Star BM 9mm range report

[jimherb]

A number of vendors have been offering the Spanish-made Star BM 9mm for around $250. Having heard that Stars have good reputations, I plopped down for 2 of them. Spring finally came to Puget Sound and I finally got out to the range. These are commander-sized pistols which resemble 1911s, but the triggers are closer to Browning HP. There is no grip safety. I had a couple of boxes of Speer Lawman in 9mm and rotated between the two. I saw no difference between them in accuracy and handling. Trigger pull was reasonable and consistent. As for accuracy: iron sights and 74-year-old eyes are not the best measure, but stayed in the 9 ring at 9 yards. Holds 8+1 rounds and I think would make a dandy carry gun. It's all steel and a big heavier than the polymers, but not bad. Haven't tried it with hollow points, but will follow up soon.

http://hipowersandhandguns.com/Critical Look at Star Model BM.htm

 

[9mmepiphany]

They can be very nice little guns. My experience has been with the light weight version, the BKM

I wouldn't sat they were Commander size, but closer to 3/4 Commander sized. They were built to resemble the 1911, including the trigger, but as stated, the trigger pivots rather than moving laterally.

A very desirable and seldom seen version was the Lafrance NOVA which was a cut down and smoothed version...like a SAO ASP

 

[kBob]

Nice that someone remembered the Nova.

In the mid 1970's one of the infantry officers in my company in Germany bought a new BKM "starlight" with the beta light sights set up like the so called Hennie 8, one dot below rear notch the other on the front sight. I shot it a bit as he and another officer or two in our unit had the brains to value the opinions of certain lower enlisted. It went on my "if I HAVE to carry a 9 silly meter" list as an OK gun if it had normal sights and at that time those beta lights made it number one on the list as....well it was late 74 or early 75, folks, and NOBODY had those things then. I used them on a darkened range ( both dim back lights or the crappy GI angle head flashlight) and was excited about the possibilities. I will admit that a certain bias set in as the controls were the same as my service pistol, but I shot better with it than with most other 9's of the day, especially the P38 with its DA/SA trigger.

-kBob

 

[GunnyUSMC]

The Star BM is a really nice gun. I've had mine since 2004. Most often when the subject comes up about older Star pistols, someone will let you know that spare parts are very hard to find. But the good thing is, they don't tend to break.
Enjoy your gun. Try 124 gr bullets. Most Stars hit closer to point of aim with heavier bullets.

 

[il.bill]

Thanks for the review, jimherb. I have a Star Super B that I like a lot.

I have been seeing the Star BM from CAI all over the place and have been able to resist getting one (who needs another 9x19mm, right?), but now, after reading this thread ...

 

[DeadFlies]

I got one from Aim, and it wasn’t bad, for the money. Steel, handy size, very good condition, not a 9x18, etc.
But mine shot ridiculously high and left, and it choked a half-dozen times while trying to put a box of WWB through it. It’s no longer with me.

 

[jimherb]

Spare parts? That's why I bought two.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I got one from Aim, and it wasn’t bad, for the money. Steel, handy size, very good condition, not a 9x18, etc.
But mine shot ridiculously high and left, and it choked a half-dozen times while trying to put a box of WWB through it. It’s no longer with me.

my buddy bought one of the Star Mod. B's. he called me whining about how he couldn't empty a magazine without the gun jamming once or twice. He also said that the point of impact on the target was no where near where he was aiming. I asked what was he shooting, and he named off three or four brands of 115 gr ammo. I told him to go pick up a box of 124gr and 147gr ammo, go back to the range and call me back.
He called the next day and I could tell by the sound of his voice, he was much happier. He said that both rounds functioned great in the gun, but the one 147gr was very close to point of aim.

 

[GBExpat]

I have 4 of these delightful little pistols, purchased in 2 sets of 2 about 15 years ago. The last pair were inexpensive as they showed evidence of a hard life. I detail-stripped & inspected them, crafted at least one replacement part for one of them and then reblued them (magnetite, actually) one afternoon on my back patio.

The Star BM is a good-looking pistol (to my eye), that conceals well (if a bit heavy ... which helps tame recoil, btw), fits comfortably in the hand and is both accurate and reliable.

An acquaintance in Spain sent me one of the belt holsters used by the Guardia Civil with these pistols when they were the issue sidearm.

 

[bannockburn]

I use to have a Star Model B as the first centerfire gun for new shooters to try after starting out with a .22. Everyone did great with that Model B and seemed to work best with 124 and 147 gr. ammo.

 

[Tallball]

I got mine... I dunno... maybe six months ago? It's a very good shooter and has been totally reliable. I didn't think I would like a smaller 1911-style pistol like that, but it was cheap and I was wrong.

Star BM 9mm

• Tallball
• Dec 28, 2017

 

[Rick in Iowa]

I gave one of the BMs to my sister as a birthday gift this past year.She has put well over 300 rounds through it with zero malfunctions.

 

[entropy]

Like Gunny, I noticed mine liked 124 gr. best. The standard load for them was a 124 gr. truncated cone plated bullet from Santa Barbara, I had a few hundred rounds of that I shot up in mine.

 

[razzle]

I just got mine. It was made in 1974. Paid the extra $20 for a hand-picked. Very good condition. Shoots a little high with 115 grain so will try the 124 and 147 grains. Thanks for the tip.

 

[giggitygiggity]

I've shot about 50 rounds through mine. 100% reliable, but accuracy was awful. I was shooting 115gr loads. I'll try heavier loads as other members recommended. Hopefully that tightens things up as I do like the tank-like, no-nonsense construction.