Star Firestar Autoloaders

How good were (are) the Star Firestars ? Trash or Treasure ?

 

Firestars were good. They were clunky single-actions that were rough around the edges but they were solid & reliable.

 

I've got a Star Firestar in .45 I like it really well, it is one of the most accurate small singlestack .45's I've ever shot.

 

Those are neat little guns, but I didn't buy one while they were still being made. :banghead:

 

Girlfriend of mine had on when I was in college. It was the M45, 45acp one and was much more accurate than my Colt Officers Model, much to my dismay.

 

Good solid guns. Certain parts may be hard to find if they break on some of the models (like extractors for the .40 Firestar); they can be found.

The modern versions where heavy steel, single-stack guns, single-action guns. The Firestar Plus models had almost the same top end, but a double-stack alloy frame. I've had a number of them the, and they've all been accurate and reliable. The Firestar Plus models have been my personal favorites. I generally have one in the gun safe, but tend to trade it for something else, and then end up with one, again. Some of the very last models were pretty innovative, but the company was having problems and they never really had a chance to promote them, etc.

 

I lucked out and snagged this gem for $349 a while back. Heavy as a brick, very reliable, great trigger.

 

I owned a couple over years They always shot fine and reliable. Like every one said was a brick

 

I have one mated to a Sparks EX holster. As commented it is on the heavy side but carries well.

 

The joke at the range where I shot mine a lot was, "if the bad guy comes to get you, and you run out of ammo, drop it on his foot, and he'll be out of action for quite a while."

Heavy guns. (Not the Firestar Plus, however.)

 

Looks like the bastard child of a Browning Hi-Power and a Ruger P90.

 

Mine, in 40, was the only handgun I have sold in the last 20 years. Why? It was a high quality, heavy, single stack, single action pistol. It didn't scratch any itch that something else would not do better. The quality was unquestionably high. The "Uhh... why?" factor was also high. I NEVER took it out shooting, as there was ALWAYS something else better for that day.



Willie

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A shooting machine. Had one in 9mm.

 

To me, the Star Firestar and Astra A-70 were competing designs that were solid, reliable pistols that were natural evolutions of a compact 1911. They weren't 1911's, of course, but they filled the niche that the Star PD created, and it was more 1911-like. Indeed, a 1911 shooter would be comfortable with either product as the safety is in the same place, even if the feel is different. The Astra A-75 and SIG 225 took that one step-further with double action and the single-action versions lost their luster. The new compact 1911's further degraded their desirability.

With Star and Astra going out of business, nobody really stepped forward to keep the deisngs going (okay, Republic Arms of South Africa kept the 75 going for a while, but not the Firestar). Gabilondo's Llama products didn't help the reputation of Spanish pistols or their designs, either.

 

A friend of mine has a 9mm M43 Firestar. It's a surprisingly accurate little pistol with a very good trigger. It's well-made and also quite easy to conceal (which he does on occasion).

The obvious downsides are the weight associated with an all-steel pistol, and the fact that Star is out of business and spare parts are limited. I also find the trigger guard area to be uncomfortably small.

 

Got the firestar in 9mm, accurate and reliable, just heavy as posted already. I think I paid in the $250 range for mine used a couple yrs. back.

 

The Firestar pistols are heavy. They do function and shoot very well. I have a M43 - 9mm and a M40 - .40S&W. I wouldn't mind finding a M45 to complete the collection. I find myself grabbing the M40 sometimes over my compact 1911 for EDC.

 

If you do have one do NOT dry fire it even once! I had not even gotten to the range, 2nd click went "bloop" and the tip of the firing pin falls out of the barrel. Getting a replacement pin proved impossible (and this was years ago when they were being produced.

 

I've never had any issues with my .45acp but as said already, very heavy.

 

Of those I shot, I liked the .45 best, but to be honest I liked the older PD better, especially the later PD with the simpler rear sight.

As I never owned a Star Fire of my own though, I must ask if like the PD they had a plastic buffer system that needed occasional replacing.

A buddy used one (FS)in a pouch for CCW for ages. He had an ND with it. He carried the thing in a pouch not fitted with a holster and not in a holster AND used the pouch for other things. He also carried Cocked and Locked with a round up the spout. One day the combination of being loose in the bag with crap resulted in the safety being off and a pencil through the trigger guard and a dead can of motor oil and a hole in the floor of another friend's car..... He gave me the pouch which I used as an example of why one should use decent holsters in classes.

-kBob

 

Parts can be a problem. You might try a search here and on The Firing Line, as there are a couple of folks who know of parts sources and I've seen references on one of these sites.

As for dry-firing. I've done it a good bit with a number of different Firestars; I don't think your problem with a broken firing pin (from dry-firing) was typical; dry-firing is not normally a "no-no" for these guns. Finding parts may be a "no-no", however.

Here's a link to one or two sources, from this forum -- and while old, they may still be good. Do your own search, too: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=598222&highlight=Firestar+parts

 

yeah....I know I've dry-fired mine a bunch without issue. I have three Stars - Model B 9mm, Firestar .45acp, and a Model 31P .40S&W.....all fire without issues but I would like a spare magazine for the 31P. The Firestar and 31 have the Starvel finish and it has held up extremely well.

 

Numrich had a number of Star magazines the last time I went there.

I just checked for the 31P and nothing, right now, but check back weekly, and you may find one. They did have a few parts.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Star-33508.htm

Century Arms sometimes has oddball parts for a variety of guns, too. You can check in there from time to time.

 

Yeah, the firing pin was probably faulty. Fortunately the distributor took it back no questions asked.\\

My PD was probably one of the best CC pistols I ever had. Really kick myself for letting it go.

I had an AMT Backup in .45 that was great for it's purpose. I had my gunsmith do a "dehorn" job and it was a pleasure to carry and shoot. Unfortunately I accidently fired a GI proof load in it and broke the toggle link.