Just Got It NOW!

[yellowsled]

Don't forget about the "LPN" marked star B's.


BTW, The Star looks great! Love the small import mark!

 

[cantstop]

BTW, The Star looks great! Love the small import mark!

Yeah, this ^^^^

Machodoc, you seem to have a knack for finding sweet C&R guns.

 

[Machodoc]

Machodoc, you seem to have a knack for finding sweet C&R guns.

"Even a blind pig roots up an acorn now and then."

I'm hoping that the ones the other guy have ordered look even better. (That will give me incentive to buy another one.)

 

[Machodoc]

My skimming skills need work . I seen them at SOG but it says needs FFL, it doesnt say C&R. so i guess due to the years Century was selling as C&R? I was having problems with Centurys FFL upload and i tried to attach it, then one person pushed me off on another etc to the point i gave up.

Yeah ... you're slipping a bit in your old age!

The ones at SOG are Star B Supers. They're newer DOM than the Bs (or As converted to Bs), so probably not C&R yet. Very nice guns, though.

 

[BossmanPJ]

The stock is very nice on that one. Good score.

 

[yellowsled]

kinda sad I am not the one getting all the attention anymore...

 

[Machodoc]

kinda sad I am not the one getting all the attention anymore...

Keep posting. We miss you, even though you're on a buying hiatus.

 

[Arcamm]

Any chance of some more pictures for those of us who are in FedEx jail?

 

[Machodoc]

Just cleaned it. No markings on the frame, but it also clearly doesn't appear to have been fired since (what I believe to have been) the factory overhaul and conversion from an A to a B. Bore is shiny and lands are prominent (for a Star) and crisp.

Going to go shoot it now. Been dreading this part, since my luck hasn't been so great with A to B model conversions feeding properly.

 

[Arcamm]

Good luck! Standing by for the range report!



....and pictures

 

[Machodoc]

Good luck! Standing by for the range report!



....and pictures

No time to take pics now, but here's a quick range report:

Meh ... same problem as my other A to B conversion, but not as bad. This definitely isn't a CCW candidate from the reliability standpoint, but it's a good shooter ... when it feeds correctly.

The problem is that the rounds fit into the mag with a lot of "slop" left over. I'm guessing that the mag was designed for the Largo round, which is a couple of mm longer. One mag's a bit better than the other, but neither one is great. The stack of ammo shifts forward, then jams occur. If I can get the stack lined up in the back of the mag, and plant the mag into the gun without shifting them, it seems to run through them fine. Otherwise, it's a lot of fiddling to clear and re-load everything.

I've seen a posting somewhere about making shims for the back of the mags. Haven't tried that, but now that I need it on two guns, guess I'll have to. It didn't look that hard to do ... just a PIA to have to do it.

Other than that, it's a fun gun to shoot. Nice trigger action for a milsurp, and accurate, so far as I could tell from plinking out the back door at a pine log.

 

[Arcamm]

I guess we'll find out pretty soon if this group a batch of A to B conversions.

 

[somd_mustangs]

I checked my LPN Star B with 2 matched mags (9mm P) and a '43 German B and the issued mags will accept the Largo round. All the mags I have for the B are the same size as the two I know came new with my '52 Model A. That's not a definitive statistical sample but I think the size of the mag was the same (the mag well is the same, they interchange). The mag feed lips may be slightly gooned or maybe the feed ramp wasn't addressed properly.

What did they actually do to convert it, replace the barrel with a proper 9mmP or just sleeve/shim the chamber somehow? May have to experiment with different ammo too...

I'd blame the feed ramp first. This "A" and "B" are slightly different, but that doesn't mean they all are Also make sure the slide release "tab" for the hold-back isn't hitting the rounds, causing them to nose-up. IANAGS.

The converted .380ACP Husqvarna 1907's have the same issue, round <much!> smaller than the mag. I've only had one FTF so far with that one, and none with the B, but I've only shot the refinished Bulgarian B which is a pretty loose gun.

one more thought - recoil spring issue? I think Wolff still has them...

