Got a Star BM 9mm from Aim today.

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home parkerizing is easy. if you want a step above that you can apply the brownells teflon moly bake on finish after you parkerise the parts.

I wouldnt waste the time or money on cold blueing or real blueing. parkerizing is cheap and easy to do and if you blast the parts with glass beeds 80-120grit the results will be nice. heck just glass beeding the parts leave nice flat finish.
 
For CCW, do you guys think that the Stars being single action only is a big disadvantage? I think I'd be a little nervous carrying it cocked even with the safety on.
 
Plenty of people carry single action autos cocked and locked. SA Autos MUST be carried with the safety on if it is cocked. If you don't feel comfortable, don't do it. I don't.

Chris
 
I picked up one at the show today in Richmond. It was a little rough around the edges but overall not bad for the price. Although I too bought it for a beater gun, I couldn't resist and reblued it when I got home. It's not perfect but I'm happy. If it shoots as well as everyone says I'll be pleased.

I always wanted to say "next time I go to the range I'm going to take a BM":D
 
Got a chance to shoot the new (to me) Star BM today. Didn't get a chance to do any formal accuracy tests, but it's a shooter. Good trigger, solid feel, and went bang every time using CCI Blazer and PMC FMJ. Even with the finish being rough, I consider it a good deal for $129.
 
I too just got one of these and fired it for the first time today. I had one FTE out of 100 rounds of Win ammo. I don't know why it jammed and I couldn't get it to do it again by either limp wristing it or holding it extra firm with both hands. I'm thinking that it hasn't been shot in at least 10 years and it may be working out some of the creaks. I cleaned and oiled it before I shot it but I went very, very light on the oil and may have missed some spots. It felt like the locking lug and the outside of the the bbl was bone dry when I took it apart to look for the cause of the one jam.

I still give a used gun 200 rounds to work out the bugs before I decide if it is reliable. If it jams again after another 100 rounds, I will look for a fix.

The good news is, it is a really accurate 9mm! It shot 3" to the left at 25' but it was putting them in a ragged hole that was less than an inch (center to center). It has one of the best triggers I have ever felt on a centerfire auto. The trigger is outstanding! It is light and crisp and beaks clean with zero takeup. I have felt other Star BM triggers that were not as good so I think I got an esp. good trigger. That is probably why I can shoot it so well. This trigger would put most Kimber and Colt 1911 triggers to shame!

I just got done "adjusting" my rear sight so I hope it is hitting dead on the next time I shoot the gun. For the little bit of money I paid for this gun, I think I got a deal. It is accurate and fun to shoot and is like a 9mm Colt Commander. I have always wanted a 9mm Commander but the price kept me from doing it on a gun that was only going to be used at the range.
 
I ordered the Star BM firing pin (#725790, $13.35) and extractor (3715800, $16.05) from Numrich Gun Parts Corp. (866 686-7424 or www.e-gunparts.com ). They arrived in five days so now I have spare parts for this fine little pistol.
 
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You found parts? I was holding off until later. But Now Im going to have to buy a Star!!;)

Anybody see the article in Handguns Annual 2004? Featuring Spanish pistols "Star" included. Nice read.;)
 
Now the fun begins.

I have a couple of questions.
1. How much disassembly is required to use one of the DIY home Parkerizing kits ?
2. Where would I take it to be sand blasted/glass beaded ?
3. Has anyone improved/replaced the sights on their BM ? If so, what did you do ?
Thanks.


santai
 
bead blasting

Lots of places that still "etch glass" for windows and stuff like that may be able to use one of their little sand blasters to do it.

just guessing though.

-bevr
 
Some auto shops and most machine shops have sandblasters.

Today while waiting at the pharmacy for a prescription I read the article in Concealed Carry magazine ($9.99:eek: ) and they did a very good write up of the history of the Star pistols and the BM in particular. I'd like to find out more about the 10mm Ultrastar.
 
