It's chonky, it's heavy, it's outdated, and it's fun - holsters located for the Star 30M! (Page 2 of 2)
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There's no casting line on the backstrap - that is a removable fire control group. If it loooked like a crack down each side of the vertical grooves...it's supposed to look like that, as that section is removeable. I got my holster in today, will be trying it out tomorrow!  
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Not what I was expecting. I was expecting....  Gallagher - Sledge-O-Matic (The Maddest) |
Been called many things: Asshole, hey you, Boats and a few others. The one I cherish is when a Marine called me "Doc"
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I shot it again today, 10 inch circle steel at 25 yards. Two hand standing with my favorite cast bullet load, kept 9 out of 10 on the steel. No bobble, wobbles or wet farts. Also carried it all day in this Castle Concealment holster - it doesn't feel like I am carrying a honking big slab o' steel. A good holster and a good belt, (Crossbreed gunbelt), really make the difference. I broke weak AGAIN and ordered a spare original mag.  |
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Originally Posted By M4Michael: It is indeed the year of manufacture. OK. I read somewhere it wasn't. that there is a date code that Star put on, perhaps it was added by CAI when they imported it. Nice to know. http://star-firearms.com/firearms/proof.shtml |
So, they got me again. Spare mags for this are not cheap...but I did it.  If you use the Blackhawk Double Stack Double Mag case...you have to crank the tension down beyond its design limit to make it tight enough for these things. But it's ready to go as a carry pistol. While I was testing the new magazine out, (fill it full twice plus 5), I chased a plastic water bottle all over the range, and it wasn't until I was done that I realized I was still hitting that thing at 50 yards. Not every time, to be sure, but often enough that I was impressed. Not with me - I suck, but with the pistol. If I can do that, imagine what a really good shot could do...  Do they still sell Don Johnson jackets...asking for a friend... |
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@armoredman If you get a white blazer, tapered slacks and a turquoise t-shirt you'd be in business. That would really scream for a shoulder rig though. PS.. Anyone else's mags serial numbered to the gun? One of the mags that came with mine is and the other has no markings at all. Odd. |
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Originally Posted By VTD: @armoredman If you get a white blazer, tapered slacks and a turquoise t-shirt you'd be in business. That would really scream for a shoulder rig though. PS.. Anyone else's mags serial numbered to the gun? One of the mags that came with mine is and the other has no markings at all. Odd. Great idea - off to Goodwill! Wait...I need boat shoes with no socks, too...and my cankles are ugly... As for shoulder rigs, the original Jackass Leather Miami Classic will fit a wide variety of sidearms - I used one with an EAA Witness back in the day. Serialized, yes, the two mags that came with mine were both serialized to the gun - it was listed as a selling point by J&G Sales. The spare i bought had no serial number on it. Edit to add, that double mag pouch from Blackhawk plain sucks. It has been laced into storage, pulled out a VERY old Uncle Mikes rig that had about an inch of dust on it, perfect fit. |
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Out of stock, but thank you for looking. I have my three. I'll carry it once in a while when I feel like going back to the 80s, but probably not that often. Now, if you'll excuse me, Crockett and Tubbs need me to come down to the marina.  Miami Vice Closing Credits (October 18, 1985) |
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Originally Posted By T1NMAN: I think AIM has a few spare mags at the moment . They had spare mags for sale. And for $50 each, a great price. Anyway, I just picked up my Star 30M today since I was out of town until this morning. No pics yet, but I got a nice one from Centerfire with two serial number matching mags and the patch. My 30M has no rust or pitting, just some mild finish wear. First thing I did was remove the mag safety. I'll be buying some Mec-Gar S&W 17-rounders for mine soon. I'm looking for an original owner's manual too, if you guys have any laying around that you'd like to sell. It appears some people have luck with the slide locking open on the last mag with the S&W mags, while others don't. Anyone have any idea what the difference is? OEM S&W mags? Mec-Gar 15 vs 17rd? |
USAF-retired, GOA, FPC
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Originally Posted By CarlosC: They had spare mags for sale. And for $50 each, a great price. Anyway, I just picked up my Star 30M today since I was out of town until this morning. No pics yet, but I got a nice one from Centerfire with two serial number matching mags and the patch. My 30M has no rust or pitting, just some mild finish wear. First thing I did was remove the mag safety. I'll be buying some Mec-Gar S&W 17-rounders for mine soon. I'm looking for an original owner's manual too, if you guys have any laying around that you'd like to sell. It appears some people have luck with the slide locking open on the last mag with the S&W mags, while others don't. Anyone have any idea what the difference is? OEM S&W mags? Mec-Gar 15 vs 17rd? There is a fix posted on page two of this thread that looks to work although I haven't tried it yet. My mec-gar mags definitely do not hold the slide back. https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/My-transformation-into-fudd-continues-surplus-Star-30M/5-2839775/?page=1 |
