...another Birthday Surprise!

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Buck13 said:
Cool! The designer seems to have a real dislike of sight radius, though.

I'm curious to know what's going on atop the slide to require that. I guess I could look for other pictures online, but that would be cheating!
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That was Detonics signature design, but what, if any, practical purpose it served, I have no idea. Looks cool though......

Another sweet gun, Mike, from a sweet lady! My better half just told me to go buy myself something for Fathers' day. There's a 1967 Colt Muese-Argonne commemorative 1911 at the pawnshop with my name on it, methinks.....:)
 
Buck13 said:
Cool! The designer seems to have a real dislike of sight radius, though.

I'm curious to know what's going on atop the slide to require that. I guess I could look for other pictures online, but that would be cheating!
Click to expand...
The original concept gun had no safety and was designed to be carried hammer-down. That swoop at the back of the slide was to facilitate thumb-cocking the piece. As to the short sight radius it's never bothered me or had any appreciable effect on accuracy for me.
 
Michael Tinker Pearce said:
The original concept gun had no safety and was designed to be carried hammer-down. That swoop at the back of the slide was to facilitate thumb-cocking the piece.
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That makes a kind of sense. Maybe not so much if you have more than one pistol, though, since it's kinda the opposite procedure of every other gun. Requiring someone to remember which gun they're carrying in an emergency seems risky.
 
:D
Michael Tinker Pearce said:
It wasn't the first, but it was the first production compact .45
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That kind of what I meant. In '78 I bought a Star PD, but I couldn't remember off hand which came out first.

Say, how long does this birthday of yours linger AFTER the big day? :D
 
Tinker,

When does the jealousy stop? Once again that lady has gifted you with the things my inner green eyed monster NEEDS!

RPZ,

If you actually bought an early Star PD show us your torn up shirts and scared gut to prove it!!!! Assuming you carried IWB. I loved the little blighter until I had ruined several shirts with holes cut by the rear sight assembly and lost enough blood to have kept all the local 'skitters happy for a week. I eventually replaced it with a newer model with less painful rear sights. I am unfortunately on my last plastic recoil buffer and not sure if I should pay big for more or cut up a 1911 after market buffer or three. A bud went with the FireStar but they seem much heavier.

-kBob
 
kBob said:
Tinker,

When does the jealousy stop? Once again that lady has gifted you with the things my inner green eyed monster NEEDS!

RPZ,

If you actually bought an early Star PD show us your torn up shirts and scared gut to prove it!!!! Assuming you carried IWB. I loved the little blighter until I had ruined several shirts with holes cut by the rear sight assembly and lost enough blood to have kept all the local 'skitters happy for a week. I eventually replaced it with a newer model with less painful rear sights. I am unfortunately on my last plastic recoil buffer and not sure if I should pay big for more or cut up a 1911 after market buffer or three. A bud went with the FireStar but they seem much heavier.

-kBob
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It was during Air Force service; I sold it long before I got out so never carried it. I did baby it shooting though and only used those 185 grain FMJ semi Wadcutter. I do wish I hadn't gotten rid of it - along with a bunch of other guns along the way(!).
 
About that slide cut away. Yeah a lot of folks did carry hammer down with 1911 systems and with the standard hammer and standard military style sights that was cool. I briefly belonged to a club that insisted that everyone carry hammer down.......even if we had a holster with a thumb break designed to go under the hammer! I actually cut a little window/notch out of my OTB leather wear to allow the thumbreak to close with the hammer down. All was good until I joined the 1980's. Bud talked me into installing King Sights and since he had the right tools and plenty of ice tea I went over one evening and "we" did the installation. Next time I practiced my draw and presentations I tried VERY HARD to cock that new high and sharp rear sight. Actually cut my thumb. Fortunately the next group I got in with was more sensible about carrying cocked and locked.

