Star Model A

[Clipper]

I have no experience with these, but there's one for sale near me in .38 Super. Does anyone have any ides what price range I should be looking at? All the information I can find says these were made in 9mm Largo, not .38 Super, so I wonder if it has been reworked, and if such a rework would be safe to shoot?

Thanks...

 

[Moonclip]

Yes this sounds funny, I'd not buy it. For example, Astra 400's, while they will chamber .38super especially in models marked 9mm/.38, are intended for .38acp. People like to claim super is ok in these but it's an unsafe practice.

 

[bannockburn]

Clipper

Star did make a number of models specifically in .38 Super, and should not be confused with the 9mm. Largo chambered guns. The original Model A was chambered for a number of cartridges, including the 9mm. Parabellum, the 9mm. Largo, and the .38ACP. After WWII, the Star line-up was expanded to include the Models B, M, and P, of which the Model M was available in .38 Super. A number of years later, Star replaced the Model M with the Model AS. So if the gun in question is a Model M or AS, and is chambered for the .38 Super, provided everything checks out alright; it should be safe to use .38 Super ammo in it.

 

[Clipper]

Well, I went to take a look at it yesterday, and found out it had been sold...But I thank you for the information. I'm going to keep looking around for one to get a closer look...

 

[Gordon]

Here's an AS in .38 Super (upper left), I've had it 30 years, not real accurate but fun and reliable. I does have Wolffe springs in it!

 

[Mastiff]

I will take exception to the fact that the Star Supers can not handle 38 Super.
I just bought a Star Modelo Super A from Sarco. On their website they specifically state that 9mm Largo can be loaded as hot or hotter than 38 Super. I do not think they would state this if it were in any way unsafe. I think the warning is because 9mm Largo has been around since the beginning of the 20th Century. Some of those early pistols surely would be overpowered by the 38 Super. However, the Star Supers were built from the mid 1940's all the way up to 1983, well after the introduction of the 38 Super. They were also built like tanks. People have run destructive tests on them, and they have survived levels of 60 to 70 CUP with no damage.
I have read posts of people firing thousands of rounds of 38 Super with no problem whatsoever, but I have read exactly zero posts of anyone saying "My Star Modelo Super blew up when I shot 38 Super".

I think it is "conventional wisdom" that the Super A's can't handle 38 Super, not an actual fact.

 

[Riss]

Besides any headspace issues. It would be easy enough to check the speed and weight of each bullet loading and figure their relative pressures.

 

[CalebJns]

I am heading out of town, but will have access to my email, if anyone knows where I can find a barrel bushing for my Star Modelo Super in 9mm Largo I would appreciate it. My email is: Caleb_jns (@) yahoo.com...thanks!