tark
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Almost forgot, when doing the second method, insert the case / round all the way into the chuck so only the rim is visible. This will prevent a slip of the hand from chewing up the side of the case.
Classic has Star BM's for $150...
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lsudave
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Did you ever get one?
wally
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I've three from the first wave in the early 2000s the best one to collect, the middle grade to shoot, the worst for spare parts (which I haven't needed yet beyond using the magazine). Prices ran $125-180 back then depending on condition, box, and one vs. two mags.
GBExpat
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Hahaha ... an excellent way to look at it for those of us with multiples of these nice pistols.
OK, short story, long.
My father gave me an old Star Model Super B. It needed to be re- blued.
A buddy of mine said he knew a guy who had a bluing tank and would re-blue it for $35.00.
Pistol was stolen from his house, he found a NIB Star BS, put a set of grips he made and charged me $35.00, he said, that was our original deal.
My father gave me an old Star Model Super B. It needed to be re- blued.
A buddy of mine said he knew a guy who had a bluing tank and would re-blue it for $35.00.
Pistol was stolen from his house, he found a NIB Star BS, put a set of grips he made and charged me $35.00, he said, that was our original deal.
Nature Boy
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Looks better than "fair" to me.
I don't know anything about these pistols. I like the look of them. Thanks for the info
I don't know anything about these pistols. I like the look of them. Thanks for the info
Sistema1927
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Classic is showing sold out for the fair units and has good/very good for $189.
First4Freedom
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I absolutely need to look out for the next lot of whatever bulk pistols they get in, just found a great local FFL and may have been bitten by the milsurp bug
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lsudave
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Yep, much better than "fair" in my opinion. I'd describe it as "factory refurbished- new in box". Not only did it get the exterior redone, but the barrel and such seem like they were probably replaced. This was going to be my truck gun... not anymore...
It's really a cool little hobby. Nobody knows what is coming next- lots of people thought the run was over when the Warsaw Pact guns dried up. Then suddenly, a warehouse full of Spanish pistols roll in, and in a common caliber to boot. These might not be easily recognized brands, but most industrialized nations issued solid firearms to their military and police. The lemons got weeded out before they go to surplus, unless you catch a worn out sample. Plus, you get a nice history lesson when you research them.
Regarding the BM in particular, it's a nice gun, doesn't really have a current counterpart on the market. Small but heavy-duty. Resembles a 1911, a little smaller than a Commander, but bigger than a Kimber Micro or Sig 938. And about half the price of a Filipino gun.
Patocazador
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I just took delivery of one that I got from J&G Sales. I am very pleased with the condition. It looks about the same as Isudaves' gun pictured above.
No cracks or rust, very little wear on the bluing. I haven't inspected the bore in detail yet but at first look it appears to be good with no obvious pitting. I paid ~ $30 more than Dave for a "very good" one. It looks very good to me. I also got an extra magazine for it.
I may order a Makarov or Radom from them in the immediate future.
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OK I just got through taking the gun apart after shooting a clip through it. The bore is very good plus. No failures to feed but the trigger has a lot of travel after feeling the first resistance. It will take a bit to get used to the long pull. I didn't expect that on a SA gun.
Overall, I give it a B+. It's in better shape than 2/3 of my personal guns that I bought new. I'm rather rough on a gun, rifle or pistol.
No cracks or rust, very little wear on the bluing. I haven't inspected the bore in detail yet but at first look it appears to be good with no obvious pitting. I paid ~ $30 more than Dave for a "very good" one. It looks very good to me. I also got an extra magazine for it.
I may order a Makarov or Radom from them in the immediate future.
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OK I just got through taking the gun apart after shooting a clip through it. The bore is very good plus. No failures to feed but the trigger has a lot of travel after feeling the first resistance. It will take a bit to get used to the long pull. I didn't expect that on a SA gun.
Overall, I give it a B+. It's in better shape than 2/3 of my personal guns that I bought new. I'm rather rough on a gun, rifle or pistol.
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lsudave
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Just buy a snap cap, the firing pin is the weak link in the design. They do snap if dry-fired.
Even at "$30 more", with a funny trigger pull, these are a great deal. You're just not going to find a comparable pistol for that price.
Patocazador
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OK, so I shot my Star BM with Blazer ammo and it just didn't seem quite right when firing. Then I used some hot handloads with 125 gr. hollow points and got 2 rounds that were FTF. They fired on the 2nd try however. I thought the firing pin might have broken so I contacted J&G and they sent me another firing pin and spring. I removed the original one and found that it was not broken but it measured .0015" shorter than the replacement.
