I picked this up at a local gun shop a couple weeks ago for $249.  It has some honest holster wear but doesn't appear to have been fired much.  The bore is in perfect condition and the locking lugs and recesses show no indications of rounding or wear.  The pistol was nicely polished and the blued finish still wasn't bad for its age.  The color case hardened hammer and extractor appealed to my S&W revolver tastes.

Historically speaking, I found that a total of 217,682 Star BM pistols were made between 1972 and 1992. BM serial numbers ranged from 1,226,501 to somewhere around 1,942,445. The pistols were made without mechanical variation throughout that period, but there may be a lot of different cosmetic variations depending on agency issue and commercial sales.

In general, earlier pieces were more highly polished and later ones were more of a matte finish. After serial number 1,560,901 in 1981, all BM pistols were fitted with a ramped and serrated front sight. At approximately this same serial number a few other shortcuts were used to expedite production – a shorter rollmark/slide legend, coarser polish limited to side of the slide and frame, and all the small parts were given a bead blast matte finish. The slide cocking serrations are also reduced in number on these later pistols.

The pistol has a total of three “serial” numbers on it. The original seven digit serial number is located on the left side of the frame (in 1,500,000 range) between the trigger and the grip panel.  There is a second five digit number on the right side of the frame and slide, which I suspect was a property number for a military or police agency, probably military given that it appears a crest has been milled off in front of the number.  There is third number farther forward on the right side of the frame put there by CAI after the prefix "SER:"  This is a bit of an over reaction to sub regulatory BATF guidance that ‘requires’ an importer not import a firearm that ever had the same serial number as any other firearm they have ever imported – and that language was a bit of an over reaction by BATF.   In any event, I don't have a high opinion of CAI, and while I'll buy their imports, I won't touch anything they've built from a parts kit on a US receiver.
There's also a "79" on the right side of the trigger guard, which was used to indicate the year it was made or acquired, as that is consistent with the date of manufacture based on the (original) serial number.




I took it out and put 50 rounds of Hornady 124 gr XTPs through it and noted an average velocity of 1,098 fps from the 3.77" barrel.  I put another 50 rounds through it with a 124 gr plated round nose and 124 gr truncate cone cast hand loads.  All of them shot quite well.

Functioning was *almost* perfect with one of the cast hand loads suffering a stove pipe ejection.   I noted however that the ejection pattern was a bit too vertical and noted the recoil spring felt weaker than it should, which is one of the potential causes of stove pipes in a 1911 style pistol.

Consequently, I ordered a new recoil spring from Wolffe and when it arrived, I noted it was in fact much longer and stiffer than the original, confirming that the original was a weak spring.   I suspect the spring it came with had been in it since it was made in 1979 and had taken a set after being in compression for nearly 40 years.

The recoil spring assembly in the Star BM is interesting. The front section rests in the barrel bushing and keeps it in position, while the rear section has a 1911 like base that rests on the barrel in front of the pivot pin.  But it's also a captive design with the full length guide rod screwing into the base.  The spring can thus be easily replaced by unscrewing the guide rod from the base while you keep the spring compressed.

The Star BM uses a barrel link like a 1911, but field stripping is a mix of 1911 and Hi Power.  The slide locks back like as on an early Hi Power and the slide release lever comes out at that locked back position, unlike the 1911. However the barrel comes out through the front once the barrel bushing is removed like a 1911.

I also ordered 2 surplus magazines for it for $24 each listed in very good condition.  They arrived in what I'd call closer to excellent condition.  Interestingly the magazine followers were flatter on these than the one in my pistol. I'm not sure when Star changed the design.  Both worked equally well with all the bullet types I tried in the pistol.  Unlike the 1911,and like the Hi Power, the Star BM has a magazine safety.  Unlike the Hi Power, the magazine safety is really quick and easy to remove or re-install.  Remove both grip panels and then just push the pin on the safety near the bottom of the grip frame out from left to right. It's pretty obvious once you get the grip panels off. There is no noticeable effect on the trigger pull, but removal does allow the magazine to drop free on it's own.

With the new spring installed, and with three magazines in hand, I took it back to the range and put another 50 rounds of 124 gr XTPs through it as well as another 100 rounds of 124 gr plated round nose hand loads and 50 more of the 124 gr truncated cone cast hand loads.  This time, functioning was letter perfect with all three loads.

