I like stars

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I had one in Star's proprietary "Starvel" (nickel) finish... one of the few handguns I truly regret ever trading off or selling. Yeah, it was heavy for its size, capacity was limited, the trigger wasn't great, the safety was a tad loose and often came off in the holster, but damn, it was a veritable tack-driver with superb ergonomics and about the softest-shooting compact pistol ever. And yeah, it looked pretty cool. Still can't remember why I let it go. Been looking for a nice specimen ever since (late '90s).
 
The old "Firebricks" as we used to call them :)
They were some VERY nice little pistols in their day and always a bargain both new and used. Now days parts may be getting a little harder to come by sadly but they were some fine little CC pistols and the weight made them far easier to shoot. Had one in .40 for many years that just never failed no matte what ammo I fed it.
 
If you like "Stars," you would probably like the book Star Firearms by Dr. L.M. Antaris. He is still a very active collector and I think that I recall someone saying that he recently started his own website for sales. He is somewhere in Iowa, (Bettendorf?) and used to list items on GB and may still do so. He also wrote the book on Astra firearms, also with more than one edition. The most recent one is definitely worth it. Best of luck and keep us posted about future acquisitions.
 
I wouldn't let my .40 Starr Firestarr go no matter what. It may be heavy for its size, but it really shoots, and will digest just about everything I have tried in it. It is my goto CC gun.
 
I have shot the firestar in 40 and 45. They are kind of neat for what they are. They are also prone to firing pin failure. I was given a 40 firestar in a coffee can with a broke firing pin. I was able to locate a newly manufactured one, I believe I got it from Jack First. If I were to obtain one in the future, the first thing I would do is make sure the firing pin is not broke, then I would buy a spare one.
 
I do like my FireStar pistols. I have the M43 (9mm) and M40 (40S&W) and I wouldn't mind having the M45 (45ACP). Yes they are heavy for the size, but that helps absorb recoil and makes them easier to shoot compared to a light weight pistol that is the same size.

The advice about not dropping the slide onto a round in the chamber is spot on, you will mess up the extractor that way. Always feed rounds from the magazine.
 
I, also, have both the M43 and the M40. Heavy? Not much. They both weigh just as much as the Kimber UCC II that I carry and it has an aluminum frame. What's neat about the 9mm and the .40 is the the magazines are interchangeable. Accuracy? I bench rest them (when working up a load) at 40 feet. Both will get a 3" five shot spread. Not bad, not bad at all.
 
jar

My brother had an Ultrastar in 9mm. and he use to let me borrow it whenever I took a vacation and drove there. It was a solid gun that felt very good in my hand. Trigger and sights were decent but I really didn't car for the location and operation of the slide safety. Other than that it was pretty much like every other Star I have had: a reliable, durable, and dependable service pistol.
 
You guys got lucky. I bought one in 40 when they first came out and it functioned fine and ran real good, but was terribly inaccurate. Like 80+ rounds at 7 yards to hit the x on a silhouette. Sent it back 4 times and it never improved so I sold it off at a loss.
My gunsmith at the time had one and it was great, and was the reason I got mine. He couldn’t believe what a pos it was and kept sending it back. I would have liked to get it to shoot because it felt good and carried well, but couldn’t hit anything.
 
I had a Star "43" in Starvel finish, like Old Dog. It was tight and smooth shooting, a little heavy, a "Firebrick" for sure. I never had any functional problems with it, but I traded it out because I could never shoot it well. The point of impact just seemed to wander (more than my aim). I have three other Star pistols, though, which shoot much better: Model B, BM and BKM.
 
Always wanted a great condition Firestar for concealed carry, but have heard cautionary stories about brittle firing pins.

The few I have run across locally have all been extremely beat up. Not what I want.
 
An M45 (45acp) Firestar with the Starvel finish is still my favorite carry gun though not for pocket carry. I have fired many hundreds of rounds through mine without breakage and it has always been reliable. I like the extra weight of the all-steel frame. Helps to control the recoil for faster follow up shots. Wish I had bought the 9mm and 40S&W too, but I was too poor back in the day. Sure glad I bought four factory mags though!
 
Yeah, Like "Curly" used to say: "Stars are like warts, they grow on you."
MVC-005L.JPG
Like Tarball I also have a Super B------ All 5 function perfectly.
 
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