Astra DA .44 Magnum spotted in LGS - added pictures

If someone is satisfied with his choice in guns, that's what matters. Desirability and resale value are indicators on any gun, but every manufacturer makes good, mediocre and bad guns. The chances of getting a good one are higher with products that cost more.
 
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I have a Taurus 658, a 8 shot .357 with a 3" non-ported barrel. I would put it up against any S&W revolver, old or new. Several friends of mine have model 66 Taurus guns, and they have zero issues with them.
Here is a bad pic of my 658:
Xc0hq7.jpg
 
SG-688 said:
A local shop has a 6 inch blue Astra .44 Magnum DA revolver on the shelf looking for all the world like a model 29 at first glance. I was surprised how good it looked.

The dealer mentioned last year that he had a "Terminator" that he couldn't sell despite many lookers, so I expected to see a 3 inch revolver with an $800 price tag. No to both. $490.

My old Standard Catalog says made 1980-87 with no production numbers given; a little late for the Dirty Harry sales crush. That reminds of the High Standard Crusader that should have been successful in an attempt to fill the supply - demand gap but never made it to production.

-- now with a couple of pictures --

Bonus points trivia question: What long-running TV LAPD cop carried an Astra Terminator 3 inch for a couple of seasons in the 80's?
Click to expand...

For that price I would snag that bad boy up.
 
jrog100 said:
When you compare Spanish or Brazilian guns to S&W's, COlt's or Ruger's of the same era, I think you'll find that all of those Latino knock offs are sub standard firearms. Not that they're junk, just lower quality, with the exception of Taurus; which are absolutely garbage.
Click to expand...

There is NOTHING wrong with Astra's or Bersa's. Heck my wife had a Rossi in 38 in 1983 that shot better than my Smiths did.
 
I have a stainless 6” cut down to a Terminator-like profile, love it. You should definitely pick that one up - I’d buy another in a heartbeat.

(Oops, zombie post… sorry!)
 
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hemiram said:
I have a Taurus 658, a 8 shot .357 with a 3" non-ported barrel. I would put it up against any S&W revolver, old or new. Several friends of mine have model 66 Taurus guns, and they have zero issues with them.
Here is a bad pic of my 658:
Xc0hq7.jpg
Click to expand...

Would you elaborate on that statement with some specific comparisons and enlighten us?
 
Not the OP but I see the older Spanish guns as a comparison to the current Turkish shotguns. If you shoot trap or skeet the Turk guns are junk that will barely last 10,000 rounds. If you shoot birds and consider 100 rounds a year an excellent season you can have a different perspective. In the later case 5,000 rounds represents 50 years.
 
SG-688 said:
No, I wasn't in the market. Merely a fun topic for discussion.
Click to expand...
Well, just FWIW, five years ago I would have been really tempted to buy that one for under $500 - at the very least I'd have made a serious offer on it.

I only have one Astra in 44magnum - the Terminator that I bought ten years ago in 2015 for $350, and I have always felt like I got a bargain when I bought it.

I also sold a 4" M29-2 with its wooden display case, tools, and papers in around the 2020 timeframe for $1,600

I'd certainly have been happy to turn around and buy a 4" Astra for 1/3 of what I sold the 29-2 for. I'd LOVE a chance to buy that 4" Astra today if I found it for sale for less than $500.

But hindsight is always 20/20.
 
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jrog100 said:
When you compare Spanish or Brazilian guns to S&W's, COlt's or Ruger's of the same era, I think you'll find that all of those Latino knock offs are sub standard firearms. Not that they're junk, just lower quality, with the exception of Taurus; which are absolutely garbage.
Click to expand...

Another “expert” opinion
 
When I was working security in the mid '80s several of my coworkers had Taurus Model 65s. The guns all had a weird yellowish hard chrome finish and the trigger pulls were garbage. One of them went back to the factory after the trigger broke in two.
 
jrog100 said:
When you compare Spanish or Brazilian guns to S&W's, COlt's or Ruger's of the same era, I think you'll find that all of those Latino knock offs are sub standard firearms. Not that they're junk, just lower quality, with the exception of Taurus; which are absolutely garbage.
Click to expand...
BS as I've actually worked on all the revolvers , inside in some ways a Taurus is superior , I've had Scandium Smiths crack their frames and never had a Taurus titanium do that.
 
roundels said:
When I was working security in the mid '80s several of my coworkers had Taurus Model 65s. The guns all had a weird yellowish hard chrome finish and the trigger pulls were garbage. One of them went back to the factory after the trigger broke in two.
Click to expand...

Well a 40 year old Taurus is not indicative of current production.
I’m not saying Taurus is the epitome of handgun manufacturing, but I would not call them “garbage.”
I have 4 currently, and none have given me any problems.
 
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