Picked up this Astra 9mm

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Brockak47

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So I came across this handgun for sale and liked the ergonomics of it. It's an Astra a75 9mm, feels solid too. I paid 200, which to me was cheap, so I thought i'd try it out.

Are these decent handguns? I will post a few photos. Overall it's a decent looking gun except where it the previous owner had gotten it stolen from his home and the crooks totally failed at trying to file the serial number and only managed to scratch the crap out of it there before it was recovered. (scratches aren't deep and appear to be finish only)

On that note if a gun is scratched like that is there a way to buff them out or something?

anyway feel free to post anything you like pertaining to these guns are I've only just heard about this gun today when I decided to purchase it


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After sanding the scratched area with oil and sandpaper it looks better now IMO.


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After some more polishing now it looks real good I think
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Did someone try to scratch out the serial number?

EDIT: nevermind, for some reason it didn't register with me when the OP said:

owner had gotten it stolen from his home and the crooks totally failed at trying to file the serial number and only managed to scratch the crap out of it there before it was recovered.
Click to expand...
 
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Take it to a full service gunsmith and ask him how to remove the scratches. IF the number is clearly visible, then it isn't defaced I THINK...I had a few Astra pistols back in the day, (Oh, that A-80 TRIGGER PULL!), and the A-75 was a good solid little gun.
 
After more investigation, I see the scratches are just on the finish , so I suppose I could buff them out but it would involve removing the finish from the frame. So I may just leave it as is, idk yet. The numbers are clearly and easily visible, just the camera made it look worse

do you think it would look better if I left it alone or buffed the scratched finish off the frame and left it bare since I don't really have a way to refinish it


Also, the gun was sold originally on 12/7/1996, upon first look I thought it was much newer. by the way it reminds me of a sig p series pistol, is it suppose to be a semi copy?
 
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Two C-notes for that Astra is a very good deal indeed. :)
 
Great deal! My shooting partner had one in .40 S&W and it was an excellent pistol that he CC'd for quite a while. ;)
 
I also have an A75L. The ergonomics are the best for me of any handgun except perhaps a Hi-Power. If it wasn't for the absolutely horrible DA trigger pull I might have carried it more often over the years. SA is decent but it only offers a decock and not a cocked and locked ability so it mostly sits gathering dust. But I can't bring myself to sell it.
 
Is the frame steel or aluminum? Refinish on the light alloy may be a problem.

A quality refinish job isn't cheap. BUT, IF this frame is stainless and not chromed, a gunsmith should be able to buff out the scratches.

My feeling is that the Spanish makers didn't offer stainless.
 
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I managed to buff the scratches out myself, with some sand paper and oil. so now it's almost mirrored right there and looks not too bad TBH. except the rest of the frame still has a flat nickel looking finish on it.


picture added to show what it looks like now in that area


Should I leave it as is now or just finish buffing the rest of the frame to match? It also kinda matches the raised areas on the slide where it is either brushed stainless or nickel


I don't really want to pay to refinish it since I like to do stuff myself and if I can't i'd rather leave it how it is


another thing are there any aftermarket grips that fit? Like sig grips or something?
 
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I wouldn't worry about refinishing it. You did well with your buffing. It's a $200 gun, why spend a lot of money on refinishing it? Shoot it and enjoy it. Wolffe gun springs used to have a spring pack for the A75. Probably still does. Pick up a couple as my factory recoil spring needed replacement after about 1000 rounds.
 
Vonderek said:
I wouldn't worry about refinishing it. You did well with your buffing. It's a $200 gun, why spend a lot of money on refinishing it? Shoot it and enjoy it. Wolffe gun springs used to have a spring pack for the A75. Probably still does. Pick up a couple as my factory recoil spring needed replacement after about 1000 rounds.
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Ya, I totally agree on the refinishing, I just didn't know if I should buff the rest of the frame to match, since part of its satin like.


(lol, I just want an excuse to mess with it some more, and on the springs I think EAA still sells all the parts http://www.eaacorp.com/diagrams-a75lg.html, but i'll check the Wolf site out since a pre packed set would be easier )
 
The A-75 was one of Astra's best pistols. It was sturdy and compact, if heavy, but had one of the absolutely smoothest (if a tad heavy) trigger-pulls ever installed on a standard factory pistols. Parts can be had for them through EAA.

Congrats on your purchase. By the way, the firing pin block is accessed by removing the rear sight - not that you would choose to mess with it. But, if, say, you got one of the really good adjustable rear sights for it, and you were drifting the rear sight off, have a care that the spring does not launch into orbit like a Trident leaving its launch tube.
 
I had one with the alloy frame and stainless slide. Only made one year as I recall. Great gun and one of those that I should have never sold.

You did well at $200
 
I still own an Astra A75, with the steel frame. It's a handy sized, single-stack, gun. When they first came out, decockers were all the rage. So, that's what it had. The double-action pull is meant to be heavy, as it's the "safety".

Mine has been reliable as a rock.
 
Hello,

I have owned an Astra A75 for years. It has been in its case since I bought it in 1996. I shot 1 box of ammo out of it and returned it to the case. I want to pick it up again and I came across 115 grain +P+ ammo. Will this gun handle that?? Thanks in advance for any help.

Jake
 
Will this gun handle that??
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The A-75 should handle them just fine. The same model was made in 40 S&W if I recall correctly and that exceeds the pressures of the +P in 9mm.

I shot +P from mine and it had a alloy frame.
 
THE ASTRA , and the STAR pistols also , were world class pistols of Spanish design. It is just a damn shame we lost both companies.
I have never owned either make that was not an outstanding design and a truly excellent pistol, and this would go from their 22'S to their 45ACP'S. I still own all but one and that one was the most outstanding one of the bunch, and my ol' late pal Chuck Karwan must still be smiling somewhere for talking me out of it.
 
I found a .45 A75 recently. Don't have the money to buy it. Too bad. They were great guns.
At least I have a Star Firestar .45.
 
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