I had a bud with a highly customized Colt Commander with Bob Day's S&W revolver sight installation and he carried in a shoulder holster hammer down. He also discovered that one could not cock a S&W Rear sight. That was a nice gun Day had tightened up the bushing fit to both barrel and slide and carefully fitted the barrel link for no wiggle. Bud sold it and last I heard in was in an M7 holster with a Armor officer in an M60 A3 unit......we had a talk about not letting close buds know one needed money over that one. It loved the old Remington Highway Patrol load IIRC a 185 grain JHP going a bit fast for the time. Not sure how those things would do in today's gel monsters but the A-Team would have been in trouble for they and it would hole both sides of a 55 gallon steel drum at 50 meters and hole the front of another and sometimes make it out the back of the second. Needless to say that and the Speer flying ashtray 200 JHP were my favorite 1979's carry loads in a throat polished Series 70 MkIV, unfortunately I could not get that Star PD to eat them from the mag so they got one up the spout and a mag of FMJ BALL.

Sorry for the drift.

kBob-
 
kBob said:
About that slide cut away. Yeah a lot of folks did carry hammer down with 1911 systems and with the standard hammer and standard military style sights that was cool. I briefly belonged to a club that insisted that everyone carry hammer down.......even if we had a holster with a thumb break designed to go under the hammer! I actually cut a little window/notch out of my OTB leather wear to allow the thumbreak to close with the hammer down. All was good until I joined the 1980's. Bud talked me into installing King Sights and since he had the right tools and plenty of ice tea I went over one evening and "we" did the installation. Next time I practiced my draw and presentations I tried VERY HARD to cock that new high and sharp rear sight. Actually cut my thumb. Fortunately the next group I got in with was more sensible about carrying cocked and locked.

I had a bud with a highly customized Colt Commander with Bob Day's S&W revolver sight installation and he carried in a shoulder holster hammer down. He also discovered that one could not cock a S&W Rear sight. That was a nice gun Day had tightened up the bushing fit to both barrel and slide and carefully fitted the barrel link for no wiggle. Bud sold it and last I heard in was in an M7 holster with a Armor officer in an M60 A3 unit......we had a talk about not letting close buds know one needed money over that one. It loved the old Remington Highway Patrol load IIRC a 185 grain JHP going a bit fast for the time. Not sure how those things would do in today's gel monsters but the A-Team would have been in trouble for they and it would hole both sides of a 55 gallon steel drum at 50 meters and hole the front of another and sometimes make it out the back of the second. Needless to say that and the Speer flying ashtray 200 JHP were my favorite 1979's carry loads in a throat polished Series 70 MkIV, unfortunately I could not get that Star PD to eat them from the mag so they got one up the spout and a mag of FMJ BALL.

Sorry for the drift.

kBob-
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Ah yes, the flying ashtrays! I never did try them in my Star.
 
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tark said:
You DO realize, do you not, that if your loving wife ever reads THIS post , that you are in a world of you know what!! ??

Very cool gun. Your wife is a sweetheart
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Actually when I told her I wrote that she cracked up and agreed- she's met her sisters too!
 
Tinker

The original concept gun had no safety and was designed to be carried hammer-down. That swoop at the back of the slide was to facilitate thumb-cocking the piece.
Click to expand...

That's what I remembered too when the folks at Detonics were asked about the repositioned rear sight and the slope on the back of the slide. It was supposed to make it easier to thumb cock the hammer.

Your latest birthday gift appears to be great shape and well preserved for it's age. I can hardly wait to see what your lovely wife gets you for Christmas!
 
kBob said:
Tinker,

When does the jealousy stop? Once again that lady has gifted you with the things my inner green eyed monster NEEDS!

RPZ,

If you actually bought an early Star PD show us your torn up shirts and scared gut to prove it!!!! Assuming you carried IWB. I loved the little blighter until I had ruined several shirts with holes cut by the rear sight assembly and lost enough blood to have kept all the local 'skitters happy for a week. I eventually replaced it with a newer model with less painful rear sights. I am unfortunately on my last plastic recoil buffer and not sure if I should pay big for more or cut up a 1911 after market buffer or three. A bud went with the FireStar but they seem much heavier.

-kBob
Click to expand...
I kick myself everyday for parting with my .45 Firestar. Talk about a little tank of a gun! Yes, it was heavy, but quite slim and ergonomic. Very innacurate at more than point blank range, but it would digest anything and could be used as an effective bludgeon if you did run out of ammo.......
 
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