Got a Star BM 9mm from Aim today.

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firestar

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The Star BM I ordered from AIM came in and I picked it up from my dealer today. For those of you that don't know, the Star BM is a Commander sized, all steel, single stack 9mm 1911 style pistol.

It looks great. It came with two mags, the manual and original Star plastic box. I would rate the finish at about 85% but it doesn't look to have been fired or used very much. The bore is 95% and the extra mag is 100% with no marks. Maybe it was carried enough to were the high stops but not shot much?

It fits my hand like it was made for it and the controls are smooth and light. The trigger is outstanding! It is light and crisp with no creep or overtravel. It really feels like a match trigger to me. The hammer is easy to cock and has wonderful clear clicks at half and full cock. The safety is positive and moves in and out of safe with a stong "snick". All matching numbers and all original as far as I can tell.

The only draw back is the gun comes with a mag safety. I hate mag safeties but I'm sure it can be fixed. Also, it is a little heavy due to being made of steel instead of aluminum but it will help durability and follow up shots.

I will shoot it and give a range report probably next week but if this Star BM is anything like my Firestar or Star B, it should be a real shooter. I am going to order another one for a spare and because they are sooooo cheap right now! AIM has them for $129 each. That is an unbelievable good price on a gun of this quality. After shipping and FFL, I paid about the same for the Star BM as I did for the Makarov that I just got and I think the Star is a MUCH better gun. If this gun were made and sold today, it would cost $400-500.

I give it a thumbs up for now but I have not shot it yet so I can't be sure of its other qualities until I do. Every Star I have seen has been reliable and way beyond what is considered average in terms of accuracy. Most Stars seems to be made well with the exception of some of the guns that came out recently.
 
Thanks for the write up. I too have been eyeing those BMs at AIM as the price and their reputation are right. I may have to wait a few weeks though and let my wife recover from my last purchase...she has her own "one gun a month" policy. :p
 
Nice pistols...

Years ago, I had a Star BKM. Same gun, but with alloy frame. Fit in a trouser pocket. Traded it off for something; still regret it.

I'd buy one or two of those puppies in a second, but living in People's Democratic Socialist Republic of California, His Leftness has decided it is improper for me to so do.
 
So what did you pay? I have also been eyeballing these guns. One dealer told me that he would have to charge me about $300+. Another dealer (pawnshop) said they could get me one for about $170 give or take.
Hurry Up and Shoot that thing Man! Fill us in on the results. Post pics.:)
 
I paid $155 with shipping and FFL. I was going to buy one of these at the last gunshow for $199 but I didn't, when I saw that AIM had them for $129.00, I couldn't see any reason not to get one. Everybody seems to have lowered their price on the BMs right now, SOG has them for about $150 and so do a few other places. I was thinking that these lower distributor prices would translate to lower dealer prices and I might be able to find one for $150-175 at the next gunshow or maybe online but I didn't want to take the chance so I just ordered while the price was low.

After seeing my Star BM, my dealer said that he was thinking about ordering a few for resale and at least one for himself. He is one of the few people that I have met that like Star pistols as much as I do.
 
I've had the Star BM 9mm for about 20+ years now and I have never regretted buying it. It has been a very dependable pistol with no malfunctions that I can remember. I bought it new from Interarms, who was the importer. I still use it today for my carry gun. I hope I never need any parts for it as they might be hard to get at the present time. I just might pick up another one in case I might need to replace parts at some future time.
 
One dealer told me that he would have to charge me about $300+. Another dealer (pawnshop) said they could get me one for about $170 give or take.
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I don't see why they would have to charge you $300!:confused: $170 is a good price and I would pay that in a second. They are probably worth $300 but there is no reason to pay that much when every distributor is now selling them for well under $200. I expect to pay about an extra $50 over what distributors charge but not much more.

I would buy another if I saw a good deal on one at the next gunshow. Anything under $200 OTD seems to be a good deal and one that I would jump on.
 
I just wanted to say thank you to Stephen A. Camp. He is the reason that I bought my Star B and now my Star BM. He did a write up on the BM a while ago and I have been wanting one ever since but I was waiting on a deal (like I do;) ). I trust his opinions enough to risk the money on a puchase that he recomends.
 
I just ordered one up today through my dealer from AIM. (and a CZ-52 while I was at it :)

I can't wait. I've always wanted both of them, just never got around to doing it. Happened to buy a "Concealed Carry Handguns" magazine today, and found a write up on the BM in it. The writer had only good things to say as well.

Now to order up some ammo.
 
Firestar, Is this Star BM about the same size as the RAP? JR
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More or less. It weighs about the same but it is a little longer in the bbl and grip. It is thinner than the RAP 401 so I think it would be even easier to CCW in a belt holster or IWB.
 
Stephen, if you still around, what is the cure for the mag safety? I want it gone because I don't like them.
 
Hello. To remove the magazine disconnect on the Star BM, you need to first remove the grips. Near the bottom of the magazine well on the left side you'll see a long leaf spring thing that's secured by a hollow tube extending through the frame. Just knock it out from the other side and the magazine "safety" is gone. It's just as easily replaced should you so desire at a later time. Magazines should drop free with the removal of this device.

Best.
 
Thanks Mr. Camp! I just removed the mag safety on my Star BM and now it will drop the mags free just like you said.

I also tried to do the same to my Firestar but the bottom pin of the mag safety spring holds in what looks to be the hammer spring. I just cut off the top portion of the assembly and now the mag safety is gone and it too will drop the mags free. It was a permanet change but I don't ever plan on selling the Firestar so I am not worried about it too much.

Thanks again!
 
It's a shame that the STAR is being rediscovered long after it's too late to save the company. I hapen to think that the STARs are some of the nicest pistols made, and my UltraStar is one of my favorite semis.

For a long time these guns have been sitting on shelves gathering dust and it's only been in the last year or so that people seem to be giving them a second look. So far, most everyone who has tried one has raved about them. Back when I first started buying handguns on my own, the STARs from Spain, Berettas from Italy, Colts and Smiths from the US, Walthers from Germany and the Browning HiPowers from Belgium were the top shelf guns.
 
I tried to resist buying one of these. I stumbled across them at Aimsurplus, got interested and did some research. Everything was pretty good. I read Mr. Camp's article, more kind words. This weekend, I stumbled across a magazine (if you want to call a $9.99 publication a magazine) with a nice article about the Star BM and it's suitability to CCW. Now, I read Firestar's post about it. I can no longer resist, I placed an order with Aimsurplus. I hope it's as good as everyone says it is... :)

Chris
 
OK, I'll wait a few days until they get Bernie's FFL and then order one myself
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They already have it on file. There's a three day shipping delay though. I'm assuming a backlog of orders to process or some other business related issue...

Chris
 
Hello. I've had this one for quite a few years. I suggest picking up extra magazines as you can and keeping your eyes open for firing pins & extractors, just in case.

fd58a01c.jpg


Best.
 
This thread has gotten me *this* close to ordering one of these babys. Can anyone tell me what holsters will work with it?

Man, the wife's gonna kill me...again.
 
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