In 1944, Franco issued a regulation prohibiting manufacture of military arms except in government arsenals. As had been true years earlier, military arms were defined to include pistols with selective-fire devices or capable of being fitted to a shoulder stock. Under the new law, Astra could complete and export the pistols that were finished, or partially finished, but was prohibited from manufacturing new guns. The last guns were Model Es, a hybrid of the Modelo F top and M903 frame, exported primarily to Third World countries between 1949-1951, with the last guns leaving Astra in 1960.

In retrospect, the Spanish firms accounted for only a small number of C96-type guns. Beístegui’s production of Model Hs, MM31s and MM34s approached 33,000, while Astra completed 34,336 Model 900 series pistols. In contrast, Mauser’s C96 production exceeded 1 million guns. Nevertheless, the Spanish makers were responsible for an extraordinary level of ingenuity, particularly their cyclic-rate-retarded versions, and implemented a number of advances that even Mauser must have admired. Had it not been for market forces beyond their control, the broomhandles of Beístegui and Astra may well have overshadowed those of Mauser, bringing an entirely new association to the phrase “Made in Spain.”

Be sure to check out the Spanish Broomhandles photo gallery.