firestar

hawkeye6020

October 07, 2005 08:24

I came across a firestar similer to the one below. it appears to be unfired or at least not fired very much. I see no wear on the slide and the berrel is very clean. There is not a box or any paperwork with it. He is wanting 250.00 for it. I don't know anything about these guns. Are the reliable? any known problems with them? anything on it i should look for? I see that star is out of business, are parts hard to come by?

thanks,Mike

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=38023267

"Life is not a journey to the grave wtih the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body,

But rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

-WOW- WHAT A RIDE!!!!!"

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  Harry_The_Drunk_Monkey

  October 07, 2005 09:08

  I post dis on you other thrad in general D. It come from an expert source and former member here: its a C&P.
  
  Post subject: Star M43 Firestar 9mm Reply with quote
  When people think of Spanish firearms the first things to pop into their minds are (hopefully) the fine shotguns from such firms as AyA, Garbi, and other old firms, many of which are truely beautiful and built in the timeless fashion of the classic gun makers art. Sadely the next thing folks think about when Spanish guns are mentioned are the cheap Browning .25 caliber knock-offs, Ruby type pistols, or that old Llama .45 auto that just never quite worked right...not a nice vision. There are however plenty of exceptions to this rule and one of my favorites is the Star M43 Firestar. Bonifacio Echeverria SA, known as Star, began making guns in the Eibar region of Spain at the turn of the last century but it was not until after the Spanish Civil War that the company, one of only four remaining in operation in all of Spain, began to gain a reputation for good quality firearms. Although Star's greatest success was their 9mm Model 30, which was adopted as the Spanish militaries service pistol in 1989, I prefer the compact Model 43 series which I feel offers a tremendous value for the money. Sadly Star went out of business in 1997 and despite rumors, it appears never to return.
  
  One of the first things you will notic about the 9mm Firestar is that it bucks all of the "modern" trends in compact handguns. There is no high capacity magazine (7 shots only in 9mm), it is single action, it has no decocking mechanism, it can be carried cocked and locked (CONDITION 1), and both the slide and frame are made of old fashioned steel without a hint of light weight alloy to be found. What these pistols do offer is a compact size (about that of a Walther PP) in a choice of 9mm, .40S&W or even .45 ACP...a very big punch is a very small package! There is a choice of three finishes: Blue, nickel, or Starvel, which is a sort of flat stainless type finish that is supposed to offer excellent surface protection and looks quite attractive, at least in my own opinion. The Firestar also features a three dot sight set up using a low-profile rear sight which along with the adjustable front sight offers one of the best compact pistol sighting set up I have come across. Unique among pistols in this price range is the fact the frame has its grooves cut on the INSIDE which means that the slide remains in contact with the frame for it's entire length, rather than just for an inch or two. Fit and finish on these little pistols is very good with hardly any tool marks showing on the interior of the frame or slide. The barrel is blued, even on the nickel or Starvel finished pistols, and has a slight swelling at the muzzel which allow for a very tight fitting with the slide without the need for a bushing. The rubber Pachmayr type stocks offer a good feel in the hand and the controls with the magazine release on the left and safety lever on the left and right. Both are nicely placed with the magazine and slide release about twice the typical size found on automatic pistols and neatly checkered for a postitive feel. A magazine safety is standard. The front of the grip as well as the backstrap are nicely checkered and there is a fairly long extention off the back of the frame to eliminate the chances of hammer bite. The trigger on my pistol is good, not great, but is well suited for the purpose of self defense and breaks crisply at around 7 pounds. Accuracy is always subjective and I never bother to go into this but the pistol itself has proved to be reliable and has never failed me when using 124gr. Winchester, Remington and Fiocchi ammo. All and all this is one of my favorite compact automatics and can usually be found on the resale market at quite resonable prices.
  
  "Who dyed and left you king?
  
  

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