Looking for STar BM magazines.

Hey,
I'm looking for spare magazines for my Star BM. Numrich has them for $27.85 each :fire: I think I saw them somewhere for $12-$15, but can't find the site. Any suggestions ?

Thanks,

santai
 
I got a Star BM at a gunshow this weekend, picked out a nice one for $139.

Stripping it I notice that the window in the frame the slide stop goes looks has what appears to be a saw cut into it looks almost as if is was done as a field mod.

I know Colt did something similar with the Delta Elite to eliminate frame cracking in the area.

Do all BM's have this cut?
 
Do all BM's have this cut?
Click to expand...

Mine has it and I have no clue what it is. At first I thought it was a crack. However I then observed the same thing on other guns.
 
Mine has it too.

BTW, mine was shooting very high at 10yds with Winchester value pack ammo. I used the emory wheel on my dremel tool to deepen the slot in the rear sight and widen it a bit. It brought my POI down a bit and cut the group size in half (I'm a horrible shot with semiautos, especially when the sights are hard to see). I need to cut it a touch deeper, but with some practice, I'll get decent groups out of it. I can't complain about this $140 gun otherwise.

Chris
 
Great you guys. Just great. Now you got me wanting ANOTHER pistol. What is a man to do around you guys???

I checked on AIM's website, and they don't show any more, so I checked Gunbroker, and found that a dealer up in Fort Worth has some, so I shot him an email. His price on GB was $144... I asked what his price would be and if he could hand pick a nice one for me. I'll just swing up there on some weekend soon. I'll find this thread and get some of the parts you guys found (at least one spare of each). If the pistol proves to be reliable, it may potentially be a carry peice...

Updates will be posted!
 
Re: reliability

I keep having extraction problems with mine. Sometimes, it'll go 100+ rounds without a hitch, other times, it'll malfunction several times in 50 rounds. It was running good the other weekend. When I went to clean it, I detail stripped it and really cleaned the nooks and cranies. I paid special attention to the extractor and the groove it sits in, attempting to eliminate my 1 in 100 extraction issue. Now, it's 1 in 30 (at least for that session). Maybe I got it too clean :p Could have been a bad batch of ammo, but I didn't buy this gun to shoot expensive stuff through it. I'll try to pick up a new/used extractor in the future. We'll see...

Chris
 
Glad to hear others also have the cut - mine didn't appear new so I figured was done as a field mod to prevent frame cracking.
 
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Mine also has the cut in the side over the opening where the slide release goes. This looks standard and from what everyone reports, it appears it is.

Mine has been very reliable, 450 rounds without a hitch. The extractor looked like it had been replaced; it had a very new look to it. If you continue to have problems you might want to try the extractor (#3715800, $16.05) from Numrich Gun Parts Corp. (866 686-7424 or www.e-gunparts.com). This is an easy part to replace from reports. I think Stephen Camp may have had info on how to do this on a thread on the 1911Forum. I'll search and see if I can find it.

Check here for extractor info on the BM:
http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26433&highlight=camp+star
 
They may be getting to the bottom of the barrel - at the Dale City Gunshow I managed to find one with about 85-90 finish and no major flaws. The same dealer had one with about 50% painted finish remaining and one with about 70% finish with a good amount of pitting on the slide.
 
damn, i think maybe i should have not gotten my makarov and got a star bm instead...... same price, even cheaper, and ive always want a star bm. no kidding.
 
How is the take-down on one of these? Is it like a traditional 1911 with a guide rod? Is there some goofy thing that needs to be done?

I'm seriously thinking about getting one or two of these... I LOVE the 1911 and it's design, and I think the PERFECT carry pistol would be a scaled down 1911 in 9mm. (hint hint Colt and Kimber and SA, etc!)

n/m, I found an exploded diagram: ipb-star-bm.jpg

Looks like the guide rod just screws out, then takes down like a traditional 1911...
 
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