[Magwa45]

Anybody familiar with these or have one and can comment about it? I seem to remember Clint Eastwood using one in the early part of "Unforgiven." Seems like an unusual piece and have never laid eyeballs on one myself. But it looks interesting.

[BHP FAN]

the double actions have had some problems,a buddy got one and returned it for a Star single action revolver,which he loves.

[Das Jaeger]

I had a double action for a good long time, flawless in function , but I have heard war stories of both the single and double being finicky , way to go Italy ! :D I loved mine though , can pack some powder in it and it can handle it too , plus the finish was very nice, nearly as good as the Pietta LeMat on my version . Very fast cylinder swaps too .
They are top heavy though , they aint no Colt in handling . But good accurate shooter .

Jaeger

[mykeal]

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/mykealsm/Guns/Starr/672.jpg
This is a Starr Single Action, made by Pietta in 2001.
It's a big gun, on the order of a Rogers & Spencer or ROA. As Das Jaeger said, balance is poor. It's fairly accurate from a two hand hold, less so if shooting duelist. This example is one of the 'finicky' ones - the action is rough and has a tendency to want to jam; I've spent a little time trying to smooth it up by stoning, but frankly it's not my favorite revolver so I'm not motivated to spend a lot of time on it. Fit and finish are very good, however.

[Hawkeye748]

The original Starrs did not recieve very good evaluation from the troops that carried them in the CW. The only reason they were used was a shortage of quality weapons. Most swapped them in as soon as they could get something else.

I Know several folks tried the Starr Repros. No one, that shot more than just every now and then, liked them. While it might shoot well to begin with, it was moderate use over a short period of time that showed the guns faults. They just don't hold up very well at all. If you shoot it regularly, it will give you continual problems.

My personal experience was standing next to a Starr during team competition with the N-SSA. Every time my team mate shot, I got peppered with powder and lead shavings. The next day I had bruises and burns all over my right arm and face. Also, the next week I removed 4 pieces of lead from my hand and arm. The team mate has consigned his Starr to display only until he figures a way to make it work properly.

Also, the guns are so prone to problems, 2 gunsmiths that specialize in accurizing and fixing BP repro revolvers no longer will make efforts to fix them.

[Smokin_Gun]

Also, the guns are so prone to problems, 2 gunsmiths that specialize in accurizing and fixing BP repro revolvers no longer will make efforts to fix them.

Send um to me I'll fix and shoot um. I love the 1863 STARR I have ... all you need to do is as with most any other Pietta it get it to work right or how you want it to, like any other revolver... keep it mechanically maintained... Timming is everything :O)
Nothin' wrong with the STARR SAA in my book.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/Smokin_Gun/Starr/1858StarrSkull.jpg

[madcratebuilder]

I have both the SA and DA on my list. I have read about all the problems, typical Italian clone problems for the most part. I don't think I would recommend one as a primary shooter, but they are a historically interesting revolver.

[Hawkeye748]

The problem is: Keeping a Starr "properly maintained" is a pain. With a Remington, Rogers and Spencer, ROA, and to some degree Colt's, once you fix it properly, you can rely on it to stay fixed for a while. You can't do that with the Starr. It is a constant job to keep it maintained. The Starr, for whatever reason, has befuddled these Smiths efforts to stay fixed. They guarantee their work and the Starrs keep coming back where the others don't. They can't stay in business if they spend all their time trying to keep the Starrs working.

The GS's work mainly for regular shooters in competition events like N-SSA. The guns cannot stand moderate to heavy use like the Remingtons and Rogers and Spencers.

They are historically interesting but the originals were not well liked and neither are the repros. I will one day take one down and see if I can see why there is a problem. I suspect that the originals are too loose in the tolerences and should have been made tighter at the time. The Italians are very good at making copies, but their tolerences are also frequently greater than the originals even. Combine the two, and I suspect you will find that that is why they are "finicky".

[Magwa45]

Thanks for the feedback. My primary interest is the 1860 Army and I am not looking for a dog which need continual repairs, etc.

[Smokin_Gun]

Well then I guess I'll jus' grin and keep on a shootin' my STARR... :O)
Sorry about yer Starr expiriances...

[Das Jaeger]

Ironically enough , the man with the biggest badmouthing opinion of the Starr doesn't even owne one or has even shot one ? Go figure :D

There is a guy over on the CASS Forum , S_G that uses two of them single actions as his main match guns , hmmm , must be peices-o-crap for that to happen I am thinkin :D ........

Nother case of " yeh , ok , whatever " goin on here . :D
Till you've owned one , and or shot one , mmmmmm , hmmmm , how do you even have an opinion ? :eek:

It's a fine gun , very cool design , strong as all get out , dovetail front sight , mechanical genious going on in the double action version on top of all that too . There are just as many bad Pietta Colts and Remingtons or Uberti Remingtons or COLTs that have issues also , the Starr is NO different . I ran hundreds of high octain loads through mine , in the high 30 grains , never one failure or cap jam . Can't say that about many other cap and ball guns can you ? I never touched mine mechanically either , did not have to , it was flawless . Maybe I got lucky , it was one of the first repros made of them when no parts were even available yet ?

