Astra 200

The Astra 'Model 200' pistol is a small caliber automatic pistol. First introduced in 1920, it was manufactured in Spain by the Astra gun company also known as the Societa unceta compania-but currently known as Astra unceta y cia. The Astra Model 200 from the time of its development in the 1920's saw continuous production for about 70 years. The pistol was imported and marketed in the US under the import model name Astra 'Firecat'. The pistol sold well in the US and Astra made most of its worldwide sales of the Model 200 in the US arms market. The import and sale of the model went on until 1968, when imports of the Astra Model 200 to the US stopped.

The Astra Model 200 is a small hand gun of a type often called a 'pocket pistol' or a 'vest pocket pistol' because of its size and ease of concealment. The design of the pistol is based on the Browning M 1906 pistol and resembles it in most respects. It is also better than its model in other areas. The Astra Model 200 has a length of 4.5 in and is 13 Oz. in weight, it is thus a small and very light handgun. The magazine has a length of 2.5 in and carries 6 rounds. The Astra 200 is a small caliber .25 ACP pistol, though some of the new US made 'Firecat' versions are sometimes chambered for 9mm and .40 S&W-they are based on the Astra 70 and not the 200. The original 'Astra firecats' were also chambered for the .25 ACP round.

The pistol has three excellent and fool proof safety features, corresponding to its design for defensive civilian use. The first one is the safety lever, which is within reach of the thumb when the pistol is in a firing position. The safety lever can lock both the trigger and the hammer and is placed well within reach of the thumb when aiming the pistol. The safety lever thus precludes all accidental firings that can occur because of shock or because of the gun being dropped. The second excellent safety feature is that when the magazine is removed, the chambered round cannot be accidentally fired, because the retrieved clip locks both the hammer and the trigger. The third one is the grip safety; this locks the hammer with a positive action on the pistol and prevents accidental fire.

An additional safety feature of this handgun is the signal pin, also known as the day and night signal pin. This pin can be seen or felt protruding from the rear of the slide, and will inform the user that the firing chamber is loaded and the hammer is cocked, thus it serves as a loaded chamber indicator. The signal pin can be felt as a cut on the top of the slide.

The small size and easy handling characteristics of the pistol makes it ideal for civilian use; however, the .25 caliber round is not a very powerful round. The Astra has a recoil action firing mechanism and is similar to its model the Browning M 1906 in this respect. The Astra Model 200 was available in blue, nickel and gold finishing; the original models were also usually highly engraved.