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My replacement from Atlantic showed up. Excellent shape with minimal wear. It lacks the GC and the presumed date stamp on the trigger guard that my other one has. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By VTD: The star magazines have a solid shelf across the front of the follower, the edge of which engages the slide stop. The S&W/mec-gar follower has a cutout there so it won't push the catch upwards when the mag is empty. There is a fix posted on page two of this thread that looks to work although I haven't tried it yet. My mec-gar mags definitely do not hold the slide back. https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/My-transformation-into-fudd-continues-surplus-Star-30M/5-2839775/?page=1 Yeah, I had followed that post and saw the fix with the bolt. It has worked so far but I don't like the way it looks. I also wonder if it will weaken the drilled area over time and crack. However, I had read elsewhere (if only I could find links) that others had no problem with their slides locking back without the fix. Thinking about the mechanics of the shelf design and the slide stop design though, I seems impossible for a S&W type to hold open the slide without being modified, as some guys have already concluded. I'm going to try out a few things myself and see if any of them work: 1. I have a bunch of different 9mm pistols so I'm going to try to fit followers from those guns into the Mec-Gar mag bodies and see if they work. 2. Super gluing plastic inserts onto the followers and shaping them accordingly 3. Building up the shelf with JBWeld or some sort of epoxy. When I worked on F-15s, we had an epoxy that was used to glue the pre-load pads onto the wings for the wing tank ejectors. That glue was so hard, it had to be removed with a grinder to install a new pad. I wish I had acquired a small sample of that to build up a shelf or could find it commercially today. The only thing that comes to mind is Double-Bubble, but I don't think that was it...it was something else that required an activator to set. |
USAF-retired, GOA, FPC
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Originally Posted By CarlosC: Yeah, I had followed that post and saw the fix with the bolt. It has worked so far but I don't like the way it looks. I also wonder if it will weaken the drilled area over time and crack. However, I had read elsewhere (if only I could find links) that others had no problem with their slides locking back without the fix. Thinking about the mechanics of the shelf design and the slide stop design though, I seems impossible for a S&W type to hold open the slide without being modified, as some guys have already concluded. I'm going to try out a few things myself and see if any of them work: 1. I have a bunch of different 9mm pistols so I'm going to try to fit followers from those guns into the Mec-Gar mag bodies and see if they work. 2. Super gluing plastic inserts onto the followers and shaping them accordingly 3. Building up the shelf with JBWeld or some sort of epoxy. When I worked on F-15s, we had an epoxy that was used to glue the pre-load pads onto the wings for the wing tank ejectors. That glue was so hard, it had to be removed with a grinder to install a new pad. I wish I had acquired a small sample of that to build up a shelf or could find it commercially today. The only thing that comes to mind is Double-Bubble, but I don't think that was it...it was something else that required an activator to set. I agree with you. Based on the follower I don't see how any s&w follower could engage the slide stop. |
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Originally Posted By ken_mays: Seems like 3d printed followers might be a possible solution if I could find a S&W follower STL it would be super easy to modify it and extend the shelf. |
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The polymer two-legged HiPower 9mm (13rd) follower works perfectly to feed ammo and lock the slide using the Star spring. In fact, other than having two legs for the spring, the BHP follower is nearly identical to the Star follower and even has a "shelf". Take this discovery with caution though because I only tried hand cycling a couple of mags of live 9mm and snap caps; I did not fire any of the live ammo. Unfortunately, those BHP 13 round followers are impossible to find if this turns out to be a good option. I contacted a company in the UK who does sell these followers (how odd) to see if they send me a few, so I'll let you guys know what they say. I don't have any of the first BHP metal followers with the tab like the Star followers, but I feel they'd work too. I tried the followers from 15 round BHP Mec-Gars and they did not work because the follower design is a cup vs the BHP follower with legs. This means the Star mag spring won't fit inside the cup. They probably could with some bending but I'm not sacrificing any. I also tried the Mec-Gar follower and spring combo in the Star tube and that didn't work either because the Mec-Gar spring is too wide and won't fit in the Star tube. There's a newer BHP design that has four legs, but I don't have any of those to try out. I thought the CZ would work but the follower didn't fit correctly. Neither the mil nor the civilian mag followers. The closest other follower that could work is from -believe it or not- the Taurus G3. It fed fine but wouldn't lock the slide reliably. It's very close to locking the slide but it's maybe two millimeters short. This could be fixed by slightly filing the follower so it ends up higher in the mag but I don't have spares to test with. All this is based on using Star mags so I don't know if I'd get the same results using Mec-Gar or S&W mag tubes. |
