Astra 400 Magazines

With this pandemic exposing some "weaknesses" in my prepper preperations, I realized one weakness was a lack of magazines for most of the items I own that require them. Astra 400 was one of them. Sarco has them and they weren't expensive so I ordered one and it arrived today. I had noticed the magazine I have for it did not look the same when I ordered it but I've never had an issue with Sarco selling the wrong thing and the magazine I own has a catch cut near the top third position. The Astra doesn't have a catch there, it is on the bottom.

So I compared the magazines. Definite differences yet the primary dimensions are the same. ASTRA logo is on the one I got today. I'm thinking the magazine I have may be for a Star B pistol. Anyone know if they are interchangeable? I'm not getting rid of it, it works, I've fired the pistol with no issues.

I believe the Model B's were all chambered in 9mm Luger, and the 400's in 9mm Largo, so I doubt it. The Model Super was in 9 Largo, but the mags are different from the 400's.

9mm luger works in the same magazine so I doubt they were changed between the Model B and Model A, which was in 9mm Largo.

If the Super A and the B use the same mags, they won't fit the 400. The Super A's Mag is longer by almost half an inch.

Star B all had mags for longer cartridges than 9x19, we thought it was 38 Super. I know for a fact as it is still the standard sidearm of the SADF. Fired many thousands of rounds through many of them, 9mm are inclined to nose dive if you don't plan correctly.

Mags weren't 12mm longer [half inch].

I too had a Star "B" many years ago and bought the gun thinking it was 9mm but it actually took 38 Super perfectly, so it would be Largo. 9mm as stated, was short in the mags but fed to the slide face. Dropped in a chamber they would not go off.

Our military Star B's all had 9x19 barrels. Searched many years among the armourers and stores for the longer chamber barrel but only one armourer vaguely remembered a single barrel not being in spec in 25 years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daan Kemp

Our military Star B's all had 9x19 barrels

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Only reason I even remember it was because of all the confusion it caused for me. Once I tried 38 Super, I never looked back.

I checked numrich and looked at images of the star a and b mags and they look similar to the one I have but it is not the same at the feed lips. A super B mag is not interchangeable as I have one of those. My Astra is in 9mm and I am not sure how it got there. I'm assuming someone put a sleeve in the chamber but I don't have a means to look in there to tell. Couldn't see anything eyeballing it. Spent months locating largo and took it to the range and they wouldn't chamber. 9mm chambered and fired just fine which is why I know the magazines work with both.

Sorry if I was unclear. I simply meant to indicate that the Super A mag is about 1/2' longer from base plate to feed lips than the 400's. Feed lips differ as well. I don't have a Model B for comparison, so can't speak to that directly.