Patriot's Almanac

Today, the Astra 400 is highly prized by collectors and firearm enthusiasts for its historical significance and mechanical reliability. It remains a symbol of Spanish engineering and a testament to the evolution of military handguns during the early 20th century.

Military history is a fascinating part of world history and becomes a lens through which we see the world today.  The firearms that shape that world are truly fascinating and can tell a story of that time in history.  We are fortunate enough to get some examples of these pieces through our shop and get to take a deep dive into their background.

In pop culture we see the C96 Bolo pop up quite a bit. Perhaps most famously as Han Solo’s laser pistol in Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (1977). The prop department took real firearms and modified them to give a more futuristic look to them. This has resulted in many Bolo pistols being historically damaged as people have copied the Han Solo look with them.