What should I do?

Status
Not open for further replies.
With all due respect, that's totally unacceptable.

I realize this is your first handgun, but you've been listening to the wrong people, or are rationalizing in your head that this gun, despite it's fragility and unreliability, is a good gun choice.

Instead of messing around with mag springs intended for different gun models or brands, buy some spare mags and try those. You can find spare mags for it, right?
 
Yes, but they cost damn near 50 bucks a piece. Fragility and unreliability? Sir, I'm not stupid. I know the gun has problems. I'm not trying to "rationalize" anything. But the mag springs are the reliability issue.

It really isn't that big of deal right now. It's a range gun. You're sounding like I'm supposed to using this for SD/HD. Maybe when I get my CCW permit, but by that time, the problem wil be fixed. If it does happen to be the ramp, I got a dremel and I know how to use it.
 
Lol no confidence? Ha, doubt I could do that work myself reliably. No, I'm sure it's just magazine problems, and when I get that fixed I shouldn't have anymore problems.

I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear more about the pistol.
 
Wow! Tough crowd tonight! :neener:

I think if the OP is satisfied with his purchase, we should be too. Now, it has been a long time for a set of grips so, working to get the project back on track is definitely good advice.

As far as the 1911 vs the Astra, I don't think we have enough info. What if the 1911 was a $1000 Kimber? If the 'smith directed him to that gun with the premise, "You don't want to waste your time with THAT gun!", then we might just as easily be reading about the 'smith's taking advantage of the OP's noob-i-ness for more $$$. I don't think we know enough to make those judgements.

Keep working to move the grips forward and if you decide to continue working with the 'smith again, be up front and do what you can to ensure that you don't wind up holding the bag for 8 months. Sometimes, how you handle a bad situation (BOTH parties involved) can have very positive, or negative results on any future interactions. Only you can tell whether that's worth pursuing at the time. Good luck with the grips

Also, for future reference, a good dremel can be had for well under $100. So long as you aren't using some North Nigerian Coco-petrified, submerged since the dawn of time type of wood, you could have a lot of fun making your own. Now, it might not be perfect, or even as pretty. But you might have had the gun back at the range about 6.5 months ago. Many times, fear can have a dollar amount and in this case, the education might have cost less. Which isn't always the case. .02

And as far as the weak spring, couldn't you just stretch it a little? Sure, it's not a permanent fix, but if it "fixes" the problem immediately after doing it, then at least it identifies the problem.
 
Never thought of stretching. I wouldn't be able to tell ya if it fixes it temporarily though. One of the mag springs is warped, after disassembly. It "bends" and "twists" to the right. Would that be a problem?

I guess I should have tried my hand at fixing the problem first before letting someone else do it.
 
How can it be a weak mag spring when the round feeds 90% or more into the chamber?

If it's "just a range gun" to you, then it really doesn't matter if it works reliably.

I hope your reliability standards are higher for a gun intended for defense.
 
Okay, update. I still don't have the pistol. I've talked to the shop owner a couple times since my last post, and I'm still getting the "I'll tell him to hurry up" spiel. I'm getting tired of this.

The guy working on the grips has had the frame for seven months, and this is really getting old. I'm thinking about going in there tomorrow and demanding that I get the pistol back and that'll I'll just do it myself. It's getting rediculous.

I did stretch the springs. Only getting the pistol back will tell whether or not it worked. From unloading with thumb, one magazine did show some significant improvement, only hanging on two rounds now (out of the "good" magazine, the "bad" one would be around four or five rounds).
 
Last edited:
Price and time is what your willing to accept. Both, from what the OP stated would be a no-go for me today.

To easy to get grips off the internet.

Years ago before we had PCs, I had a good friend who owned the only gun shop withing reasonable driving distance. He was the worlds worst for quoting a price and changing it. Usually + or - $5.00 to $10.00 on work. I don't think it was intentional, he just couldn't remember after a few weeks what he had quoted, and didn't write it down. For the sake of friendship ~ I usually let it go. After a couple of times, I started asking him to write it down when he priced a job. He got a lot of ribbing and was good about making it right.

All comes down to what your happy with.
 
Astra, like most of the other major Spanish gunmakers, went out of business quite a few years ago, and parts and accessories, including grips, magazines, and mag springs, are getting hard to find and expensive nowadays. Getting "guided" into buying an Astra sounds more like a seller who wanted to get rid of an unwanted orphan gun, rather than someone trying to help a buyer make the best choice. Not that there's anything basically wrong with guns by Astra, Llama, or Star, they're just moving into the realm of "collectibles" now, rather than everyday carry guns.
 
A lot of buying the Astra came with personal preference. Compared to the 1911 that he wanted to sell me, the Astra was a lot more comfortable in the hand.

I know Astra went out of service in the '90's, and when I was searching for girps, I couldn't find anything I wanted to pay for on the web, so I brought it in for custom grips from this shop.

I am by no means happy with the amount of time the guy is taking with these.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top