Watch: Astra 902 Mauser Lookalikes

In this video, Ian of Forgotten Weapons looks at a couple examples of an old Astra 902 shoulder-mounted pistol, essentially a modified copy of a broomhandle Mauser pistol.

There are two of them: One is a select-fire version, which is by far the most common. The really rare one is the semi-automatic-only version, complete with an original factory box.

The only Astra I have ever dealt with was a tiny little 25 ACP Firecat, which seemed decent enough for a cheap Spanish belly gun. These 902s definitely look like a lot more fun.

Fun, yes, but useful out to the 1000-meter range on the graduated long-range rear sight? Not so much.

These and other similar guns were made to be sold to China, which in the late 1920s was strongly in the market for them.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.