Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Astra-Unceta y Cia SA More Info

About the Gun

The A-70 is a compact all-steel single-action locked-breech pistol with a single-stack magazine, a frame-mounted thumb safety, and fixed three-dot combat sights. Standard guns are blued, with black plastic grips. It was Astra’s compact 9 mm / .40 S&W carry pistol of the early 1990s.

Production

Production ran from 1993 through 1996.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $350. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $275–$400.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	.40 Smith & Wesson
Alias:	N/A
More Info

Analysis

Astra introduced the A-70 in 1991 as a compact locked-breech pistol for shooters who wanted 9 mm or .40 S&W in a smaller envelope than the Constable blowbacks. The layout is single-action with a frame safety, firing-pin block, and hammer safety. The A-75 of 1993 kept the same size and added a DA/SA trigger and a decocker. Site rows split a 1994 slide-design change; Blue Book notes a chrome finish from 1993 that is not on the current model. Production of the single-action A-70 ran only a few years and ended as Astra wound down in the mid-1990s. Used guns trade as short-run steel compacts; magazines and small parts are limited.