Star B in 9mm

PGTMG · Feb 23, 2014

Hello All,

I am curious about this pistol.

What it is it like shoot?

Is it reliable?

How are the sights?

Would you hesitate to use it for Home Defense?

Thanks,

Jimbob2.0 · Feb 23, 2014

Its essentially a 1911 in 9mm, and cool for that reason. One is ultimately on my list.

annihilation-time · Feb 23, 2014

I know I've watched Pulp Fiction a thousand times.

kazan182 · Feb 23, 2014

I like mine. Shoots well, sights are ok for what they are and it's fired everything I have run through it. I have only shot commercial ammo in mine however.

They are fun to shoot and are similar to a 1911. I read somewhere they are often used in movies instead of true 45's as they cycle blank ammo better than a 45.

Would be just fine for home defense but I have chosen a modern pistol for HD for several reasons. More mags (and higher capacity) are cheap, the new pistols are easier to get parts and maintain if you have issues, if you do have to use your firearm in a HD situation in all likelihood you will never see it again (rather lose something easier to replace and maybe less valuable) and I would rather just, for peace of mind, put my life in a modern pistol instead of something over 50 years old. Murphy's law I guess...

IMHO

DC-W · Feb 23, 2014

toolness1 · Feb 24, 2014

SAY "WHAT" AGAIN!

somd_mustangs · Feb 24, 2014

toolness1 said:
SAY "WHAT" AGAIN!

Seriously, I love my Star B - it's a WWII-era Bulgarian contract, reblued & import marked so it was pretty cheap, but it is very accurate. The sights are a lot bigger and fatter than a USGI 1911. If you're used to a 1911 the trigger will feel a little different as it pivots at the top. A lot harder to detail strip than a 1911 though...

Biggfoot44 · Feb 24, 2014

I have a B Super .

Sights are remenescent of post war commercial Gov't Model.

Externally is essentially a 1911A1 . Internally it is farther from JMB than its contempories from LLama.

Judged on their own merits Stars are generally well regarded.

*In general* 50yrs isn't a magic number whereby pistols magically become unreliable , and ineffective. Some of mine I am racking my mind to figure the age of various guns at the time they were then in rotation. I know I carried several 50+ , and am willing ( and undoubtedly will ) to carry them in future. Prominent examples would include : Colt Gov't Mdl , first decade Commanders , Python , OP , Det Spl , PPSpl , and variants pre 1964. S&W N, K, J's pre '64. Before the values rose on them also , 2nd Model .44 Hand Ejectors were primo duty guns. And first decade M39's ( I think that includes all the "no dash" , but have to double check).

And can't forget internal extractor BHP's .

Ironically considering this thready I would NOT use my Super B for carry or HD . But only because a previous owner did trigger work that brought the pull lighter than I would prefer for defensive use. If I find NOS hammer/sear , or find an old school pistolsmith that knows how to modify stock parts instead of droping in aftermarket , I would not object to using it with a 4-5lb pull.

toolness1 · Feb 24, 2014

somd_mustangs said:
Seriously, I love my Star B - it's a WWII-era Bulgarian contract, reblued & import marked so it was pretty cheap, but it is very accurate. The sights are a lot bigger and fatter than a USGI 1911. If you're used to a 1911 the trigger will feel a little different as it pivots at the top. A lot harder to detail strip than a 1911 though...

I've looked at them several times and considered getting one. Looks like something I'd love to shoot, and I've seen some good reviews on them...

Threeband · Feb 24, 2014

kazan182 said:
... I read somewhere they are often used in movies instead of true 45's as they cycle blank ammo better than a 45.

...

That's the reason Gary Cooper was outfitted with a Luger instead of a 1911 in the movie Sergeant York.

CasualObserver · Feb 24, 2014

Some folks report (and I have experienced myself) feeding issues with the Star model B. This is reportedly caused by the fact that it is based on a design that was built for the 9mm Largo which is 9x23. Problem is, the magazine is just a little to long for the 9 Lugar 9x19 round leading to feeding issues. The thought is that during the war, the resistance caused by the steel cased rounds held the shorter ammo in place better and it fed fine. I've thought about roughing up some ammo cases (brass or steel) to test that theory, but haven't gotten around to it. There is also directions somewhere (I have a hard copy I printed out a year or two ago) on how to modify the mag to shorten them up slightly front to back.

Just my 2 cents based on experience and what I recall. Feel free to use the power of the internet to verify yourself.

Machodoc · Feb 24, 2014

The first Star B that I got turned out to have been an A that was re-arsenaled into a B. It's always had some feeding issues, but otherwise shoots well. The next one that I got was made as a B, and it feeds correctly. Even though the heel of the first one is stamped with a "B", one of the guys that I learned a lot from pointed out that you could see that area had been ground down for re-stamping. Check any B that you are thinking about buying to be sure that the heel isn't slightly rounded toward the back.

Alphabrew · Feb 24, 2014

annihilation-time said:
I know I've watched Pulp Fiction a thousand times.

Well, then bring out the gimp

reverendbeer · Feb 24, 2014

PGTMG said:
Hello All,

I am curious about this pistol.

What it is it like shoot?

Is it reliable?

How are the sights?

Would you hesitate to use it for Home Defense?

Thanks,

Love it.

Mine is reliable.

I like the sights. As with anything, YMMV.

It's in bedroom rotation (it trades off quarterly with a Hi-power) so...not at all.

They're reasonably priced, available, and fun....why WOULDN'T you get at least one?

somd_mustangs · Feb 24, 2014

reverendbeer said:
....why WOULDN'T you get at least one?

Therein lies the problem, they're like Pringles.

Machodoc · Feb 24, 2014

Here's an illustration of what I was describing in an earlier post. This one is how a B should look. With one (early ones) converted from A to B, the area indicated will have been ground down to remove the A stamp, and then the B stamp applied as a result, that area will taper down a bit toward the rear part of the heel.

reverendbeer · Feb 24, 2014

Machodoc said:
Here's an illustration of what I was describing in an earlier post. This one is how a B should look. With one (early ones) converted from A to B, the area indicated will have been ground down to remove the A stamp, and then the B stamp applied as a result, that are will taper down a bit toward the rear part of the heel.

I've noticed the As have the recessed mag lip....maybe the origin?

peckman28 · Feb 24, 2014

I understand they're supposed to be pretty reliable if you get one that's still the same sum of parts it was when it rolled off the line. If you're looking for reliability avoid a Russian capture like the plague...I've got one and the safety on it doesn't even work right. It will have extractor issues about every fourth or fifth shot it seems. I still like the thing though.

somd_mustangs · Feb 24, 2014

Comment removed - Never mind, I'm a dumb-a$$ that's just the editing out of the S/N - DOH!

CasualObserver · Feb 24, 2014

somd_mustangs said:
The serial number is also stamped on the bottom of the "mainspring housing" of all Star A, B, S, SI (at least all I've seen) and it's been ground off in that example. A significant amount of metal was removed, it should be flat and even all the way across from the mag well back....

Ground off or spray painted blue in that example? That a ghetto special?

Star B in 9mm

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