I say Blah Blah Blah to the nay sayers . I agree , please send me your pile of crap Starrs , I will give it a rightous home :D

Das Jaeger :banghead:

[mykeal]

I refer you to post #4 in this thread.

There is at least one person here who does own one and has shot it and has spent time working on it to improve it. My OPINION (you've stated yours, I'll repeat mine since you appear to have forgotten about my post) is that it's design is not up to the Rogers and Spencer, Remington or Colt standard. It was not well received originally and for good reason. The action is prone to jamming (NOT cap jams) and the flaws are inherent in the design rather than the execution of the design, although mine is one example of the problems Pietta had during the late 1990's/early 2000's.

Congratulations on having one example that does not exhibit the flaws of it's contemporaries. There seem to be more of the latter than the former, otherwise there would be more of them in circulation. Permissum venalicium constituo.

[Das Jaeger]

noise deleted

[Hawkeye748]

The biggest Bad Mouth of the Starr has at least 2-3 dozen friends that have or have had Starrs.;) Decided he didn't want to waste money.:D He reads history and talks to experts on the guns of the CW. The gun:barf: was a dog then as now.

:uhoh:OH, You forgot the biggest reason I Hate the Starr. THE GUN PUT LEAD FRAGMENTS IN MY ARM when I was 2 feet to the left and slightly BEHIND the Starr:what:. :cuss:

:banghead: I'll say it again, like I have said before: I think this board is a place to exchange information and experiences, hopefully without personal attacks on those opinions. I made clear why I don't like them and that I didn't own one. I shoot in an organization that heavily uses CW weapons of all types. As such, I can get a fairly good report on new repros without actually owning one. I try to share that information on here to save those that don't have that access to first hand use information. :)

Jaeger, I am happy you like your Starr and apparently have a good one. But when I know from reliable sources that something is not adviseable, I share that information. Your opinion is just as valid as mine.

If he wants to run the risk of spending money on the Starr, that's his choice. :cool: More power to him.

I am just letting him know what I have learned.

[Smokin_Gun]

Trivia for the STARR Lovers & Haters ... :O)

http://armscollectors.com/mgs/starr_revolvers_week_3.htm

[madcratebuilder]

Great link SG, thanks. I have always thought they had modern look for there day. Problems or not, I plan on adding one or more to my collection. Wish I could afford the originals.

[Smokin_Gun]

You and me both MCB. I have come real close to grabbin' a original but havin' this Pietta STARR saved me for the moment... ;O)
I think I'd hold out for the Single Action one as the problimatic Model was more over the 1858 DA than the newer 1863 SAA model built for sale to the Federals, but I can't swear too it as I wasn't there nor own one. I would like to have the DA and the SA STARR reguardless.

[mec]

A Union Army officer, probably speaking of the double action Starr, said that whoever foisted the contraption on a nation at war should be hanged for treason. Many owners of the Pietta replica have also cast about for somebody to hang.
The replica is very close to the original having authentic markings in addition the pietta ones. I examined one original. Like the replica we had on hand, it was broken.

[Hawkeye748]

Thank you MEC. I was looking for this quote earlier and couldn't find it.

[Das Jaeger]

mmmmmm pat on your back too :D

I read some of what the Governement tells me is real too ? I don't believe them either . :neener:

Jaeger

[arcticap]

I'm awed by how many were made.
But apparently "shooting Starrs" they weren't! :D:neener::D

[Hawkeye748]

That is actually not very many when compared to Colt and Remington. This might interest you.

The most prolific maker of handguns in the Civil War era was Samuel Colt. During the conflict his Hartford, Connecticut firm produced nearly 150,000 .44 caliber six-shot revolvers (the 1860 "New Model Army"). The vast majority of them went to the Union war effort, but Colt sold arms to all buyers until a few days after the firing on Ft. Sumter. These guns were durable and powerful. From 16 yards, a bullet from a Colt Army revolver penetrated seven white pine boards, each 3/4" thick, separated by one inch of dead space between them. Colt also manufactured a "Navy" model revolver in .36 caliber. Introduced in 1851, the Navy was widely available in the South, and a favorite arm of Confederate horsemen. Before the war's end, 185,000 Navy revolvers had been produced.

Another major supplier of revolvers to the Federal government was the firm of E. Remington and Sons, of Ilion, New York. Beginning in 1858, Remington introduced an improved series of simplified revolver designs that featured a solid frame, which made the arm stronger and cheaper to produce than its primary competitor, the Colt. The War Department purchased approximately 114,000 .44 and .36 caliber Remington revolvers at $12.00 per gun, while Colt was still charging $25.00 for their New Model Army.


Another tale of the tape on the Starr is that the Government cancelled contracts on the Starr in 1864, BEFORE the War ended. (See the link on Smoking Guns post) They didn't do that with others and they were also importing pistols also.

[Smokin_Gun]

So? I still like the STARR... :O)

[Das Jaeger]

Please send me all your complaint guns , :D
And send all your complaints to 1-800-your-a-bone-head-Jaeger :)
The Chevy Corvair was a fine car also , once you put the flames out . :D

Jaeger

[Smokin_Gun]

LOL!