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Originally Posted By CarlosC: Yeah, I had followed that post and saw the fix with the bolt. It has worked so far but I don't like the way it looks. I also wonder if it will weaken the drilled area over time and crack. However, I had read elsewhere (if only I could find links) that others had no problem with their slides locking back without the fix. Thinking about the mechanics of the shelf design and the slide stop design though, I seems impossible for a S&W type to hold open the slide without being modified, as some guys have already concluded. I'm going to try out a few things myself and see if any of them work: 1. I have a bunch of different 9mm pistols so I'm going to try to fit followers from those guns into the Mec-Gar mag bodies and see if they work. 2. Super gluing plastic inserts onto the followers and shaping them accordingly 3. Building up the shelf with JBWeld or some sort of epoxy. When I worked on F-15s, we had an epoxy that was used to glue the pre-load pads onto the wings for the wing tank ejectors. That glue was so hard, it had to be removed with a grinder to install a new pad. I wish I had acquired a small sample of that to build up a shelf or could find it commercially today. The only thing that comes to mind is Double-Bubble, but I don't think that was it...it was something else that required an activator to set. Try Sugru; I know a guy who modifies every pistol grip with that stuff and swears by it. |
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Originally Posted By VTD: Yeah. There was a YouTube video of a guy that said he competed with his and was using s&w mags exclusively. I agree with you. Based on the follower I don't see how any s&w follower could engage the slide stop. After that "magazine test" where I was chasing and hitting a 12 ounce water bottle at 50 yards, I can see why they would be used in some competitions. Low recoil and wicked accurate. |
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If anyone is interested in some somewhat ill fitting aftermarket grips that require substantial filing to fit, you can find these brown or green krylon'd things on eBay. Some actual wood grips would be pretty cool on one of these. Attached File |
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And while my Kydex rig is perfectly functional, I wanted a leather holster, because leather and steel go together like the 80s and big hair. But...nobody makes one! I don't want to spend more on a custom rig that I paid for the gun. But on the contrary, my friend, someone DOES make leather. https://urbancarryholsters.com/?shop_consented_scopes=email%3Averified+openid+pay%3Asession_token+profile+shop%3Aaccount_uuid&shop_sign_in=true Click on Select Manufacturer, then on the bottom of that short list click Select All Makes...that list is gonna floor you, They shipped the day after I ordered it, and it showed up two days faster than they said. I'm good with that. Comes in a nice bag that is at least as useful as all those Crown Royal bags you have left over from the 90s. Attached File It's not flashy or high polished, (it's a CCW rig, who needs flashy or glossy?), but it seems to be built quite well, and semi boned, assuming so it can fit a number of sidearms.  And...it fits. I mean perfectly.  Only thing I have to do is break in the belt loops. The LockLeather doodad is what allows them to fit a bunch of different guns, but they aren't kidding that it does that, it really does feel like it was designed for that gun. Nifty! |
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Finally got Da Boy out to shoot it. He liked it, said it wasn't trying to fight him. We didn't stay long - 94 degrees and 45% humidity was enough to drown these desert rats in sweat. I shot it as well, and realized once again - I REALLY like this pistol! Attached File Attached File When he started shooting I activated my Spotify and played the Miami Vice theme song...and he just looked at me, "What the hell are you doing?" Uh, mood music?  And I checked - the Star 30M WAS in Miami Vice...so neener... |
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Originally Posted By ken_mays: Get 2, use one as a parts donor. I got two to replace the one I foolishly traded off years ago. I also have a 30PK one the way. And for those of you who aren’t aware, if you remove the mag safety you can use 59 series S&W mags: 15 round only, 17s geometry is off for some reason. |
“That’s not how it works. You buy more tools and power than you need and as you fuck everything up you gain the knowledge to become a better carpenter.”
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Originally Posted By dump1567: Anyone try the Mec-Gar 15 round S&W 5900 series mags with theirs to see if they work. I heard they will, but you might have to remove the Mag Disconnect first. I ordered a few and will report back. $20 a mag for a range gun sure beats $70+. I can confirm the 15 round S&W mags work. Mec-Gar 15s fit and lock back but I have not fired with one. |
“That’s not how it works. You buy more tools and power than you need and as you fuck everything up you gain the knowledge to become a better carpenter.”
