star bm 9mm
- Thread starter waymor55
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ugaarguy
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waymor,
I don't own one, but many threads here onTHR have very good things to say about the BM. If you do a search for Star BM you can find lots of info. In that price range I think your best bet is the BM or a S&W revolver like a used Model 10 .38 Special.
I don't own one, but many threads here onTHR have very good things to say about the BM. If you do a search for Star BM you can find lots of info. In that price range I think your best bet is the BM or a S&W revolver like a used Model 10 .38 Special.
PX15
Member
waymor55:
IMO the Star BM is an excellent pistol. I purchased one last year, and it has been 100% reliable and very accurate. I have only shot ball ammo in it, but I've read where others shoot sjhp's and their BM's seem to feed them quite well.
If there is a downside to Stars it's that they are no longer made, so parts will start becoming hard to find. wwwgunparts.com still sells lots of parts, including the firing pin, (which apparently could fail if you dry fire the BM a great deal.)
I bought a b/u firing pin, but I doubt that I'll ever need it as I'm a believer in snap caps when dry firing any of my firearms. My Star BM apparently spent it's early days with the Spanish Guardia Civil.. Guess it was good enough for them..
Now, having said I love my Star BM, I would suggest you also consider the KelTec P11. The P11 is also a 9mm, but it's d/a, holds 10 (or 12 if you so desire) rounds of +p ammo, and is backed by a lifetime warranty. I paid $225 for mine, new, +tax. My P11 has been 100% reliable and quite accurate at self defense range. (for me 5-7 yards). Further out than that the Star is actually more accurate.
IMO either the Star BM, or the KelTec P11 would do the job for you. I have both, but I prefer the KT as my cc choice because it is lighter and offers more rounds of +p ammo.
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Just another option.
Best Wishes,
J. Pomeroy
ugaarguy
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Waymor55,
Do you have a local gun shop? If so ask what their FFL fee is to recieve and transfer a gun - $25 is standard. If they'll recieve a gun for you here's what ya do. You tell them I want to order (fill in the blank) from a dealer I saw (online, in The Shotgun News, etc). The dealer says ok, I charge (usually $25) and he gives you a copy of his FFL, Federal Firearms License, that has been signed in ink. You then call whom ever you want to order from and tell them what you want. They say ok that will cost X plus ($15-30) for shipping for a total of X. They bill your credit card. You tell them I want it sent to this dealer, at this address. They say ok, mail us a signed copy of his FFL and as soon as we get it we'll ship your gun out. You then mail them your local dealers FFL copy. They get it and mail the gun to your dealer. Your dealer gets the gun in the mail and you go to pick it up. You pay him the $25 transfer fee and he does the background check, you go home with your new gun. So on a Star BM that you get online for $150-$160 + $25 FFL fee + $25 shipping you come out right around $200. No tax since you didn't buy the gun in state, your dealer simply tranferred it to you. I have not dealt with either of these companies, but here are two links for Star BM pistols:
http://www.kyimports.com/sw.htm#s&w - scroll to the bottom
http://www.militarygunsupply.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=FISTBM
Let me know if you need any clarification or any further help.
Do you have a local gun shop? If so ask what their FFL fee is to recieve and transfer a gun - $25 is standard. If they'll recieve a gun for you here's what ya do. You tell them I want to order (fill in the blank) from a dealer I saw (online, in The Shotgun News, etc). The dealer says ok, I charge (usually $25) and he gives you a copy of his FFL, Federal Firearms License, that has been signed in ink. You then call whom ever you want to order from and tell them what you want. They say ok that will cost X plus ($15-30) for shipping for a total of X. They bill your credit card. You tell them I want it sent to this dealer, at this address. They say ok, mail us a signed copy of his FFL and as soon as we get it we'll ship your gun out. You then mail them your local dealers FFL copy. They get it and mail the gun to your dealer. Your dealer gets the gun in the mail and you go to pick it up. You pay him the $25 transfer fee and he does the background check, you go home with your new gun. So on a Star BM that you get online for $150-$160 + $25 FFL fee + $25 shipping you come out right around $200. No tax since you didn't buy the gun in state, your dealer simply tranferred it to you. I have not dealt with either of these companies, but here are two links for Star BM pistols:
http://www.kyimports.com/sw.htm#s&w - scroll to the bottom
http://www.militarygunsupply.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=FISTBM
Let me know if you need any clarification or any further help.
I have one. It's a great pistol. Part supplies will be drying up however.
If I were you I'd scour the used cases at local gun shops. Look for a used Ruger 9mm or a Bersa 9mm. I recently saw a nice used Ruger P89 for $219 that was in great shape.
If I were you I'd scour the used cases at local gun shops. Look for a used Ruger 9mm or a Bersa 9mm. I recently saw a nice used Ruger P89 for $219 that was in great shape.
PX15
Member
waymor55:
Hey, here's another consideration in the same price range. The Bersa Thunder 380 seems very popular for cc.. It's a 380, not a 9mm, but it is relatively small and comes with a lifetime warranty for around $200-220. I have the same basic pistol but in 22cal. in the Firestrorm FS22 pictured below:
You might check out www.BersaTalk.com. Lots of happy Bersa/Firestorm owners there who can answer all of your questions and concerns.
The BT380 is a neat pistol, sort of a mix between a Walther PP and Walther PPK, but with extended tang, and a great reputation for reliability and accuracy. I'm not especially fond of the 380, but I might get one just to see what all the fuss is about. There is in fact a new "concealed carry" version, but it's basically just a slicked up standard model I think. I might hold off until those are less pricy.