I tried another slightly lower 1,000 fps 124 grain cast load and finally had it fail to lock open on the last round a couple times, which was nice since it indicates it is probably properly sprung for the heavier 1,100 fps loads.  
Accuracy wise it was shooting 8 and 9 shot groups that averaged 1 1/4" with the XTPs and 1 1/2" with the plated and cast loads.  Now, to be fair to the pistol these are groups shot two hand, standing and it would no doubt do better off a rest - but I don't know anyone who ever shoots a semi-auto pistol that way.

This works out to about 3" at 25 yards with the XTPs and about 3 3/4" with the plated and cast loads at 25 yards.  It probably isn't going to win any bullseye matches, but that's more than acceptable combat accuracy and on par with the service grade 1911s and Hi Powers I have owned over the years. The frame to slide fit is fine and I suspect if someone made a snugger match grade barrel bushing for it, it would shoot tighter groups.



The pistol is all steel and weighs 38.25 oz fully loaded (8+1), so it's not a lightweight to carry but that weight makes it very comfortable and controllable to shoot.

The trigger on it feels very good. Unlike a 1911, it pivots from the top, but after some slight initial take up the pull is very short, very crisp and breaks at 6 pounds with no creep.  I tested it several times as it doesn't feel that heavy and you'd swear the scale was wrong. The trigger has a very short 1911 like re-set and it is capable of producing excellent double taps and controlled pairs. It's a fun pistol to shoot.

There is no grip safety on the pistol despite the 1911 lines, but the manual safety is very positive, and doesn't just block the sear, but also lifts the hammer off the sear.  I'd have no qualms carrying it in Condition 1, given that the manual safety is much more positive than the average Browning Hi Power.

Star is reported to have used two different types of firing pins on the BM, one that is full length from hammer to primer and a shorter inertial firing pin.   I’ve also had folks swear they all had inertial firing pins.  That’s not the case with either of my Star BM pistols.  One was made in 1977 and the other in 1979, so both are pre-1981 ‘early’ models and it might be the case that the inertial firing pins became standard on the later pistols.  It’s easy the check, as if you can see the front of the firing pin protruding from the face of the slide when you have pressed the back of the pin flush with the rear of the slide, it’s not an inertial pin.  I’m interested in hearing what people have on their pistols and their serial number range.  
The sights on the pistol are typical mid 1970s semi auto pistol sights - large enough to be easy to acquire and use for combat type shooting, but not quite as large as current practice today.  They are comparable to what you'd find on a 1911 or Browning Hi Power from the same era.

The target above was shot using a 6 o'clock hold, and consequently it is shooting 2" high at 10 yards, and 5" high at 25 yards.  At 50 yards it is 8" high.  I crunched the numbers and with the 124 gr XTP at 1,100 fps, it would be a maximum of 10" high at 80 yards before coming back down to 9" at 100 yards and finally zeroing at 150 yards.  The good news here is that you don't have to worry about covering the target with the front blade, and at practical self defense ranges it won't matter.  In fact, if you hold center of mass on a torso sized target, hitting 2"-5" higher is better anyway.

There have been some reports of cracked slides in the corner of the slide stop cut.  The four I have seen personally all had a hole drilled there to provide a radius to prevent a crack from forming.  With that preventative measure, I think it's a non issue.

There are some things I don't like about it however.  The grip is very familiar to anyone with 1911 experience, but at the same time feels different as the front and back straps are slightly rounder, with almost no flat between the curve and the start of the grip panel. As a result, the pistol doesn't index in the hand quite as well as a 1911. The factory grips are checkered plastic, and I get the impression they were comparatively smooth when new.  Mine are even smoother due to carry wear, which aggravates the indexing issue.

On the plus side the rounded grip and in particular the rounded heel on the butt make if much more comfortable to carry IWB than a 1911.  Kimber charges big bucks for a rounded butt on their 1911 that is standard on the Star BM.
I ordered a set of unfinished walnut grips off E-bay and they arrived in just a couple days.  Three coats of Tru-oil and 5 hours after they arrived both grip panels looked great.  A trip to the range confirmed that they significantly improved the controllability of the pistol.