Tveddy
Tveddy
| And tomorrow we will test another theory...that the Star Model 28 magazines work. They are cheaper than the 30 magazines. Got one in from Numrich, and spent some time de-gunking it, listed as "new", but had greasy gunk to get rid of. If this works I will grab a couple more for range mags and one more pistol for a parts gun. Then I can keep shooting this tank until I take the dirt nap. |
So...I did it. Lets start from start - Numrich calls this "new"... Yes, that's cheaper than Star 30M magazines...but there are a few differences. Most notably, base plate. The 28 is on the right, 30M on the left.  The follower is very different. 28 black in the back, silver in front is the 30M.  The 30M mag sits closer to flush,  The 28 sticks out a tiny bit more.  At the range.  The magazine was fully loaded every time. First was a training defensive handload.  I then experienced my very first jam with this gun - failure to go into battery, about halfway through the mag. Training took over and I cleared it before I remembered to take a picture of it. This was the only jam, and it cleared very easily. It also reminded me that I hadn't cleaned it in a while, and as much as I like this pistol, it IS a 42 year old military surplus pistol, and this grand old lady has already been there, done that. I tried the same load with nickel plated brass, then a magazine of my cast bullet training ammo. Everything fit and fed but I could feel the slide dragging a bit, going slower. I put that down to being dirty, perhaps, but everything worked. So, the Star 28 mag is promoted to range mag. I will probably get another one. |
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Well, my experience withe 28M mags was very different and I haven't had a single failure now approaching 500 rounds (I've lost track), so YMMV. Keep in mind some failures noted above seem to point to a weak recoil spring. So, where do you get a replacement spring for a 30M? It is my understanding 16lb Beretta 92 springs will work. I haven't tried it yet, so if any of you want to do a $10 experiment before I give it a shot, please let the rest of us know. Do any of you have an extra, printed, original Star 30M owners manual you'd like to get rid of? I've been searching for a long time and haven't found one yet, except in Spanish and only in overseas auctions. Well, do I have a deal for you...out of frustration, I downloaded a pdf version in Spanish (that's my native language) and translated the whole manual to English (proper translation, not literal) and I'm offering it to you guys as a pdf for free - just need your email - and you can print it at home on nice paper. I have the printer settings adapted so if you fold the pages in half and staple them, you wind up with a booklet and all the pages are in order. Just note I kept the specifications in their original metric formats, but you can change them to standard, if you want. To do that, I can send you the Word version I created, then you edit and print. |
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| I got a 30PK from Atlantic recently. Alloy frame and short barrel so a little less “chonkey and heavy”. Uses same mags |
“That’s not how it works. You buy more tools and power than you need and as you fuck everything up you gain the knowledge to become a better carpenter.”
Tveddy
Tveddy
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Originally Posted By CarlosC: Well, my experience withe 28M mags was very different and I haven't had a single failure now approaching 500 rounds (I've lost track), so YMMV. Keep in mind some failures noted above seem to point to a weak recoil spring. So, where do you get a replacement spring for a 30M? It is my understanding 16lb Beretta 92 springs will work. I haven't tried it yet, so if any of you want to do a $10 experiment before I give it a shot, please let the rest of us know. Do any of you have an extra, printed, original Star 30M owners manual you'd like to get rid of? I've been searching for a long time and haven't found one yet, except in Spanish and only in overseas auctions. Well, do I have a deal for you...out of frustration, I downloaded a pdf version in Spanish (that's my native language) and translated the whole manual to English (proper translation, not literal) and I'm offering it to you guys as a pdf for free - just need your email - and you can print it at home on nice paper. I have the printer settings adapted so if you fold the pages in half and staple them, you wind up with a booklet and all the pages are in order. Just note I kept the specifications in their original metric formats, but you can change them to standard, if you want. To do that, I can send you the Word version I created, then you edit and print. That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your efforts! |
https://www.guntechtips.com
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Originally Posted By CarlosC: Well, my experience withe 28M mags was very different and I haven't had a single failure now approaching 500 rounds (I've lost track), so YMMV. Keep in mind some failures noted above seem to point to a weak recoil spring. So, where do you get a replacement spring for a 30M? It is my understanding 16lb Beretta 92 springs will work. I haven't tried it yet, so if any of you want to do a $10 experiment before I give it a shot, please let the rest of us know. Do any of you have an extra, printed, original Star 30M owners manual you'd like to get rid of? I've been searching for a long time and haven't found one yet, except in Spanish and only in overseas auctions. Well, do I have a deal for you...out of frustration, I downloaded a pdf version in Spanish (that's my native language) and translated the whole manual to English (proper translation, not literal) and I'm offering it to you guys as a pdf for free - just need your email - and you can print it at home on nice paper. I have the printer settings adapted so if you fold the pages in half and staple them, you wind up with a booklet and all the pages are in order. Just note I kept the specifications in their original metric formats, but you can change them to standard, if you want. To do that, I can send you the Word version I created, then you edit and print. Gracias, senor. |
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 My 30PK. Cosmetically it’s a little rough but mechanically seems In excellent shape. I suspect it was carried a lot and seldom fired. It has not been to the range yet so I can’t conform functionality but have never had an issue with these pistols. It still has the mag safety so I can’t confirm in S&W 5900 15 round mags work but don’t see why they wouldn’t. |
“That’s not how it works. You buy more tools and power than you need and as you fuck everything up you gain the knowledge to become a better carpenter.”
