ltwguns.com

I have a Star Firearms model BM (the link has some info on it):

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Crit ... l%20BM.htm

This pistol has a particularly high level of sentiment to me as it belonged to my uncle. When I first saw it, it was to see if a friend of mine could fix it. It had been fired with the slidestop pin in but missing the barrel link which had caused the upper lugs of the barrel to be beaten and it would jam on every shot. My friend was able to fix the gun and make it serviceable again, but unfortunately, my uncle only had about 1 year to have it working as he died of colon cancer. When my uncle died this pistol was passed on to me. I really enjoy this pistol, but the sites are off, it has some dings, it's not very accurate, etc... I was wondering if any of the smiths on here had ever worked on one of these. I'm looking to get a few things done:

1) a nice new match barrel
2) different sites (preferably tritium)
3) full reliability and accuracy tuning
4) vertical serrations (or some other treatment to increase grip) on the backstrap and front of the grip
5) new grips (cocobola or something similar)
6) clean up all of the dings and reblue the pistol (polished sides would be nice)

I don't know how much of this is possible to do on this pistol, I have a budget of around $1500 - $1700 for this project. I really want to be able to carry this pistol, but in the condition it is now, it's just not accurate nor reliable enough to be a carry pistol. Thanks for reading and please let me know if this seems like a project soemone is willing and capable of taking on.

--Wintermute

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"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Locke
"Vi Et Armis" - Cicero
http://www.improvised-engineering.com

I've brought this up before and been basically told that I was wasting time. I think that was a little short sighted. After all, we are here because we like something out of the norm and are willing to spend money for such, often with no real hope of recouping our expenses.
I would have already done one if I had time, but Uncle Sam still demands too much of my time.
I currently own three along with a PD. The BM seems to me to be the best of the Stars for any work due to the steel frame. The PD was noted for shooting loose much too soon.
A match barrel would be a custom proposition. Not hard, but probably spendy. I would look at the Novaks or Heinies for a smaller than Gov't sized gun. Maybe those for a Highpower or a Colt 380 would be aesthetically pleasing. You might want to recontour the front/back straps a little for a higher hold. There is enough meat there for that. EGW has barrel links available. The thumb safety shaft from a PD might be long enough to add a right side paddle (attached like a Hipower ambi with a roll pin) for an ambi if you needed one. It is the same diameter/shape and could be easily modified to fit the BM.
I think it would be a neat project.
Ned, are you listening?

Dave Sams has had a few Star pistols in his shop over the last few years. I think he has one or two on the shelves now waiting for work. While the barrels arent readily available, he has certainly put a match barrel in one. IIRC, he welded up the lugs for recutting and relined the barrel with a match tube. Who knows, maybe yours will be feasible for a match barrel. As for the other stuff, it's all still pretty basic. Give him a call at (804) 375-3782. If he can't do what you'd like, he'll tell you right away. If he can, and likely will, you'll be thrilled with the end results.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

I always liked the Stars and dont have any problem woking on them. carried a PD for at least 3 years...Chuck

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http://www.warnerpistols.com/
cvwinabq@live.com
Rio Rancho New Mexico

"I like double barrels....Aprilia, Ducati, and sxs rifles"

I picked up a 1968 Star Super S .380 about a year ago, basically because I couldn't find a decent deal on a Colt Mustang. I finally ended up finding one of the PLUS II models some months later. The Star shoots better, plain and simple. The way the barrel locks up on the .380 models (and maybe the larger calibers too, I don't know) is a bit more involved than the Colt design. So, the lockup seems considerably tighter. I need to shape the hammer a bit as she tends to bite, but it's fun little pistol.

The extractor on mine broke a few weeks ago and I really miss shooting the darned thing. I'd love to have a few things done to it, so I'm glad to hear a few guys will work on them.


-Matt

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"If it has breasts or a motor, you're gonna have trouble with it."

An old time Detroit area gunsmith, Frank Paris, did my Star BM but it isn't heavily modified. Frank is long deceased and he never would tell who did his hard chrome. The grips are by Hakan Pek. I used to travel a lot and this is the pistol I took on trips. Regards, Richard