You may have noted I referenced owing another Star BM above. I traded off a truly horrible S&W Bodyguard for store credit and said "why not" and used it to get another Star BM.  I got the pick of the litter with this one and it cleaned up really well and since it was detail stripped for cleaning when the grip arrived it got the new walnut grips.   I then ordered a second set of grips for the other Star BM as well, but I don’t have any pictures of the second set yet.   Both grips required minimal fitting, but in different areas on the right grip panel.  One needed a bit of wood removed to clear the safety, while the other needed an equally small amount of wood removed to clear the slide release lever.  This suggests the upper hole position might vary a bit side to side.




This 'new' Star BM was made in 1977 with a serial number in the 1,435,9xx range.   You'll note the purple area where the frame was spot annealed and then drilled to prevent any cracking.   My other Star BM, made in 1979 with a serial number in the 1,508,5xx range seems to have had this done at the factory.   Consequently it appears Star made a change somewhere between these two pistols. A member on another forum says all of them had the hole as standard, but I’m still not convinced.  There is a definite qualitative difference in the hole, and I don’t know why one would go plum purple in that area and not the other.  That type of plum usually effects the whole part as it’s both the bluing temp and the chromium composition of the metal.  I’m still leaning toward spot annealing on this one, and again I’m interested in other people’s pistols and serial number ranges.

This second pistol has a trigger pull that is about ½ pound heavier, but it groups about 3/8” tighter on average, and it had a couple of ragged 1 hole groups (if you discount a single flier in those groups).  External condition was the same, but the internal surfaces showed even less wear (note the bluing on the barrel).  This pistol also had a single stove pipe in about 150 rounds and it’ll get a new recoil spring as well.

The bottom line however is that the Star BM is a well made, very reliable and acceptably accurate pistol that is very enjoyable to shoot.  It's also well suited to being safely carried with none of the oddities you find on some other low cost surplus pistols.  And it's chambered in 9mm Para. That is saying a lot for a $250 pistol.

For full disclosure purposes I have to say this is one of the pistols I looked down on in my young and stupid years.  I was a Colt snob and put it in the same “cheap import’ category as the Ballistar Molina, etc, and I was also a .45 ACP snob so I ignored it even more as it was a 9mm Para pistol.  40 years of experience has made me re-assess a few things, and the Star BM is one of those things that I’ve had to put on the “sorry I misjudged you” list.

I appreciate your review.  I have a Star BM as well and aside from it not having a lefty-friendly safety I'm pretty happy about it.  I did the same magazine safety removal the first afternoon I had it as well.

I've had a couple of these for going on 10 years, purchased the last time they were imported by CAI.

One has been a reliable range blaster, the other sitting in my truck in another city as a last-ditch defense.  Big fan of 'em, and glad they're getting more widely sold and used recently.  Well worth the cheap price.

The only problem has been availability and cost of magazines...and I've been using this latest batch of imports as an opportunity to buy more magazines.

I just purchased one and now I’m just waiting for it to ship.  All of my guns are polymer striker fired with the exception of the Sig P938 I bought my wife.  I don’t know for sure, but seems the BM’s trigger resembles the P938’s an awful lot, at least in function.

I just sold mine on gunboards forum.  It is a neat gun in it's own way I suppose, but something about it just didn't suit me.  I'd never carry a gun that heavy and it is too compact to be a great target gun, so I sold it.  Oh well.

I received my Star BM and I really like it.  The thing was pretty dirty and still is after quite a bit of cleaning.  I’m convinced the Spaniard’s are trained to not clean their guns.  I’m thinking about trying a DIY parkerizing on it, any reason not too?

I have one too and am very impressed with it. I'll probably pick up another.


Note the high serial number, and the trigger guard has 92 on the side. Some have the NATO stamp, some don't. I wonder why... I have a standard power wolff spring on the way. It's quickly one of my favorite handguns, it is balanced, easy to shoot, not overly big but just the right size. It's also smooth to cycle and a blast to shoot. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.

Post how hard it was to disassemble the RSA and install the Wolff

It was a very simple swap on two out of three of mine.

Just put the round end in a padded vice, compress the spring a bit and screw off the big end.

Re-assembly is the same, but in reverse.

The third one was a challenge as some well meaning idiot used red loctite on the threads. That one took some work to get loose and then clean Loctite off the threads.

