CHEAP GUN THREAD: Star BM 9mm.

[sigp220.45]

I figured I'd class up the place a little.

These are all over the place now for about 230 bucks. I traded for this one, so I have a whopping 100 bucks in it. Either way = cheap gun.

Here's what you get - box, Spanish language manual, pistola, one mag, cleaning rod:

Its a chunky little booger. All steel. Pretty 1911ish, with obvious differences.

External extractor, and crop circles where some kind of marks were removed:

Barrel bushing:

It comes apart more like a Hi-Power. The safety locks into a notch and the slide stop pushes out. Still has the swinging link, though.

No grip safety. The thumb safety is big and works great. It is also makes a loud noise when it is taken off - it sounds like something inside whaps against the inside of the plastic grip. It has a magazine disconnect, and a full-length guide rod.

Century imported this one, and made sure everyone in a three block radius knows it with some prominent markings on the slide and a new serial number.

The sights are fixed and about like regular 1911 sights. The trigger pivots from the top, but it doesn't feel strange.

Best of all, they thoughtfully included my initials:

I just picked it up today. I'm off to the range tomorrow. My first impressions are that it is a very solid, all steel, mostly 1911, 9mm.

 

[dr. mordo]

I have a BM that I got a few years back before the current glut. It's a quality gun that shoots great. Mine came with one OEM mag, and I scrounged two more OEM mags. None of them will feed hollowpoints, but the aftermarket mags that are available WILL feed them.

I carried mine a bit, but around that time made my shift back to carrying a revolver full time.

 

[JayFramer]

Solid, rugged, and dependable firearms. Would make a superlative stasher or tucksman's pistol.

The Spaniards also make good hams, FWIW. Or rather... Spanish PIGS make good hams!!

 

[4T5GUY]

For there price, there's a lot of value.

Although I don't have anything other than a Star B, I am always looking for another model. This B is an early one, and an excellent shooter. It was only $89.00, (years ago when every surplus gun was $89.00,) and I had a F.F.L.. It came with two mags, cleaning rod and holster.

Thanks for giving me a new interest in them.

Jim

 

[tops]

Pap was a trader and in the 60s he would get a model B every once in a while and I would shoot them. All of them shot and worked good. The only thing I ever found wrong with any of them was the caliber. Larry

 

[Arik]

Meh! If it's just for whatever then that's cool otherwise I'd toss it. Spanish guns never had consistent quality or quality control. Some guns were great others sucked even within the same brand, make, model. The manufacturers often outsourced a lot of the work to small companies. There was a whole cottage industry of "gunsmiths" around Ebar Spain. Some guys knew what they were doing and we're good, other guys were ok and lots were somewhere in between ok and hey look I didn't eat glue today!!!! There were many guns with poor to no heat treatment, rough parts, questionable materials. By the time what was left of the Spanish gun industry got their act together and started to produce good guns (late 80s - early 90s) it was too late. Some managed to hang on a little longer but their decades of questionable guns had caught up to them

It's the same reason people here caution about using Spanish copies of S&W revolvers.

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[JayFramer]

Pap was a trader and in the 60s he would get a model B every once in a while and I would shoot them. All of them shot and worked good. The only thing I ever found wrong with any of them was the caliber. Larry

Hmm NATO and most LEO agencies now, along with much of planet Earth, haven't a problem with 9mm.

 

[Shoo2tr]

No poor quality or QC issues of any kind with my Star Super B, it's been accurate, reliable, and is built like a tank. Oh what it could do if only it had some modern Novak style sights. They can be magazine finicky but once you find some mags they like these are really fun shooters.

 

[LVSteve]

Star BMs, Bs and B Supers are darned good guns. My BM has a great trigger. It's just a bit heavy for regular carry, though. The B Super is a great trainer for new shooters, it's weight soaks up recall and the slide is easy to rack.

As for the caliber thing, let's not go there.

 

[4T5GUY]

We don't need to argue with "him".

