, they can get expensive to shoot.

I never see them go for what I would consider a good price so I never owned one. I buy a lot of Stars and had a RAP 401 which was an all steel clone. Unless you get a screaming good deal or you just really like the Astra, I don't any reason to buy one.

I don't see them sell for less than $300 which is strange to me. Who would pay that much or more for one? By comparison, I just bought a S&W 6906 for $238 out the door! The S&W is a workhorse that is known for being a good shooter and 100% reliable. Mags are everywhere and are cheap. Parts and service is not a problem if you need them. It is a 12+1 9mm in a compact package. What is not to like about a deal like that?