FEG or Firestar Plus

[Redcoat3340]

Full disclosure first: I have a thing for steel or alloy non-striker pistols. Have old Smiths, early Beretta 9mms, Stars and Astras and a few (S&W) wheel guns....plus my pride and joy a HiPower that's been well tuned. (I've also got some plastic guns: Shield, SD9VE and SW990L)

So here's the question: LGS has a Star Firestar in very nice shape and an FEG Hi Power not-quite-clone (it has the Smith & Wesson innards, not BHP) in equal or better shape and both are about the same price.

I know one is SA and the other DA/SA; neither is going to be a carry piece or bedside gun; and both are redundant in terms of my owning similar guns.

But if you were going to choose one, which one and why?

 

[Walt Sherrill]

In your title you said FIRESTAR PLUS.

The Firestar Plus was the alloy-framed double-stack compact version of the the standard FIRESTAR and a great little gun. The trigger, which is generally pretty good, can be easily improved. Mags are a little hard to find, but hi-caps can be found.

The regular Firestar was a single-stack steel-framed gun. Both shot well, but I preferred the Plus, which weighed less and held more rounds. I've owned several of both. (The joke at the range where I shot was that if you missed the bad guy when shooting the Star, you could just drop it on his foot -- it was that heavy.)

Here's info about both Stars: http://star-firearms.com/firearms/guns/firestar/index.shtml

I've not had a FEG HP-type gun, but know they also have good reputations. I don't think you can go wrong with either the FEG or a Firestar Plus. Parts might be easier to find for the FEG, which can probably use FN HP parts with some fitting.

Great guns.

 

[sub-moa]

No comment on the Star...had one as a kid, then when Dad got a job we no longer had to use it ...

Just kidding , I don't have any real experience with any Star...other than limited playing with various Model Bs and the Model B Super...which worked just fine with FMJ .

The FEG on the other hand:

If it's DA/SA it's NOT an FN BHP "clone", "copy" or anything in between. If you're speaking of a S/A FEG with an outward appearance very closely resembling the BHP and the S&W M39/59-like barrel/frame lock-up...v. the Browning barrel lug/cam lock-up, you're looking at a P9M Second Variant...regardless of what the slide legend might be. You'll note the slide-stop is 1911-ish rather than the distinctive lobed FN BHP, the slide-stop cut on the slide is smaller and shaped differently than the FN BHP and most often the thumb safety is single side extended...and actually an improvement over the original FN BHP (pre-MkII) nubbin'. It would have a extended hognose (FN BHP Type-73) bushing, almost certainly a spur rather than ring hammer...though a ring hammer is possible and very slightly larger...some with white dots, fixed sights.

If it IS a P9M Second Variant...as just described, there are a limited number of parts that will interchange with the FN BHP AND correct P9M Second Variant parts have become downright hard to find. Generally speaking though, such pistols work well...and if there's a problem with reliability, it's usually a matter of replacing the extractor spring and/or main/sear spring with FN BHP springs. The recoil spring is unique to the P9M Second Variant , but magazines are FN BHP...which is a real plus .

Hope that helps...with the FEG 1/2 of your equation anyway .....

 

[Ibmikey]

Assuming you are looking at a Firestar and not a plus, this is one of the strongest and most underrated pistols available. They are built like a tank and almost as heavy as one but will shoot accurately and reliably until the cows come home. Small in size heavy in weight and quality and ready to go with hammer cocked and safety on.
The FEG in DA form is not an easy pistol to shoot accurately with that important first shot being super heavy and the next extremely light. If you get this pistol do many drills to overcome shooting yourself in the foot while the bad guy is bringing his "cocked and locked" Firestar to bear on your tummy. If the FEG were the SA clone I would say the choice is yours as both are good pistols, but the DA version is not so good.

 

[sarge83]

I have the firestar and the FEG in S/A, the firestar is more compact but heavy enough to take any recoil and more concealable. I have found hi-capacity mags hard to come by for the firestar though. Both are fine pistols. I think I paid $320 for mine four yrs. ago. Of the two I prefer the firestar.

 

[Redcoat3340]

First, thanks for all the input. But it didn't quite work out as I expected.

Went in to LGS with goal of walking out with either the FEG or Star (and was taking a Smith 3904 that had become a safe queen for "trade.")

And what showed up in the cabinet that wasn't there earlier in the week...Beretta 92FS in inox. Sooooo.....to make a long story short, Ciao to the FEG, Ciao to the Star...and BUONGIORNO to the Beretta.

And just to complicate the issue, I've got another Smith I'm thinking about selling next week and they've got a Star UltraStar in the case now.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Not a bad choice, and you'll arguably never have problems finding replacement parts.

You would have done better to sell your guns on the Buy/sell/trade areas of forums like this, but that IS a lot more complicated. Dealers typically don't give you much in the way of trade-in value for the "off-brand" copies.

Keep that in mind before you trade in your spare Smith.