Tell me about the Star PD 45ACP please?

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megatronrules

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I've always been intrigued by these guns but never owned one or even shot one before. My uncle had a star firestar in 9mm years ago they never had any issues and we shot that gun a lot. Seemed like a well made gun.

Is the PD a good gun? Are they all lightweight guns? Were they an aluminum frame? Also do they use 1911 magazines or their own proprietary magazine?
 
The PD has an aluminum frame, so it's definitely lighter than the steel-framed Star pistols with a slimmer profile than the Firestars.

Back before everyone started making "micro" 1911s and Detonics, it was an under-the-radar, but well-liked by those in the know, concealable .45.

As noted in the other PD thread, the Shok-Buffs are actually necessary in this pistol.

The great thing about Star pistols, particularly the B series, the Firestar line and the PD, they can still be found in good condition at reasonable prices. The PD in my opinion was superior to the later Firestar M45 (as well as slimmer and lighter).

Mags for the PD are out there, but you may pay a premium.
 
Excellent little guns. I liked mine more than a Colt Officers ACP I had, but it was hard to find leather for it back then.

Mine was very accurate, reliable, and easy to carry due to it's aluminum frame. It really is important to get extra buffers for the recoil rod or the slide would tend to pound the frame . The biggest difference between the PD and the Colt was that the trigger was hinged.

The only change I made to mine was to add Pachmayr wrap around rubber grips to it
 
Yes the Star PD was well liked by those in the know. As Old Dog mentioned, you definitely want to change out the buffers on a regular basis. I have seen quite a few PD frames with damage from the owners NOT replacing buffers on a regular basis.

Star pistols were well made, for the most part. I have a Star Super A and two Firestar pistols and none have given me any trouble. I still would like t find a First M45 and a Star PD to add to my collection.
 
Star was known to throw out the odd lemon from time to time, but by and large their guns were solid, durable and occasionally innovative. I've owned several Stars (28M, 9mm Firestar, Ultrastar and 2 Modelo Supers) and none have disappointed -- even the quirky Ultrastar worked OK. I'm down to just one of the Modelo Supers at the moment.

My buddy had a Firestar in .45 as a CCW gun, but soon regretted the purchase due to its heavy all-steel construction. He sold his and bought another .45 SIG-Sauer. The PD would have made a more suitable choice for him.

The PD was ahead of the curve in the compact .45 market -- Jeff Cooper loved and praised it.

Some Stars were offered in both all steel and alloy-framed versions. The all-steel versions were designated with an 'M' suffix, leading to the hilariously-named Star BM.

BTW, she doesn't know it yet but my wife just bought me a copy of Leonardo Antaris' book on Star for Christmas.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0962076716?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

61AtlrEceuL._SX804_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
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Thank everyone for the replies so far. I'm thinking about finding a good condition PD 45 for ccw use. So if there is not an "M" in the model same than any PD 45vwould be the alloy frame version I take it? Also what shock buffers does it use,are they just the same as ones you'd use for a 1911?
 
megatronrules said:
Thank everyone for the replies so far. I'm thinking about finding a good condition PD 45 for ccw use. So if there is not an "M" in the model same than any PD 45vwould be the alloy frame version I take it? Also what shock buffers does it use,are they just the same as ones you'd use for a 1911?
Click to expand...

Best if I don't try to overgeneralize here. This website has a pretty realistic guide to Start model nomenclature -- click on a model/series for more information:

http://star-firearms.com/firearms/index.shtml

I was hoping to refer you to the Sociedad Largo for more information, but the site appears defunct. Bummer.
 
Seen some of these around, but talked myself out of it. Thus far.
As rockrv1 said, these were a BFD when there really weren't other choices, the (expensive) Colt Officers excepted.
Moon
 
I’ve owned 4 over decades, still have 2. Huge fan.

All PD models are 1911 type compact lightweight .45s. 6 rd proprietary magazine. Smaller, thinner, and lighter than Colt commander. Good looking guns.

I’ve never had one malfunction, probably 1000+ rds total. Accuracy surprisingly good.

There are things to be aware of.
The black anodizing on ‘blued’ guns can be slippery. (see 9mmEph. Post)
The lock time seems slow, noticed only in dry fire,
Standard .45 only, which is plenty of power. No +anything. It’s a light carry pistol.
Buffers required for frame longevity, NOT same as 1911, available last time I looked. They last quite well.
Aftermkt mags do fine ime.
Spare parts if needed may be hard to find.
Always check for abuse/damage on used guns.
I wish the trigger guard was undercut some for higher grip.
Not similar in handling or feel to any other Star pistol I’ve tried.
They kick.

All that said, I love them. There may be better choices these days for an edc pistol, but one could do a whole lot worse, I’d be sad if I didn’t own one.
 
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gbw said:
I’ve owned 4 over decades, still have 2. Huge fan.

All PD models are 1911 type compact lightweight .45s. 6 rd proprietary magazine. Smaller, thinner, and lighter than Colt commander. Good looking guns.

I’ve never had one malfunction, probably 1000+ rds total. Accuracy surprisingly good.

There are things to be aware of.
The black anodizing on ‘blued’ guns can be slippery. (see 9mmEph. Post)
The lock time seems slow, noticed only in dry fire,
Standard .45 only, which is plenty of power. No +anything. It’s a light carry pistol.
Buffers required for frame longevity, NOT same as 1911, available last time I looked. They last quite well.
Aftermkt mags do fine ime.
Spare parts if needed may be hard to find.
Always check for abuse/damage on used guns.
I wish the trigger guard was undercut some for higher grip.
Not similar in handling or feel to any other Star pistol I’ve tried.
They kick.

All that said, I love them. There may be better choices these days for an edc pistol, but one could do a whole lot worse, I’d be sad if I didn’t own one.
Click to expand...



Here is the best info so far. Ive had three PDs,since 1980, they feed well I only use factory mags you can get (or could) get Wolfe Springs for them and the aftermarket buffers are good and I reccommend one every 500 rounds of full power ammo. The sights are good and the triggers are ok and they are wonderful for inside waste band carry .
 
Steve762us said:
Have you checked Wayback?

https://archive.org/search.php?query=
Click to expand...

A good recommendation! I found a link there under 9mmlargo.com, but I couldn't get anything to display. I recall they used to maintain a fairly complete bibliography of old gunzines articles from the PD's heyday at their website.

It would have also been nice to see the Sociedad crest I designed for them half a lifetime ago -- I still have a couple of Sociedad t-shirts that feature it, but I haven't worn them in some time as my girth has increased and I fear stretching them out!
 
megatronrules...I bought my 1st PD about a month ago. Only been out shooting once but it is a super nice pistola! Very accurate and not a real kicker. Very easy to handle.
In the gunauction site above they also have another one listed.
 
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