The next step was to increase the pistol’s ammunition capacity, and Beístegui and Astra introduced a 20-shot pistol. Unlike Mauser, whose 20-shot frame was made from a single forging, Beístegui and Astra dovetailed a 10-shot extension onto a standard frame. At the same time, in keeping with the maxim “bigger is better,” the barrel length was increased from 140 mm (5.5 inches) to 180 mm (6.2 inches). A period advertisement suggested that Beístegui may have been the first to offer the 20-shot option, introduced for the Model H and then continued for the MM31, but Astra soon followed, naming its 20-shot pistol the M902. To accommodate these huge pistols, the shoulder stock needed significant modification. The neck was lengthened and a channel was routed into the body for the magazine extension, which was protected by a rotatable leather boot. Beístegui and Astra must have agreed on this approach, for their stocks differed in only the smallest details.

Many of these changes took place in 1928, one of the biggest years for Spanish arms exports. According to Astra’s records, virtually all the guns from this period were earmarked for China. At first, most were transported by Japanese traders. In 1929, to engage the Chinese more directly, Astra founded the “Astra-China Company, Ltd.” in Shanghai. A few years later, underscoring the importance of this market, Astra marked the sideplate of a number of its M900s with Chinese characters that translated to “Made in Spain.”

By late 1929 Beístegui must have felt its market share eroding, for the firm abandoned the Model H in favor of the MM31 (Modelo Militar 1931), which more closely approximated the C96. The new gun was customarily fitted with a selector switch, but looked like a Mauser and was marked in the same areas as a Mauser. It even disassembled like a Mauser. If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, Mauser should have been very proud—but nothing could have been further from the truth. Mauser was furious, printing cautionary warnings in its advertisement for customers to “avoid spurious copies.” To no real surprise, the warnings were ignored. After all, the warlords didn’t care who made the guns and few, if any, of their troops could read.

From 1929 to early 1931, the Spanish gunmakers led an idyllic existence. Life in the northern Basque Provinces was relatively peaceful, and business abroad was terrific. By early 1932, the two firms transitioned to making detachable-magazine pistols, largely prompted by Mauser’s introduction of its now-famous M712 Schnellfeuerpistole. Recognizing the importance of riding Mauser’s coattails, Beístegui designed its pistol, later known as the fourth variation MM31, to use an interchangeable magazine. Astra’s counterpart became the M903. Regardless of manufacturer, most magazines were 10- or 20-shot.

Through circumstances beyond the Spaniards’ control, relatively few of these pistols made it into China. By the time they were introduced, warlord militarism had been largely eradicated by Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalists. What was left of the arms market collapsed in 1932, after Japan attacked mainland China. Clearly, the Spanish manufacturers had to find a new opportunity. The early to mid-1930s were difficult for the Spanish arms manufacturers, as political turmoil resulted in more stringent regulation, occasional seizures and forced closings. Not only was China’s door closed but a number of Latin American countries had also enacted more restrictive legislation. Customers dried up and profit margins plunged.

To remain viable, many arms manufacturers gave up making guns, preferring to diversify into less controversial territory. A glimmer of hope emerged in late 1933, when the Guardia Civil announced a new pistol trial for its Guardia de Asalto, or “Assault Guards.” The gun needed to be chambered for the regulation 9 mm Largo (Bergmann) but have a reduced cyclic rate for better accuracy and lower ammunition consumption. Beístegui and Astra jumped at the opportunity. After all, winning the trial would be accompanied by considerable prestige and provide a better foothold upon which to compete with Star-Bonifacio Echeverría, still the main handgun supplier to the Guardia Civil. More importantly, it would provide an immediate source of well-needed cash.

For the next few months, Beístegui, Astra and Star worked furiously, each taking a different approach to meet the Guardia’s needs. Beístegui eventually submitted its MM34, an MM31-type pistol with a pneumatic retarder mounted on the frame’s backstrap under the grips. On the frame’s left, just above the grip, was a three-position lever that could be adjusted for the desired cadence that varied from 2-3 to 9-10 shots per second. Many of the early guns had a finned barrel whose first impression recalled that of the Thompson submachine gun.

In the meantime, Astra and Star developed mechanical retarders. The Astra entry, named the Modelo F, was similar to the M903 but with a “mecanismo moderador” under the grip. In this case, the retarder was a weighted flywheel that was connected to the hammer by two pawls and their linkages. As the hammer fell, its movement was transferred to the flywheel, rotating it in one direction, then the other, essentially braking the first part of the hammer fall. The net result slowed the cyclic rate from 900 to 350 r.p.m. Star made a Model M marked “Modelo Militar” with a spring-tensioned retarder mounted under the right grip panel. Whether the Star was formally tested remains unknown.

The Guardia chose the Modelo F and gave Astra an order for 1,000 pistols. That decision was the death knell for Beístegui’s broomhandles. Washing its hands of firearms, Beístegui sold off most of its remaining inventory, mothballed the partially assembled guns and spare parts, and returned with renewed vigor to its bicycle production.

In July 1936, shortly after the onset of the Spanish Civil War, Republican forces commandeered many of the arms plants, including those of Beístegui and Astra. From that point forth, all production was determined by government decree. Beístegui was to assemble whatever pistols it could from parts on-hand for immediate issue. The urgency was such that many of the guns, mostly fourth variation MM31s, were assembled without proofs or other customary markings. Astra’s production was subject to the same authority. Between July 1936 and April 1937, the Euskadian Government, then allied with the Republicans, impounded more than 2,000 M900 series pistols in inventory while forcing Astra to make M300s and M400 (1921)s.

By early 1937, Francisco Franco’s Nationalists were gaining ground. Not surprisingly, one of their objectives was to control the Basque Provinces, for therein lay most of Spain’s small arms manufacturers. On April 26, 1937, the Nationalists shelled the town of Eibar, destroying the Beístegui factory and all of its records. At the same time, Guernica was bombed by the German Condor Legion. Remarkably, the Astra factory escaped unscathed. Just a few days later, after most of the turmoil had subsided, Astra was back to full production but now under Nationalist authority.

After the Civil War ended in 1939, Franco maintained a close watch over the handgun industry. Between 1939 and 1941, he issued a number of decrees that pared down the number of private-sector manufacturers to just four firms: Astra, Echasa, Llama and Star. For the most part, Astra was pleased—fewer competitors meant more business. Even better, there was plenty of work. The world was now in the midst of World War II, and Astra was a key supplier.

Despite Spain’s “neutrality,” Franco was well-known for having a blind eye when it came to supplying the Nazis with small arms. Between 1941 and 1944, Astra made and exported thousands of M200, M300, M400 (1921), M600 and M900 series pistols to the German forces in southern France. Concerning the M900 series, two shipments were authorized. The first, sent in November 1940, consisted of 1,002 M903s; the second left the factory in March 1943 and consisted of 1,052 M900s, 13 M902s and 987 M903s.