Best Wishes,
J. Pomeroy
Hey, here's another consideration in the same price range. The Bersa Thunder 380 seems very popular for cc.. It's a 380, not a 9mm, but it is relatively small and comes with a lifetime warranty for around $200-220. I have the same basic pistol but in 22cal. in the Firestrorm FS22 pictured below:
You might check out www.BersaTalk.com. Lots of happy Bersa/Firestorm owners there who can answer all of your questions and concerns.
The BT380 is a neat pistol, sort of a mix between a Walther PP and Walther PPK, but with extended tang, and a great reputation for reliability and accuracy. I'm not especially fond of the 380, but I might get one just to see what all the fuss is about. There is in fact a new "concealed carry" version, but it's basically just a slicked up standard model I think. I might hold off until those are less pricy.
Best Wishes,
J. Pomeroy
Essex County
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I bought a LNIB BM a while back and I am tremendously pleased. 100 per cent reliable, the same functiona as My 1911s and has just the right heft and balance to it. I paid 240 for it OTD, with a box of WWB and I didn't quible. As of yet I'm searching for a holster. Any suggestions? Anyway, I'd consider 200 bucks for one a very fair price..........Essex
PX15
Member
Essex County:
I've found many of the holsters that fit my SW3913/Sig P239/KelTec P11 seem to fit my BM pretty good.
I suggest you take your unloaded, unloaded, BM to a large gun shop that sells holsters and will let you try your pistol in several of them. I don't think you'll find one advertised as for the Star BM, but any similiar pistol holster will probably do the trick for you.
On another subject, I'll tell you another "surplus" pistol that is tremendously underpriced, undervalued, and under appreciated by most American firearm buyers.
The Walther P1....
Best Wishes,
J. Pomeroy
I've found many of the holsters that fit my SW3913/Sig P239/KelTec P11 seem to fit my BM pretty good.
I suggest you take your unloaded, unloaded, BM to a large gun shop that sells holsters and will let you try your pistol in several of them. I don't think you'll find one advertised as for the Star BM, but any similiar pistol holster will probably do the trick for you.
On another subject, I'll tell you another "surplus" pistol that is tremendously underpriced, undervalued, and under appreciated by most American firearm buyers.
The Walther P1....
Best Wishes,
J. Pomeroy
Golddog
Member
The BM has a much better trigger than most of the DA guns mentioned above; it can be carried cocked and locked, just like a 1911. It's one of the underrated gems of the gun world and should have been a big hit.
Stephen A. Camp
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The Star Bowel Movement? I don't have a BM; I have a B. Piece of crap. Maybe when I get it to feed more than one round at a time, I'll think differently.
The Walther P1, particularly a later model with the nicer sights, is an exceptional pistol, though. New magazines are available and it points and shoots quite well. It can't do "cocked and locked" because the decocker and the safety are connected together, but I don't much care. It has an unobtrusive but positive loaded chamber indicator that you can see while aiming the gun. Neat feature.
The only downer about the P1 is that modern holsters are not readily available, though surplus and replica leather flap holsters are. But I do like my P1.
The Walther P1, particularly a later model with the nicer sights, is an exceptional pistol, though. New magazines are available and it points and shoots quite well. It can't do "cocked and locked" because the decocker and the safety are connected together, but I don't much care. It has an unobtrusive but positive loaded chamber indicator that you can see while aiming the gun. Neat feature.
The only downer about the P1 is that modern holsters are not readily available, though surplus and replica leather flap holsters are. But I do like my P1.
Golddog
Member
The B's I've owned or shot were unreliable, but the BM's and BKM were totally dependable, probably because they were 30 or 40 years newer and the design had been tweaked.
I think the "B" was originally designed to fire the 9x21mm round. Some were made in 9mm but you can tell the mag was designed for a longer cartridge. That is where most of the feeding trouble will spawn from. If you did a study, I bet you would find most "B" models that have reliability problems have FTF jams and not so much FTE jams. Just my guess but I can't recall ever having a problem with it ejuecting once it got in the chamber. Once I tweaked the mags until it was right, it was pretty reliable but I would use it as a self defense peice. I think once I got it working, I would have about 1-2 jams per 1000 rds.
I put probably two thousand rounds through it and I noticed that it was getting really tired. It was an old gun to start with that had been used hard. It was a WWII German Police issue gun that looked like it had actually been used constantly since then. I was able to get 2K more rds through her but then I felt that I was just beating it up. All the springs were in need of replacement and some of the parts were so worn, I was afaird they would break. I got it for $140 shipped on my C&R FFL so I dumped. I miss it but I would like a better cond one so it will last longer. Maybe the Super B is in order. I remember seeing them for about $150 in excellent cond but now they all seem up near the $300 mark. I would pay it if there were so many other guns I wanted more. For $300, I can get better guns. I can get a S&W 5946 for $279 out of CDNN which I know will be reliable.
I put probably two thousand rounds through it and I noticed that it was getting really tired. It was an old gun to start with that had been used hard. It was a WWII German Police issue gun that looked like it had actually been used constantly since then. I was able to get 2K more rds through her but then I felt that I was just beating it up. All the springs were in need of replacement and some of the parts were so worn, I was afaird they would break. I got it for $140 shipped on my C&R FFL so I dumped. I miss it but I would like a better cond one so it will last longer. Maybe the Super B is in order. I remember seeing them for about $150 in excellent cond but now they all seem up near the $300 mark. I would pay it if there were so many other guns I wanted more. For $300, I can get better guns. I can get a S&W 5946 for $279 out of CDNN which I know will be reliable.
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