Star 9mm vs. ballester molina

[pat86323]

i know a guy who has one of each of these pistols for sale. The ballester molina has a pretty worn out barrel but other then that and the grips seems to be in pretty good shape. The star 9mm is one of the old ones that was obviously designed to look like a 1911. aesthetically the star pretty much the same as the ballester but the barrel is nice. I know that the 1911 mags work in the ballester which makes it easy for me to shoot as i already have 20 some odd mags. How difficult are the star mags to come across. Which one would you choose? Keep in mine that the barrel on the ballester is also interchangeable with the 1911 so the shot out barrel is of little concern.

 

[ugaarguy]

Well the obvious answer is both Seriously, which model is the Star, the larger Modelo B, or the compact Modelo BM? I've owned neither, but been told the B was originally made for the 9x23 Bergman Bayard and the mags can require tweeking on the guns chambered for the standard 9mm (9x19). The BM purportedly was designed for 9x19 and tends to work better than the B. Mags for the Star pistols will be harder to find and a bit more expensive, but 9mm ammo is cheaper than 45 ACP. You said you already have 20 or so 1911 mags; do you already shoot a 1911 or other pistol in 45 ACP? Do you already own another pistol in 9mm? If I could only get one it would be the Ballester Molina because parts availability is much better with so many of them being interchangeable with the 1911. Then again I shoot alot of 9mm and am set up to reload it, so the Star might be tempting too. So like I said first the only answer is to buy both

 

[Route 66]

The first answer is buy both. My second answer is go with the Ballester. Since it can interchange parts and mags with the 1911 you have no worries. I bought a Star Super A (9mm Largo) several months and I really like it. The barrel was very worn but I was surprised by the accuracy I was getting from it. It shot better for me than some of the more modern pistols I own. And I can reload using .38 Super dies.

However, the hassle has been the mags. I bought the pistol from Sarco along with three extra mags. They were a mess, a lot of crud and rust to clean up. One was so bad I just pitched it. Then I bought a couple mags off a guy on one of the gun boards. He sent me the wrong Star 9mm Largo mags! So I sent them back and he sent me two good ones. Then I bought a couple on eBay (advertised as Super A) and you guesssed it, the wrong size. They were 9mm Largo but still wouldn't fit the mag well. I have them gathering dust right now.

Bottom line - go with the Ballester. If you don't like it I'll trade my Super A for it.

 

[Old Fuff]

The Ballester Molina is an outright copy of the Star, except that it uses Colt 1911 magazines and barrels. It is also made of better steel then most Stars. In both cases you may have trouble finding parts, but the prospects for the Ballester are a little better. The basic question is though: What do you really want, a 9mm or a .45?

 

[DougW]

I am selling my Star B right now. It is physically a little bit smaller than a 1911, and with the 8+1 round (I think) of 9mm, it is a little heavy. It does handle nice. I bought it some years ago and have shot it a bunch. It is very accurate, and has always run without a hitch. Just a word of warning, don't dry fire a Star B. The firing pin is not that strong, and I had to replace one. It was a little tough to find one, as parts are a little hard to come by (as stated before). They are C&R if old enough, and I never considered mine as a primary shooter. I cannot comment on the Ballester.