Tell me about Star handguns

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.455_Hunter

.455_Hunter

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Greetings!

I know very little about Star handguns. I am mostly interested in the 1945 - 1980 era. Are they good guns? Any concerns for soft parts? Any experiences?

Thanks for your input.

Hunter
 
I own two Star PDs and four Star BMs (unfortunate model designation, that).

The PDs are alloy-frame .45ACP pistols. The BMs are all-steel 9x19 pistols. All are 1911-esque pistols.

The PDs, due to their alloy frames and shorter barrel length, are just lighter enough for me to carry for extended periods of time, compared to, say, a "regular" 1911. I have found them to be reliable pistols, the alloy frame requires a buffer at the rear of the recoil spring assembly (to keep the frame from being chewed) and I have to keep an eye on the condition of the ramp, which is also alloy.

The BMs are solid (and a bit heavy) little pistols, accurate, reliable and well-built.

My Stars are all good guns and I have experienced no evidence of the infamous Spanish Soft Steel that we have all read about in various places.

HTH some ... :)
 
The Star Firestar was one of the first compact nines.

I wanted to buy one but I could never find one...
 
I had a Star Model P, a variant of the 1911. Accuracy was good and the pistol was reliable. The only problem I expereinced was the firing pin broke, twice. And it was a pain to find a replacement. No dryfiring these old pistols without snap caps in the chamber!
 
I have a Star Firestar M40 but it falls out of the date range being produced in the 90's
No soft steel or issues with mine. Many many 150 grain rounds pushed thru it with a full charge of Blue Dot.
 
I've had a Star b in 9mm Lugar for about ten years (made in 1943). Beware the hammer bite if you have big or meaty hands. Mine is surprisingly accurate, but not reliable enough for carry. I've had it to the gunsmith twice for reliability issues, it's better but .... I'm content using it as a range toy. In retrospect I have a hunch the smith didn't want to work on this pistol for me. Mine has an awful trigger, but it has a size and heft that is somehow satisfying. I've not have any issues finding parts so far, but because they have been out of business for a while this is going to get to be more of a problem. No soft steel issues, one broken firing pin.

Here is a forum that specializes in Spanish firearms...

http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?40-The-Spanish-Pistol-Board
 
Generally pretty good guns, but with some models, getting parts may be a problem -- as the company has been out of business for a number of years. (Extractors were scarce for a while, but it IS possible to get some parts from shops in Spain, via the 'Net.)

I've had a Star Model B (9mm), several of the single-stack 9mm and .40 late models, and several of their Firestar Plus compact models. Liked them all, but moved on to other guns.

Here's a good site that tells you a LOT about Star handguns:

http://star-firearms.com/firearms/guns/firestar/index.shtml
 
I had a Star Model B and found it to be a very reliable and well made gun. No issues whatsoever with parts breakage or improper heat treatment. The trigger was all right but the sights tended to be on the small side, much like you would find on an M1911A1. It was a great gun to take to the range when introducing a new shooter to using a centerfire semi-auto for the first time. Would love to find a Model BKM as well.
 
I had an Ultra Star 9mm polymer pistol back in the early 90's. Seemed to be a well built pistol, but never put that many rounds through it. It was bought for conceal carry and was just too thick to be comfortable, so I traded it. Wish I still had it.
 
Star pistols are good guns and several models were way(decades) ahead of their time. The Star PD was the original compact lightweight .45acp. This gun was popular with savvy civilians and cops back in the day, Jeff Cooper liked the gun(one for training and one for carry). Only down side was the lightweight construction didn't hold up to heavy use.

The little Star DK .380 was the predecessor to the Colt Govt .380 and the little Mustangs/Pocket lites. It had a aluminum alloy frame and was like a mini 1911 but no grip safety.

Star made several compact 9mms such as the Firestar series.

http://www.star-firearms.com/index.html
 
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rodinal220 .....The little Star BKM .380 was the predecessor to the Colt Govt .380 and the little Mustangs/Pocket lites. It had a aluminum alloy frame and was like a mini 1911 but no grip safety.
Click to expand...
The BKM was a 9x19.

The Star DK is the closest in size to the Mustang .380's.
My favorite is the Star S, closer in size to the Colt Gov Model .380's.
 
I honestly don't know what the model number was or when it was made but back in the 90's I had a Star pistol in 9mm Largo. It was a neat little gun. I got strung out on deer hunting & wound up trading it for a compound bow with arrows, quiver, quick release , etc. I shouldn't have made that trade.
 
I owned a 31p in .40 cal for about 18 years. I bought it back when I knew basically nothing about firearms, Hell I didn't even know how to shoot it when I bought it. My buddies and I shot that pistol so much, took it camping, fishing, left it under the car seat, etc etc. I have know idea how many rounds went though it, but I do know it never malfunctioned, FTF, FTE, nothing. It was well built, all steel, and heavy enough to be used as a bludgeon if it ever ran out of ammo. I finally sold it to fund something newer and lighter, and that I could easily buy mags and parts for, if ever needed. I kind of wish I'd kept it, but don't we all wish we'd kept all of those guns we upgraded out of.
 
Dogtown tom:"The BKM was a 9x19.

The Star DK is the closest in size to the Mustang .380's.
My favorite is the Star S, closer in size to the Colt Gov Model .380's"

Doh! Getting old, I stand corrected.Post corrected.Yes DK for the 380s not BK.
 
parts are hard to come by

But I have a Star PD and it is very accurate. I had to buy magazines from triple k and do a little file work for the mag catch holes since they would drop when it was fires. Wide mouth hollow points will sometimes hang up if you try and cycle it slow. I carry it with 185gr lead swchp.

I also have a Star 28M. It is a little heavy, all steel. Seems kind of like a cz or witness with the inverted frame rails. Holds 15 9x19 and is quite accurate as well. Great trigger. It is an interesting design because it doesn't need any tools to disassemble as it has a modular design.

Read up on this website. They are interesting firearms and I am glad I bought mine.

http://star-firearms.com/firearms/index.shtml
 
I've owned a couple of Stars over the years and found they were well made quality guns.

Spain had a lot of gunmakers churning out cheap Saturday night special type guns but Star wasn't one of them. Star was an old and respected company that produced arms for the Spanish military and police.

The biggest problem is they went out of business and parts and mags are drying up quickly. If anything breaks or wears out lots of luck trying to find a replacement.
 
I bought a Star PD 30+ years ago and as others have said the biggest problem is getting parts and magazines. And the comment about using snap caps when you dry fire is wise. I believe that's how I broke a firing pin. I had to get one fabricated because factory parts are in short supply. Fortunately it works fine now.
 
Star 30m

I own two STAR's in 9mm

STAR 30M

STARFIRE 30MI

The STARFIRE is actually a 30M that was exported from what i read, they are identical handguns. Shoot great, they are all steel military/LE grade built to last.
 

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At one time I had a Star Model B that was made for the German Army during (or just before) WWII. Covered with proof marks and Waffenamt. At the time, it became general C&R news that the guns, while good, were NOT authentic WWII German-used guns.

The distributor was later accused for making fakes, etc. Never heard the final version of that story, but mine was almost pristine, and good shooting. if you want a 1911-like 9mm, you could do worse -- and parts for the Model B may be easier to find than some of the later models. (Note: it looks like a 1911, but isn't really much like one, internally.)
 
The Star pd was the original lw .45 carry pistol. They shoot good and were easy to carry. They were well known for cracked frames as they were alum. alloy. These were well made pistols, but, parts are difficult to find, even magazines.
 
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