Star pistols of Eibar, Spain were imported to the United States by Interarms (interarmco, formerly FI or Federated Industires of Washington, DC( until the early 1990s. Star made pistols in calibers such as 380, 9mm, 40 S&W, and 9mm Largo. Interesting are the names of some models. There are normal-named guns such as the M, B, and BM, but there are others such as the Starlet, Ultraster, Megastar, and others. These creative names are half the reason I want to own them, just so i can pull out a gun and show it to someone while proudly proclaiming "This is my ULTRASTAR!"
The Star BM is the only gun in Star's lineup that i have much exposure to. Its a short, compact 1911 style pistol. It utilizes a single stack magazine and holds 8 rounds of 9mm. They were used by some police departments and military units in Spain. Because of that, some BMs have made their way to the states as surplus through Century Arms in the 1990s. These guns were in OK shape, but often times sported plenty of finish wear.
There were also plenty of good Star BMs made by Star specifically for the US market. These guns have no duty wear and the bluing on the guns is of a much higher quality than that of the surplus guns. I have also shot a 1911 style Star pistol in 9mm Largo. The interesting thing aobut their 1911 clones is that they lack a girp safety, something seen in more traidtional 1911 designs. The lack of a grip safetey doesn't bother me much. A grip safety is one less thing to break in my eyes. The best safety is keeping your finger off the trigger. Its pretty hard for a gun to go bang if your finger isn't even in the trigger guard. Long in short: keep your meat hook off the bang switch and you'll probably be fine.
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I purchased a new STAR BM in the late 80's for $213 out the door. Taught my first wife to shoot with it. I probably put 2000 rounds through it. The only wear when I sold it was the hammer face had an impact bulge where it hit the firing pin. The guns were basic but well made. I don't remember EVER having a misfire (with good ammo or cheap blasers). It was reasonably accurate for a 'short' automatic. It disassembled like a .45 and didn't have but 6 or 7 parts. Only bad thing was the single stack magazine. I tried their 'Firestar' (? might have had another name) which was a hicap...but actually didn't like it as much as the little BM. If you can find one on the cheap it's an excellent 9mm to have for a backup or CCW. Definetly one that I found would always go bang when I pulled the trigger.
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