Tveddy
Tveddy
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So I completed a pilgrimage and visited J&G Sales in Prescott personally. It is a very modest store front, since most of their sales are on line, but NICE people. I picked up two more 30M magazines for a total of 5 now, cheaper without all that shipping/handling stiff. I test fired them today, and perfect functioning, gun is still wicked accurate and reliable. The guys in the store thought it odd I did the ohh, weeh, oh weeh moment...just kidding. My wife was mortified. Payday I am getting another one of these pistols. The literally ONLY downside to this pistol is the DA first shot, need more practice, pulls slightly to the right, as is expected, especially for someone who has shot nothing but striker fired autos for the last 20 years. It fits me like a Spanish gauntlet. After watching what the modern Guardia Civil is doing to their own civilians in Spanish Ceurta, I am glad the guns I can get aren't there for them to use against their own people. If you can, and you like 80s guns...get one, they will never be this cheap again. Look to the Star BM for example. |
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You guys cost me money. She's, cheap, well-built and heavy. My Beretta 92 leather holsters fit her perfect. I'll try the 5900 series S&W magazines this weekend. I should buy another one. EDIT 14SEP26: Mec-Gar 5900 series magazines work in the Star 30M after you take the magazine disconnector out. No issues other than the slide does not lock back. Did not accuracy check but she dings steel plates great! Attached File |
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Originally Posted By armoredman: And it really didn't cost much. I handled a Star Model 30M about 40 years ago, when they were everywhere, and really liked the feel of it. But, alas, I was broke, and would remain that way most of my adult life - poor life choices, or poor wife choice, whichever you want. I started getting those ads from J&G and a few others in the email, and I saw Star 30Ms were back on the menu, and not very expensive at all. But...I had moved on. Am collecting cowboy guns for my SASS journey, and that is NOT cheap, ($1100 for a used 1873 Winchester clone), parts are non-existent, magazines are expensive so, yeah, probably not going to get all nostalgic...right? All of a sudden I am hearing 80s action TV show theme songs playing. Uh oh. Ah, who am I kidding. https://i.imgur.com/fcnrqio.jpg Shoots decent. https://i.imgur.com/YUkeZEm.jpg I am NOT a high speed/low drag pistolero, but this seems acceptable. The taped-over holes were the first ever rounds through it. https://i.imgur.com/drRdASM.jpg I ran about 75 rounds through it, (ran out of time), and it ate every weird load I had without issue. That frame is perfectly fat so to drop the mag all I go is hit it with my shooting middle finger around the front of the grip. The wear on it inside and out looks like something someone put a few hundred rounds through and then stashed away. Came with the box, really dated cleaning "kit", and extra magazine. Since I have been carrying a striker fired gun for the last 9 years, getting used to what Col. Cooper called the "crunchen tick" was fun, threw that DA first shot off to the right a little almost every time. Sure, it's old, its heavy, it has a smaller magazine than guns its size today, but it's fun. Heck, if I splurge wildly for a few more magazines, I might even carry it...IF I could find anyone who makes a good holster for one. Anyone else hear the Miami Vice theme song? LMAO I feel your pain.Once upon a time DA/SA was the way to go until Glock came along. Prolly like everyone else, once I discovered "those", I switched and never looked back. I too suffer from the nostalgia bug...I also remember how Col Cooper felt about anything other than 1911's.....LOL. Can't say I wasn't warned, this was about oh, mid 90's. Our group was taking a break at what used to be the lunch pavilion, the Col came riding up on his three-wheeler, giving me the stink-eye. LOL. Yeah. I was wearing a Glock. LOL Little gunshop in Peoria that seems to attract these oddballs. They're like chicklets...can't have just one. Last one I picked up was a Ruger P85 in the box. Found I still had a couple mags for it squirreled away for it. Brought back memories. You need a shoulder holster for that thing. I know a guy.....LOL |