 

[CasualObserver]

No time to take pics now, but here's a quick range report:

Meh ... same problem as my other A to B conversion, but not as bad. This definitely isn't a CCW candidate from the reliability standpoint, but it's a good shooter ... when it feeds correctly.

The problem is that the rounds fit into the mag with a lot of "slop" left over. I'm guessing that the mag was designed for the Largo round, which is a couple of mm longer. One mag's a bit better than the other, but neither one is great. The stack of ammo shifts forward, then jams occur. If I can get the stack lined up in the back of the mag, and plant the mag into the gun without shifting them, it seems to run through them fine. Otherwise, it's a lot of fiddling to clear and re-load everything.

I've seen a posting somewhere about making shims for the back of the mags. Haven't tried that, but now that I need it on two guns, guess I'll have to. It didn't look that hard to do ... just a PIA to have to do it.

Other than that, it's a fun gun to shoot. Nice trigger action for a milsurp, and accurate, so far as I could tell from plinking out the back door at a pine log.

You should check out this link. I book marked it when I got my first Star B awhile back. I think you will find it supports a lot of what SOMD_MUSTANGS and yourself is noting and then some.

http://kegisland.com/star-b-debugging-project.html

 

[somd_mustangs]

Bookmarked. AWESOME info. Thanks!

"slippery cartridges" - who'd have thunk it?

I guess I got lucky with my Bulgarian, although I've only run a couple of boxes through it. I did put a new recoil spring in and cleaned it thoroughly before shooting.
Only issue I had was one stove-pipe, an empty shell or two in the face, and the extractor pin kept working itself loose. Great little gun though for $300.

I know I'm a weenie but the other 2 Star B's (and the A) I have are too nice to shoot... I just got some fresh .38ACP so maybe the M1920 & 1921 will get a chance though.

 

[CasualObserver]

Bookmarked. AWESOME info. Thanks!

"slippery cartridges" - who'd have thunk it?

I guess I got lucky with my Bulgarian, although I've only run a couple of boxes through it. I did put a new recoil spring in and cleaned it thoroughly before shooting.
Only issue I had was one stove-pipe, an empty shell or two in the face, and the extractor pin kept working itself loose. Great little gun though for $300.

I know I'm a weenie but the other 2 Star B's (and the A) I have are too nice to shoot... I just got some fresh .38ACP so maybe the M1920 & 1921 will get a chance though.

Yeah, slippery cartridges. I got some steel cased ammo a few months ago to see if it makes a difference in the B I have that double feeds pretty consistently. Just haven't gotten around to trying it yet. I also have rebuilding one of the mags with a spacer on the long list of things to do. We'll see if the B I just ordered needs some work or not to make it reliable.

 

[Alphabrew]

Not liking these feeding issues, maybe I should have sprung for a Super B

 

[somd_mustangs]

just need to be alert that not all Super B's are C$R.
You may run into the same issue with the mags, as they made both a Super A and a Super B. I don't have either one so can't speak to that.
... and it's a different mag from the plain old A or B (base plate anyway). Be curious to compare the body & follower between the Super and non-Super...

 

[Machodoc]

You should check out this link. I book marked it when I got my first Star B awhile back. I think you will find it supports a lot of what SOMD_MUSTANGS and yourself is noting and then some.

http://kegisland.com/star-b-debugging-project.html

That's the article I was thinking about when I mentioned shims. Thanks for posting the link. I know that I saved it somewhere, but I've been out of town most of the day and couldn't look for it.

I'll have to try some of the Tul Ammo and see how that does. The performance of the brass rounds is just as described in that article. Rats ... I just passed up some Tul Ammo earlier tonight, and got the more expensive Winchester white box (reloadable). I'm sure I've got some steel-cased 9mm around somewhere, though. I'll give it a try in the morning.

 

[Arcamm]

FedEx just left and it's Christmas morning. I'm happy, but my gut is feeling uneasy about this pistol!