Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Astra 3000 in .32ACP A strange anomoly of a pistol

So a few years I picked up this Astra 3000 in .32 ACP. I've always thought they were just cool, like a 1/2 size Xerox copy of an Astra 400.




It's an update to the model 300 which was used by the Germans in WWII, and carried by the Condor Leigon during the Spanish Civil War. Very well made pistol, unique and a bit homely looking.

But here's the anomoly. OMG does it shoot! Now it's not that it's match accurate, it's not. It's certainly not inaccurate, but it shoots about as well as most other high quality .32's of the era.

What is strange about it is that it seems to automatically point where I'm looking. The sights are tiny and hard to see. When I decided to do some quick pointing shots with the pistol raised at eye level the groups look like aimed slow fire. Every time I bring the gun up to eye level, it's just automatically aligned.

Now, I train to do that with my self defense pistols. But I haven't trained with this pistol, it's just a range toy. Yet it seems to have some magic quality of an inherent shootability that I've never quite encountered with any other pistol. Oh, I've had handguns that point well, or naturally. But never have I focused on the TARGET and hit everything I point at.

Just a weird anomoly I've never encountered before. Don't worry, I'm not likely to leave my LW Commander home for the Astra. But it's such a surprising little pistol.

Yea, the Spanish taught the Germans what the correct grip angle should be. John Browning did not like their first attempt!

Very nice piece!

I do not load the .32ACP, but I here factory Win Silvertips are the cats meow!

Saw a Seacamp LWS32 today in .32ACP. Well made little thing.

A hot lady was thinking about getting it for a "Bra Gun"

I love the oddballs

I have been wanting a Savage semiauto also...

K.G. -

I like that - a lot!
Consider parting with it?

Yeah, I always thought they were cool. It's a real shame Savage never made the .45 version for the public. Sure it wasn't as good as the 1911, but it was a good looking pistol, and would be fun to shoot.

No way. My daughter is in love with the homely little thing. And I have to admit, I like it quite a bit too.

You know, it's not something I carry for defense, just a range toy.

If I were to carry a .32 ACP for defense, I think my choice of ammunition would be the Buffalo Bore load with the hard cast flat point. The .32 doesn't have diameter or penetration; both of which are needed. So if I'm going to choose between the two, I'll take a bullet that gives me the deepest penetration I can get with the puny little .32.

Yea your right. a .32ACP hollow point-big deal. A hard cast with wide meplate would make more sense. At least it would get to some vitals and maybe kill within the hour.

Never gave it much thought since I don't have one.

I bet if I hand loaded a box of 100, I would smash my fingers at least 1 or 2 times.

At the Houston show today I saw no less than 10 of the Astras and 6 of the Savage autos.

There were several various Astra, different model numbers.

I may have to go back, I walked away from a minty Star BM, 2 mags, box and papers.

I can get it for around $375.00.

I like the guns, but don't care much for the cartridge. But for just target shooting, the cartridge is fine, and it's fairly accurate. There are some really cool old .32's and .380's out there. The Savage, Remington, Astra's, Colt's, Beretta's, etc. These can be fun to shoot. I've also found many of those old "pocket" guns happen to fit the hands of kids very well; so my kids like to shoot them.

But paying for .32 ACP is pricey. I don't load .32 ACP so we don't shoot it much; kind of a treat when we do.

I don't have much time for reloading anymore, so I got rid of most of my progressive loaders. I kept the small Dillon SDB because it's small and takes up the least amount of space. Unfortunately there is no option to load the .32 ACP on the SDB (should have kept the 650).

When I met my wife she had a West German Walther PP in 32.

We went on a date in her car. A MGB. Top was down. It was in the glove box. Bad part of town. You know the rest.

When I first met my wife, she was holding me up with her Italian Beretta 32.
I was so blubberingly pathetic that she felt sorry for me ...

You know the rest.