He has issues with many firearms that are OK at least, and very great at most. He hates "hacked" CAI firearms, but claims to have bought most of them. "ALL were junk". I don't think I would have bought a second, third, fourth, .... etc if the first was that bad. :roll eyes:

Astra's, (Spanish,) are another very excellent firearm, some going for a lot of money in the collector world. I really like my Colt JR's, made by Astra, and they are not going down in value.

Jim

 

[TomkinsSP]

...The only thing I ever found wrong with any of them was the caliber. Larry

Parabellum or Largo?

 

[ExcitableBoy]

We don't need to argue with "him".

Amen, brother.

Once upon a time Uncle Sam's Canoe Club wanted me to go to Nuke School, and I used to see a lot of nuke subs while stationed on Guam and Oahu. So let me tell ya all about subs and reactors...

I have owned Astras, Llamas and Stars, even a couple Spanish side-by-side shotguns. I still own and shoot a few Firestars and would never give them up. Guns of any make have their quota of lemons, and you only hear of them when they have a hiccup. I've had my share of them, including S&W, Colt, Dan Wesson, Ruger and others. Do any of those breeds deserve universal condemnation? Hardly.

Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but quite often opinions are based on "I know a guy who had one, and he said...", not on extensive familiarity with any particular gun, or make, in question.

I have never owned a Star BM, but have shot a few owned by a now deceased friend. They were solid, reliable and fairly accurate.

Enjoy your new purchase.

 

[ColbyBruce]

“century imported this one, and made sure everyone in a three block radius knows it with some prominent markings”

I find this statement hilarious, too bad it is also true.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

Test the safety. Some of the Stars would fire if you held the trigger back and moved the safety to Fire.
Geoff
Who has one a .380 super sitting in the safe. It's never worked right. I tried new magazines, didn't help. It was one of the Post GCA Garcia's which were bloody garbage. I need to submit it to Gun Parts.

 

[loeman]

I've found this thread to be very interesting. In all my time on God's Green Earth, I've never owned a Spanish gun. Not that I didn't want to, I just never knew much about them so I never took a serious look. However, you guys have piqued my interest. I'd certainly be willing to take a $230 gamble on one like the OPs. Actually I might like to have a couple of these to have as secondary and tertiary home defense guns hidden in a couple of remote spots on the hacienda that are not on the normal routes. Ya never know when one might come in really handy! I didn't see anywhere in this thread the age of these guns. The box and instructions appear to be 60s or maybe earlier. What you say?

 

[Arik]

Hmm NATO and most LEO agencies now, along with much of planet Earth, haven't a problem with 9mm.

I think he may have meant the 9 Largo. I don't know how it was in the 60s but definitely not an easy caliber to find now

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[joeintexas]

Back in Texas my neighbor across the street came over one day and handed me his Star B Super he had bought 20 or 30 years ago for under $100. He bought it used and said he had never shot it. I had to take it apart to see what made it tick, very nasty but cleaned up really well. We took it to the range and shot 50 rounds through it like it was made yesterday. No problems at all, fired every time and fairly accurate at some 20+or- yards. I sure wouldn't be afraid to buy one at the going price.

 

[Beauetienne]

My first 9mm was a Star Model 30M. A better 'out of the box' single action trigger pull would be hard to find. I took it home and pulled the trigger 1000 times. Even better. Probably over 3000 rounds of every cheap bullet went through this pistol since the early 1990's. 100 percent reliable. Not the prettiest girl on the block , but she was hot, and could be carried cocked and locked. I wouldn't hesitate to by a BM or B model at those prices.

 

[tops]

Parabellum or Largo?

Parabellum. I have found that SWC bullets work the best for me and in the 60s that was .357, .44 and .45 ACP and I have never looked back. Larry

 

[federali]

Thanks for an Interesting Thread

The Spanish guns are bargain priced compared to domestically produced guns and they serve the purpose. I particularly liked the Star .380, a miniaturized Model 1911 ( I think I have this right).