Star BM

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I'm looking at getting a Star BM for about $150 (with shipping). Here's a description of it (haven't seen it in person)

This pistol has a steel frame, comes with a trigger lock, one magazine and the original box and manual. I would rate this pistol as NRA Good to Very Good with approximately 70% of the original blue finish remaining.The bore is bright with plenty of rifling remaining, but there may be a touch of frosting at the chamber end.
Click to expand...

The seller has offered me a three day review period.

Is this a decent price for the gun? What questions should I ask (never had a Star)? Are replacement parts (spare mags, springs, etc) easy to find? Can I just use regular 1911 parts?
 
It's a good price if the gun is functional. You MIGHT get it cheaper elsewhere, but not by much and you wouldn't be able to fire it before buying.

Parts are hard to come by. Numrich has some parts and parts from similar Star 9mm guns (like the alloy version, the BKM) can work. I was able to get springs from Wolff by giving them the specs of the existing spring. A mag catch from another Star 9mm model worked too.

You can't use 1911 parts. They only resemble 1911s externally. However, you can use holsters designed for the 1911 Commander.

The one I had and the one a friend had were good shooters. Both had excellent triggers too. I sold mine because I really don't shoot SA autos very well. Almost all of my handgun shooting is done DA. Also, the safety on mine disengaged too easily for a gun that must be carried cocked and locked (no fp block for safe hammer down carry).

Chris
 
Thanks Chris.

Do these guns have a problem with being non-functional? Should I be concerned with stress cracking on the frame, etc?? Its shooting 9mm so I don't think so, just don't know.

I was looking at it as a carry gun for my wife. She likes my Colt but its a bit big for her (both size and caliber)
 
Of the two I have experience with, they both worked out of the box. I don't know of any stress fracturing issues. They're not rated for +p ammo, but limited use should be fine. They're not any smaller or lighter than a Colt Commander (grip "might" be smaller, but that's it).

Has your wife tried a Kahr K9? A bit smaller than the Star, handles +P ammo, and has better parts and accessories availability. It is DAO though.

Another option, a Colt Mustang. A pocketable, 1911 platform, but only 380ACP.

Chris
 
Sounds like a deal to me. The Star BM is a pretty nice pistol. And cheap enough that you can buy a second one to keep for spare parts.
 
Counter,

Was this BM from Foxfire Rod & Gun? If so, I almost bought one of them. Let us know how well it turns out. I still think I should have gotten one. Seem to be a good number available still though.
 
First let me say there is a real weath of info in the archives, just type in "star BM*). The * is needed because the forum can only search three letter words.

Now, the Star BM is a great gun and if you don't have one already, you need to get one while the getting is good. There are only a few times in your life that you are going to be able to pick up a gun of the quality of the Star in a common caliber (9mm) for the price they are now. I have heard of people getting them for $140 but anything under $200 is a good price. These are high quality guns that are accurate and as long as they are in good repair, they are reliable also. Some reliability issues have been reported and I wouldn't use one as my first choice for CCW or self defense but that doesn't mean they are not worth buying. If you can afford the Kahr K-9 and you plan on using the gun for serious business, get the Kahr or Glock 26 or other modern high quality auto. If you are just looking to have a range gun or a car gun or something like that, the Star is perfect.

I think they are the best deal in surplus handguns going right now.
 
Counter,

Well, if you've got a few bucks laying around then I am not sure how you could lose out on the BM as so many folks have praised this piece. You could probably sell it for a minimal loss if it isn't to your liking ... especially if it turns out to be to MY liking. :evil:

The downside is that parts are harder to find and I have heard that it is quite heavy (good for shooting, not so for carry).
 
What they said. :)

If you're an SA fan, then you'll probably like the Star. Mine had a better SA trigger than any I've shot except for some tuned S&W revolvers and my Beretta 92F. They were both equally crisp, but the 92F was slightly lighter. I have NEVER shot a 1911 with such a nice trigger. Remember, this is a surplused police gun, not a tuned "hobbyist" piece.

Mine was fairly loose, but shot well. I did have some extraction problems, but I fixed that with a new extractor from Numrich.

Chris
 
The BM is one of the best buys you can make.

To date, I have refurbished 35 of these pistols and have had joy with all of them.
I parted out 1 of 36 and kept 1 for myself.
They have all had uniformly good trigger pulls. It easier to get a decent pull on a BM than on a 1911. They all need new recoil springs.
Magazine springs should be replaced too, you can use the one for a 9mm 1911 although you generally loose 1 round mag capacity in doing so.

I kept one for myself and use it for my carry gun with NO reservations. Durability is, mine has had 3K through it since Nov., none of the ones I sold have come back.
I do not hesitate to use heavy loads in mine, my regular everyday play load gets 1205 fps from the almost 4" Star with a 127 gr bullet. My carry load uses a REM GS at 1265. It does not feed blunt SWC's real well but everything else is just fine. If you root through the threads far enough you can see a pic of it.

Sam
 
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Well, looks liek I ned to delay my purchase a couple of weeks. The $200 I was going to spend on the BM was just eaten up in auto repair bills.

Oh well . . . . .
 
Counter,

That stinks. Well, if we all get together at the next shoot, perhaps mtnbkr will let us shoot his BM ... yes, folks ... I am truly shameless. Sorry, mtnbkr! :neener:
 
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