Just bought one yesterday, got it field stripped and cleaned, took it out today, Couldn't miss, i'm so impressed with this gun, and it's accuarcy, it rivals my Makarov.
one thing i noticed was that some of the parts look to be installed in such a way as they can only be taken out by an armorer or gunsmith, is this true or am i just seeing things??
thanks,
-Jesse
I was looking at one of those yesterday in an AIM flyer. Looks alot like a Ballester-Molina that I have. Probably get one one of these days just to have one. Let us know how it holds up.
__________________ U.S. Army
1976-1979
237th Combat Engineers
Heilbronn, Germany
just curious, will the "Super B" handle +P and +P+ loads?
i noticed that it'll feed HP rounds but they have to be seated in the mag. just right.
-Jesse
I wouldn’t recommend firing +P and +P+ ammunition in the Models B or B Super. Under the best of conditions Spanish steel tends to be somewhat soft, and the heat treatment runs from (rarely) quite good to (more commonly) non-existent. Folks who shoot +P ammunition can look forward to the early retirement of their Star Models B and B Super :-(
Best regards,
Kyrie
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"The Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers" claims that some late production Star Model Bs can take +P ammo, but NEVER +P+.
I see this as useless info, unless you can somehow prove to your satisfaction that your gun is late production! Maybe there are websites dedicated to this...
I avoid +P ammo in older European guns, despite the fact that many should be able to take it. Some of the older mil spec. loads are still hot by today's standards. The main problem that I run into is the spring configuration. Metallurgically speaking, the gun may be OK, but the 30+ year-old spring ain't having any!
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WARNING: CZs MAY BE HABIT-FORMING (Consult a doctor if nursing or pregnant).
I realize that this is several years old, but just happened across it while searching for Star Supers.
I have a Star Super in 9mm Largo, don't know if it's an A or B. The Star Super looks like a very well made gun to me. The Largo is almost identical to the 38 Super, except the Super has a semi-rim. If you check the ballistics of the 9mm Largo and 38 Super, the super is maybe 50 fps faster.
I modified the hood of my barrel to take the 38 Super's semi-rim. I had to tweak the lips on the magazine to get it to feed the Super's rim. After that, it shot the Supers fine. With comparable case capacity, bullet weight and velocities, I don't think there will be any problems shooting 38 Supers in it.
I put a box of supers through it and haven't noticed any problems with the gun. It will feed and fire regular 9mm para ammo without any problems. I know guys will say, Oh you'll break the extractor, headspace... So I won't make it a habit of shooting 9mm para in it, but it's nice to know you could if needed. It will also feed 380 ammo, but it doesn't have enough power to cycle the slide. It will only put the hammer back to half cock.
One interesting thing on my gun is the bore is actually .358".
I think they are a great gun and wish I would have bought more when they were $150.
Just my 2 cents
While I can understand wanting to carry the most powerful cartridge that will function properly in a firearm for self defence,I cannot feature why you would want to use them if you practice a lot.Most firearms will hold up under more than SAAMI spec loads but as with cars and driving fast,altho they hold up,they don't hold up as long as standard loads. sam.
LAR45, check the bottom of the grip - if it has stamped "SUPER" above the serial number, it is the Super A. That's what I have found when questioning on other websites.
I have 100 rounds of .38 Super, but haven't done the mods to my Super for it yet. I'm going to get the stiffer Wolf recoil spring before chancing it.
I think there is a different spring for the Star Super and non-Super.
I trimmed a recoil buff pad to fit the Star.
The base of the grip of my gun does say Super.
I think one of the main differences between the A and B was the A was chambered in 9mm Largo and the B was 9mm Para.
My slide says 9mm P, but the barrel says 9mm Largo. I think the barrel marking was done by the importer.
I have a Star PD 45 acp also and really like it. It's the aluminum frame with 3"(ish) barrel. The sights are bold and easy to see, but are fairly snag free. From what I've read, the aluminm frame has a tendency to wear out so you shouldn't shoot it much. It shoots nice tight groups at 25yds with 230 starfire ammo. I've been useing this as my travel carry piece for a couple of years now. It fits in about the same space as my East German Makarov and the weight really isn't noticable.
What I'd love to find is the Star model P super in 45 acp.
I used a needle file to cut a small step in the hood of the barrel so the 38 Super ammo would chamber. I used a small pair of needle nose pliers to tweak the lips on the magazine so the 38 Super's semi-rim would fit and feed. It was a fairly easy conversion.
I've seen the 9mm Largo also refered to as the 9mm Bergman or Bayard.
Looking in Quickload, it shows
the 9mm Bergman/Bayard with a max chamber pressure of 37,709 CUP.
For the 38 Super it shows 33,358 CUP.
9x23 win 34,083 PSI(?)
9mm Luger/para 34,083 psi.
If the above is correct, it should be perfectly safe to shoot 38 supers in the Star super chambered for the 9mm Largo(after the barrel is modified to accept the semi-rim)
I think the Astra 400 is supposed to be a weaker design(maybe a blow back?) and should be used with 38 Super ammo, if it would chamber.
Don't take any of this as gospel. You need to decide for yourself or research it first.
Anybody else out there with a Star Super A or B, can you measure or slug your barrel to see what size it is? mine has a .358" bore.
With a .358" bore, it might lower the pressure even more by shooting .355"(9mm) bullets in it. ??
The 38 super is loaded with .355" bullets is it not? My Hodgdon manual says .355". COTW says .358". Quickload says .355"
I think I saw someplace where you could get 9mm Luger/para barrels for the Star Super A or B. This would probably be the easiest and cheapest way to go.
If anyone happens across a Super P in 45acp, please drop me an email.
The minor mods to allow shooting the .38 Super in the 9mm Largo Star pistols is fairly common, judging from what I have read on many gun forums.
I have tried 9mm Luger, just to see if it works - it does, but I did get a few feed jams. So, if in great need of a shootable load, it could be done - but I will not do it regularly.
I had shot a few boxes of the old aluminum-cased CCI Blaser 9mm Largo loads, but apparently this is scarce stuff now! Too bad - it proved failry accurate. I kept enough to keep my one magazine loaded. Gives me another good gun I can keep hidden in a room of the house - JIC!
It's a very good shooter, though the tang does tend to bite my hand - I had fitted my Colt with a broader grip safety to prevent this - can't do that with the Star!