After installing the replacement, I shot a couple of clips of factory 115's and 125 handloads with no problems. The trigger feels better too.
J&G does not have parts for them but they sent me the firing pin from a pistol that was in bad condition. They want the old one back, sorrt of like trading your old battery in when you get a new one.
I'm giving a "thumbs up" to J&G Sales
both for the condition of the gun and the quick service to replace a defective part.
After installing the replacement, I shot a couple of clips of factory 115's and 125 handloads with no problems. The trigger feels better too.
J&G does not have parts for them but they sent me the firing pin from a pistol that was in bad condition. They want the old one back, sorrt of like trading your old battery in when you get a new one.
I'm giving a "thumbs up" to J&G Sales
both for the condition of the gun and the quick service to replace a defective part.John G C 1
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Is the attraction of these historical or are people looking for a beater to leave in the cabin or boat or something. I am not being a smart aleck or criticizing.
I am wondering what people use them for? Does not seem like these are really either target or carry guns. Is it just the fun or getting something different at a good price? Are they actually well made?
Honestly ,just curious.
I am wondering what people use them for? Does not seem like these are really either target or carry guns. Is it just the fun or getting something different at a good price? Are they actually well made?
Honestly ,just curious.
MedWheeler
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John G C 1 writes:
In a word, yes.
In a few more, they're fun beaters that are well made, and something different for a good price.
In a word, yes.
In a few more, they're fun beaters that are well made, and something different for a good price.
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lsudave
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Yeah, a lot of the surplus fun is finding a nice shooter for a good price. Either as beaters, or for the historical aspect- either way, they are nice.
Most of the designs are very solid, and the QA aspect is worked out during their time in service. You might find a tired one, but the odds of a 'new lemon' are almost nil.
The 2 BMs I have are very well made, solid and robust firearms that I don't foresee breaking down any time soon. They weren't made to squeak into the bargain section of the US commercial market, they were made and issued to the National Police of an industrialized European nation that, at the time, was a military state. As such, they were intended to function reliably, without getting into the politics of it all. The reason there are divots milled out on the frame and slide is that the Guardia Civil is cognizant of their past, and they didn't want that insignia on a bunch of weapons released into the wild.
Tallball
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I have quite a few milsurp and police trade-in firearms. John G is right, none of them are suitable for competition shooting, and none are great choices for CC, IMHO.
But like another poster said, you just can't get a pistol of this quality for $150. It is made to be a service pistol for a major European country. They are well-built and made to last.
I also have a Super B, a Makarov, a Tokarev, a surplus Beretta 84, an Isreali surplus Tanfoglio, etc. They were all cheap. The least I recently paid for a surplus or police trade-in pistol was $149. The most was around $300. They are perfectly good service pistols for plinking or shooting at the range. If I needed to use one for HD, I would feel as confident in it as I do in my various newer commercial pistols.
Other than being inexpensive and perfectly good shooters, they also have a lot more historical interest and "character" than a newer plastic pistol.
gc70
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The Star BM is surprisingly similar in size and weight to the CZ 75 Compact, although the CZ has substantially more capacity at 14 rounds versus the BM's 8.
test drive
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I love mine a made in 79 gun BUT.......2 things to check before u buy. 1 most all the early made guns had a positive firing pin easy to check pull back slide and use some sort of strait edge to push firing pin flush with slide. If pin sticks out past breach it’s positive and do not carry with round in chaimber and hammer down. Numrich sells a new pin that will fix the problem and mine was drop in fit. 2 the safety can be worn. Cock hammer put safety on then pull trigger. let off trigger then switch safety off if hammer falls to half cock there’s a problem. But thy really are great guns just check before you buy.
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lsudave
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Similar size, yes, but markedly different guns. CZ has the internal slide rails, DA/SA trigger and doublestack. And classic CZ ergonomics (I love my fullsize, and enjoyed the feel of the compact I held).
The BM is much more of a 1911 knockoff, downsized to a comparable compact size.
When I got my first BM, the guys at the range and I compared it to some similar models... it was a good deal smaller than a 1911 Commander (which, in fairness, was a .45 acp; but still noticeably larger), and an equally bit larger than a Sig 938. The BM actually looked perfect in between them, a missing link between the two. As we looked at the three together, it really did seem a little surprising that there isn't another such gun besides the Star, to fill that slot.
I checked, Numrich still lists that in stock. Really good to see that part being carried, that's the bugaboo in the design.
Just checked both of mine, both worked as expected (no drop). Good info to know. Thanks
Patocazador
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I looked for a firing pin in Numrich and only saw one. It didn't specify whether it was the "safe" one or not. Would you please post a link to the correct safe replacement?
Thanks.
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