My old STAR Modelo SUPER, w/ 9mm Luger barrel...

[dogngun]

Years ago, I found a very good looking STAR MODELO SUPER, a single action pistol, similar in looks to a 1911, but different in many ways. They were mostly chambered in 9mm Largo, no longer made by anyone...but this one also has an extra, barrel serial numbered to the gun and the Largo barrel, for 9mm Luger...which it shoots very well. There is an occasional feed problem using the mag with the Luger rounds as they are shorter.
(I do have some older Largo ammo, military ball 9mm...SARCO seems to have bought the world's supply long ago...)
I found that this was probably a package put together by an importer...but I have never seen another one. The import stamp is IAC ALEX VA...I'm thinking this was an incarnation of INTERARMS...
From time to time, I want to sell this pistol, but when I pick it up, I get to like it all over again...it's a fine, comfortable grip design and a good looking, well made pistol...and probably not worth much anyway...

http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/20008/19090672_1.jpg?v=8D10797F7A4A810

Just wondering if anyone has ANY information on these, or has seen one before OR if there is a dedicated 9mm Luger mag that fits...
thanks.

Mark

 

[2152hq]

The Star Model A-Super was made in 9mm Largo,,
the Star Model B-Super was made in 9mm Luger.

On the bottom of the grip frame just to the rear of the magazine well should be either an 'A" or a 'B'. The letters denoting the Model of the pistol,,at least when it left the factory.
Ser# may also be there. It is on the Model A & B,, A&B Supers moved it to the side later
There is a difference in the Model A SUper magazine and the Model B Super magazine,,but only in the length of the feed lips at the mouth.
The B has very slightly longer feed lips to control the shorter round so it doesn't pop free of the magazine before the bullet tip has slightly entered the rear of the chamber . That captures the round and makes for more positive feeding than if using the Model A 9mm Largo mag for 9mm Luger ammo.

But many conversions have been done on Model A'super to 9mm Luger by mearly changing the bbl. Before extra aftermarket bbl were offered in the 90's for these and the Model A (9mm Largo), the easy way was to place a bushing in the front of the 9mm Largo chanber to shorten the headspace for 9mm Luger use. A 9mmLuger chamber reamer was handy to bring it to spec of course but many were done w/o one.

I don't recall if the ejectors are the same length (A & B), I think they are. Recoil springs seem to be the same. Most shooters put a new one into the older surplus guns anyway.

 

[nicky4968]

If your slide is stamped 9/.38 or something similar, the Largo barrel has been modified to handle either Largo ammunition or .38 Auto ammunition.
(NOT .38 SUPER).
You can load your Super brass to Auto levels, easier than finding non-sub machine gun Largo ammo.

 

[italiansport]

I believe you are correct and the "IAC ALEX VA" was the import mark used by Interarms.
Jim

 

[gwpercle]

I really liked the Star pistol's .
I had a Model PS in 45 acp , I bought it at Montgomery Wards back when they sold guns . Loved the fact it did not have a grip safety .
I won a first place trophy with it in a 45 acp service match...that Star made the Colt guys look bad ! Actually the Star was just as accurate as a buddies Gold Cup !
It was stolen in 1995 , but I still have the mag and would buy another Model PS if I came across a good deal. Just don't see that many .
Gary

 

[BigBill]

These are overlooked pistols. I like them because there not the norm, there unique and different. I have a stash of the 9mm largo ammo so I can still shoot inbetween the ammo shortages.

 

[DWalt]

"If your slide is stamped 9/.38 or something similar, the Largo barrel has been modified to handle either Largo ammunition or .38 Auto ammunition."

The 9mm/.38 stamping simply means either 9mm Largo or .38 ACP will chamber OK. I don't believe there was any mod made to the factory barrel chamber, they came from Star that way. The Star B 9mm Luger magazine may fit in the Star A mag well, but I don't know if they are otherwise interchangeable. I have a 9x23mm Winchester-chambered M1911 barrel (dimensionally identical to the 9mm Largo case) and that chamber works for 9mm Largo, 9mm Steyr, and .38 Super/ACP equally well. In my 1911, I do have occasional problems feeding 9mm Luger from a .38 Super magazine, it requires a 9mm Luger magazine to feed 9mm Luger reliably (I also have a 9mm Luger barrel for the 1911). I once had a Llama Super Extra (a pretty good clone of the M1911) with the 9mm/.38 barrel marking, and I also fired 9mm Largo and even .38 Super in it without incident. At one time back in the 1960s and 1970s, surplus 9mm Largo ammo was plentiful and cheap (I remember it was around $5/100), and I fired it in large quantities through that Llama. You don't see much of it today, but I think Starline makes brass for it.

