More specifics: I was talking to a guy at a gunshop who claimed to own an Astra 960. I was inquiring about the make and model of the Astra .357 I mentioned earlier. He suggested that the .357 was a 960. In fact, Astra only made one model of .357, and as far as I know, it's called the "Astra .357". The 960 is a .38 spl only design.
Anyway, he claimed his friend had loaded hot, .357 "+p" rounds into it and blew the cylinder open, earning him a trip to the hospital. I think he was confused, either about the model his friend owned, or the caliber involved. Either way, an Astra revolver probably isn't meant to exceed SAAMI/factory ammo specs. The one I used had a HEAVY double action trigger pull, and it wasn't at all smooth. The guy that owns it, though, got it for $109 on consignment. I wish they had had two. A .357 revolver that can fire standard pressure rounds for $109? Egads.
One other thing about the Astra revolvers: I hear the trigger smoothes up nicely with a simple trigger job.