I've had this Astra Camper 22 short on my list for a very long time, most people don't even know what they are. They were not made in great numbers and the GCA 68 pretty much killed it and it's siblings over here. Some nonsense about Saturday Night Specials and low quality handguns from Europe.

I drove over to Cabelas last Monday for one thing, knew I had no business doing that, what I went for they did not have. I always cruise through the Gun Library before leaving to see if there is anything I can't do without and was surprised to see that they actually had this Camper.They apparently knew that it was somewhat rare and didn't stick out in the general used gun population( I sometimes wonder about those folks who work there, some things that they do doesn't make any sense).

I asked to look at it, knew right off that it was post '57-58 because it had the salt blue finish rather than the rust blue. I would have preferred the latter but hey, beggars can't be choosers and all that. The date code during this time period was also moved under the left grip. After I got it home I found it was marked F1, that made it a 1960 model, the year I was born. Overall it's in excellent condition, didn't come with it's box or the other accessories but it did have a Colt magazine in it. I guess that's a plus, maybe I'll run across a Colt Jr. 22 short someday.

A lot of people look down on these Spanish pistols, I've always had a soft spot for them. They are well made, they do serve a purpose, and Colt apparently thought enough of them that they put their name on them.

I've included the 1966 Cub in the pics below for comparison sake. Only differences are barrel length and the Camper has a drift rear sight.

Now all I need to do is find the next grail gun, another mostly unknown Spanish Pistol, the Astra Condor. I've only seen one of these for sale and that was several years ago.