 

[Walkingwolf]

I still carry a Star Super A on occasion, proof date 1947. It is reliable, and accurate, and a fun gun to shoot.

As far as loads, it is the exact same frame as the B which will handle 9X19 pressure. Standard 38 super loads are no more than standard 9X19 loads, I do not use 38 super brass though. It is slightly shorter than largo brass, and semi rimmed. I stick to starline largo brass.

 

[Walter Rego]

I would try to find a correct, factory Model B Super magazine for the 9x19 barrel. They show up on ebay regularly although often misidentified so as 2152hg says, have a look at the feed lips to be sure. If not illustrated, ask the seller to take a couple more pics and post them.

 

[DWalt]

"Standard 38 super loads are no more than standard 9X19 loads, I do not use 38 super brass though. It is slightly shorter than largo brass, and semi rimmed. I stick to starline largo brass."

But the .38 Super case is not enough shorter than the 9mm Largo case to make any difference. Within manufacturing tolerences, they are the same, except for the semi-rim of the .38 Super. Starline also makes a case called the 9mm SuperComp, the case length of which is also identical to the 9x23, 9mm Largo, and .38 Super, and I have 500 such cases. The 9mm Super Comp is also rimless, but is supposedly a little stronger than the 9mm Largo and will take higher pressures. I have used them in 9x23mm Winchester full-house loadings with no difficulty. One of the Starline guys told me that was perfectly OK, as they will take the higher pressure. They also work fine in my M1911 9x23mm Winchester barrel.

BTW, I use .38 Super reloading dies (Lee) for 9x23 Win, 9mm SuperComp, and .38 Super cases. Very satisfactory for all. I have a 9x23 Win RCBS die set, but don't use it, as I prefer the Lee set.

 

[dogngun]

Guys, you didn't read the OP correctly...or I didn't explain it correctly.

The pistol came with 2 different barrels, one chambered and marked 9mm Luger and one chambered and marked 9mm LARGO...they are both serial numbered to the gun and interchange instantly. I found some pretty hot 115 grain JHP Largo ammo, so I'm using that in the Star MODELO SUPER - NOT a "Super A" or "Super B" but a different model...
But thanks anyway. Nevermind.

 

[2152hq]

If it's just marked 'SUPER' and the full ser# on the base of the frame (2 lines) behind the mag well,,it's an early Model A Super.
They didn't mark A,B,C,M or P (Super) models as they didn't exist yet
(The Model Super B 9mm Luger cal didn't come into production till 1954 for example)

Once these other models began to appear in production and on later A-Super production, the stamping was changed to 3 lines and included the model letter.

Very late production Supers when ser#'s went over 1million, the ser# was moved to the left side of the frame for space reasons.
The model letter designation stayed on the bottom of the frame in back of the mag well.
This left side ser# and the Spanish Military inventory # are often confused for eachother and interchanged.

The slides of the Super models simply say 'Modelo Super' with no letter designation. (The very first Model A Supers were marked 'Modelo Especial' instead but they are only a very small number of pistols.)

The Model A and the Model Super A, both in 9mmLargo were Spains primary issue Military sidearm.
In the early 60's they made a move towards the 9mmLuger/Nato cartridge.
They bought some Model B Supers and also had STAR convert some of the Model A Super pistols in service from 9mmLargo to 9mmLuger.
The conversions were not as reliable as needed.
The program 'lacked funds' for the proper conversion and rehab of the pistols as one source puts it. Dis-satisfied with the conversions and the SuperB model,,the gov't pulled the plug on the conversion idea.
That started Spain's look for a new service pistol that took many years to complete.

I don't know how the converted pistols bbls were marked if at all,,I'd expect at least the ser# of the pistol.
Perhaps you have one of those converted pistols that was later rejected. All of these A, A-Super, B, B Super and other misc model STAR pistols eventually ended up being taken back in 'trade' by STAR in a bad deal for them to supply new M28 and M30 pistols for the Spanish gov't.

The Model A Super and Model B Supers as mfg'd didn't generally have the caliber marked on the bbl hood IIRC, but could have been added during a conversion to keep things straight. This last just my guess of course.
If you list the ser# of you pistol I can find the yr/mfg.
Or you can look at the proof yr code in the triade of auto pistol proofs on the pistol and look up the proof yr here:
Star Firearms: Dating your Star Pistol with Proofmarks