Found the link to this company on a local firearmsforum overhere in Euroland.
The Bask firearmscompany ASTRA was taken over by a Swiss group after that it went bankrupt.
So now us Eurotrash can buy Swiss made AR-15s.
Check out their webpage: http://www.astra-arms.ch/stg4-carbine
BTW, they’re also producing 1911 pistols: http://www.astra-arms.ch/daytona
Interesting. Thanks for the link.
I like that 1911A1. 
cool lookin lower… i’d build off one, for “who the fucks astra?” value.
not impressed with the 1/9 hbar, though. hbar is gaybar.
But, but the 55X! It’s superior! I…!
-B
didn’t they have a 9mm pistol out I know that Name Astra ,it looked a lot Like a sig p226
A-100,
I have never shot one but would pick one up If I found a cheap one
So is there a Spanish and a Swedish Astra?
Astra, aren’t those the pistol folks?
It’s funny when they mention “Unique gas operating system”.
nothing special…I’ve handled one… some says it’s not even made in Swiss and I agree with them since small parts are too similar to the one used by Norinco…the receivers finish is just a bit better than Norinco…but thet’s the only difference I could see.
Here’s a link to the Dutch forum where I found the link to the Swiss AR-15 (I’m sorry but it’s only in Dutch): http://www.vuurwapens.net/forum/index.php/topic,19756.0/all.html
Apparently the quality is just so,so and parts are suspected to be made in Vietnam & assembled in Switzerland.
On of the pages in that thread OTOH there’s reference to an AR-15 assembled out of Czech parts by Schmeisser. Go figure.
the AR15 would be an exotic operating system if it wasn’t the second most common rifle in the world
How ironic would it be to have AR15 parts manufactured in Vietnam?
Not very…
The warehouses and docks at Cam Rahn Bay were filled to the ceilings
with brand new in the shipping boxes of US military hardware…
Not to mention the millions of weapons left at various base camps
and in the hands of surrendering ARVNS
There were probably more M-16s left in Vietnam than were in CONUS
at the same time period…
I had one about 15 years ago. It’s basically a rip-off of a Sig. I never shot more than a couple hundred rounds through it at the most. The decocking lever on mine broke after I had it about a month or so. I wasn’t even shooting it when it happened. I was just dry-firing and manipulating it one day and I hit the decocking lever and it broke completely loose inside the gun. It had never been dropped or abused in any way. I ended up getting a Beretta to replace it.
Doc, with all due respect. I wasn’t pointing to stockpiles between 1968-early seventies…
If the Vietnamese manufacture new AR parts for a Swiss arms mfg I call that ironic.
The leaving behind of US military material and men in RVN a gigantic tragedy in were irony plays a whole different part.
AFAIK
the old spanish Astra is dead…its name is now property of a Swiss mfg…the owner of this new Swiss Astra is one of the sons of a famous italian guns import company owner called “Prima Armi”
First Astra, now I need a Swiss Star AR to go along with my Spanish Star PD 45ACP! Or DoubleStar?
Llama anyone? :laugh:
I’d punch a kitten for a Llama AR-15 lower.
That’d be too cool.
A few months ago several of the guys from my (now) shooting club ordered Astra STG-15:s. When I heard about it (after the order had been placed mind you) I had one of those “oh no” feelings.
A quick history lesson first though: AR:s have previously been very rare here in Sweden since they were not allowed for hunting and none of the national shooting associations had semi-auto rifles as a class (not even IPSC Sweden). But over the past year IPSC Sweden has been approved by the National Board of Police (RPS) to sponsor* firearms permits. So, with the RPS approval in check there was in IPSC Sweden decided to recognize IPSC Rifle as well. Shooters who had participated in IPSC Rifle matches abroad (in Denmark and Norway in particular) started applying for AR15 permits more or less immediately.
So, seven of the guys in my club decided to do a group buy, and Astra was willing to give them “a really good price.” Now, the most well known AR-manufacturer on the European civilian market is Oberland Arms; and their plain-Jane Oberland Black Label (flattop with removable carry handle) is € 1380 (approx $ 1960). The Astras (in the same configuration) was about € 300/$ 400 less.
I was present when the shipment was unboxed and these are some of the pics I took then (I have photoshopped the serial number).
Lots of markings. No biggie on a competition gun, but still…
Markings on the left side of the lower:
Markings on the left side of the upper (the three stains are just oil - the finish on receiver halves was nice and even):
Markings on the right side of the lower:
A “small” logo on the stock:
Feed ramp (side note: the gas tube was black anodized under the hand guard but not in the upper):
Carrier Key staking (note that these screws are metric - more on that later):
Okay; this I don’t get - what’s with the file marks around the front edge outer circumference of the bolt?!:
Cam pin slot (the tool marks on the bolt carrier were not as visible in real life):
Three gas rings properly aligned. They had no problem holding the bolt in place after the cam pin had been removed:
Rear of the bolt:
Cam pin:
Note that the extractor spring did not have a rubber insert:
As a contrast to the pic above; this is what the Oberland extractor looks like (from an Oberland Arms M1):
Front of the Bolt Carrier (once again the tool marks are more visible here than they were with the naked eye). Though I failed to photograph it, the bolt carrier is engraved on top with the rifle’s serial number:
Same but with different focus:
One 30-round magazine comes with the rifles (sorry no pics), it was shoddy and looked like it was made out of sheet metal and it also had a flat plastic follower (as far as I know all of the guys bougth PMAG:s or GMAG:s).
The Astras come with a Lothar Walther barrel with an 1/8 twist. Lothar Walther’s barrels are (as most of you know) GTG; these are the first 5 shots fired at 200 meters with one of the Astras using military ammo (Swedish “5,56mm Sk Ptr 5 stkprj,” which sports a 62 grain bullet). Seated position, rifle fitted with a Zeiss 3-12x in a Spuhr ISMS mount:
Now; all is not well. One of the rifles had some problems and the owner realized that the carrier key screws, though staked, had come lose. Since I’ve been stocking up on AR-tools I “just happened” to have a MOACKS II “laying around.” As I noted before the carrier key screws on the Astras are metric, so the hex keys included with the MOACKS did not fit (no biggie; I had anticipated this and therefore had both metric and inch sets on hand). A bigger problem presented itself though. Using the MOACKS II I staked the screws, but as the screws are too short (or too deeply seated), the staking went more or less over the carrier key screws, also resulting in some material coming lose from the carrier key at the right-side stake mark by the front screw. This leads me to the conclusion that a) the screw heads are too short or too deeply seated (as noted above), b) Swiss manufacturing is no longer what it once was, and/or c) the carrier key is made out of some crap material. Dean Caputo agrees.
*Sponsor as in issuing a letter stating that “this shooter is an active participant in IPSC shooting events, has gone through all the training, and has shown skill and judgment” and in which they approve the applicants permit for a specific firearm.