Mine is a 77 date, serial number in the range 1,432,9xx range. It has the full length firing pin. I'll probably install a new recoil spring before too long. It came with two mags, one with a rounded follower and two slots cut in the side of the mag, and the other with a follower that is flat and looks more 1911 follower and three short slots cut in the side of the mag. Interestingly enough, the mag with the flat follower is an extremely tight fit in my gun, it works, but regardless if the magazine safety is in the gun or not it has to be pulled out of the gun with some effort. Has anyone else experienced this with their gun? Also, what holsters have you used to carry it? I'm looking for something IWB and prefer leather.

Yep, that's exactly like the one I have that has to be pried out of the gun. It works fine, I have had zero issues with it other than that. Good to know it's not a factory mag, thanks.

Went AIM to pick up my Zastava 70 and walked out with a Star too. Hopefully I'll get to try it out this weekend.

I picked up a Super B a couple years ago and really enjoy it.   It needed a new recoil spring and was missing the detent under the safety. I need a new set of grip screws if anyone has a dealer.

After months of telling myself that I didn't need the BM nor do I need to start a Star collection, I broke down and ordered the BM.  Spent the extra $50 to get a nice one.

I'll pick it up on Sat.

Now I need a Model B but those look much harder to find.

Just picked up.  Looks brand new. Attached File

Any way to put a left handed safety on these?

Ordered one from J&G today.

Arrived today.  Decent shape.  1977.  A good cleaning and some oxpho blue should clean up nicely.

Thanks for posting.  I'm on the fence after seeing these on their site just today.  I'm hoping to get one in good condition, but seems like it a roll of the dice.  Unless I pay their added fee, but still no guarantee.

Mine wasn't a hand pick or anything special.  Clearly used but overall in good condition.  Mostly cosmetic stuff and the cleaning took care of most of that.

Both of mine had the rounded follower.

Just got one.  Mine came from J&G's "good" condition stock.  Had some rust and pitting along the inside edges of the stocks and in a few other small spots, and a tiny bit in the bore near the muzzle.  Significant finish wear beyond the usual holster wear you see on surplus pistols, but not terrible or anything like that.  Something at some point impact the top of the front sight, so it's a bit shorter on one side than the other when viewed from the rear.  Aside from the little bit of pitting near the muzzle, the bore is otherwise in great shape (was quite dirty, though, but nothing a cleaning job couldn't fix).  Looks like it has been reblued at some point in its life.  Aside from the barrel, and some sand or something in the slide that worked loose after intial firing, it was pretty clean internally.  1979 production.  Magazines that came with the gun look like they hardly were used and appear to be legit factory mags with the rounded follower.

While cosmetically not in great shape (I'd consider it fair rather than good, but that's what I expect from Century these days; generally, I assume condition is a grade or two lower than what is stated, and that seems to hold true most of the time), mechanically it is quite nice.  Slide to frame fit is excellent, with no movement at all (up or down or side to side).  Shoots reasonably precisely, albeit rather high.  Trigger has minimal creep, so little that is imperceptible by feel; you have to actually look at the trigger very closely to detect it.  Weight is somewhere between 5 and 6 lbs, IMO.  Despite being a bit smaller than the typical higher-visibility sights, the sights are easy to pick up.  No stoppages while firing a few magazines of Winchester WB 124 grain FMJ ammo through it, although with one of the two magazines that came with the gun would not always lock the slide back.  Disassembly shows that it is clean internally, so I'm not sure if it is a weak magazine spring or something else.

Despite not paying any extra for hand-picking or accessories (I don't think J&G has an option to pay for a box and/or manual, but other vendors do), it came with the green plastic box, cleaning rod, and manual in addition to the gun and two magazines.

Still need to run my HSTs through it and also see if I like the trajectory with 147-grain rounds better.  While the external condition could be better, I think it's still a great price for a handgun of this type ($200).  I'm fairly pleased with my purchase.

Mine wont feed the first 147 gr about 95% of the time.  It will normally feed the rest in the mag.

124 and 115 fmj have been my only really reliable loads.  I think that the old style, Federal 9BP load is going to work.  I have fired 100 of them with no issues.

I’ve got two mags w/round followers and two flat.
The original mags run all 147 gr. just fine but some 147 gr. will bind in the aftermarket mags.
Great pistol, hard to beat for the price.