DK Firearms

Star BM 9mm rebuild.

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  • ROGER4314

    Been Called "Flash" Since I Was A Kid!
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    I owned a BM pistol years ago and foolishly swapped it off. They are well made and reliable. Magazines were hard to find. If you locate some mags, pounce on them!

    Flash
    Texas SOT
     

    RedArmy

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    Hmmm. I went from a civil Officer doing field work with a federal LE TLA to (roughly, over time) a Unix sysadmin job.

    The former job required, in the worst cases, that I go into the crack house, unarmed, no backup, while no one knows my location with any more specificity than one of the multiple zip codes I was assigned, then interview someone in there and convince them to do things they didn't want to do.

    The second job required me to stare at computer screens.

    I'll take the computers.

    Luckily, I had a few other employment stops along the way to keep things interesting but those are tales for another time.


    I can see your point of view, I've been watching a lot of law enforcement documentaries lately, I wished I had tried it before going on to more mundane jobs. I started out doing machine work before moving on to the IT field.
     

    RedArmy

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    I owned a BM pistol years ago and foolishly swapped it off. They are well made and reliable. Magazines were hard to find. If you locate some mags, pounce on them!

    Flash
    Yeah, I was too slow on the magazines so now I'm forced to pay for overpriced originals. They seem to be sold out everywhere I look. Hopefully the aftermarket will come along and provide us with some quality replacements.
     

    RedArmy

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    Getting ready to blue, I'm finally satisfied with the slide. It's probably nicer now than when it was made.

    It looks like they had dull bits or the machine was chattering when they cut the grooves on top of the slide.
    1l6jqM0.jpg


    I took my Passche media blaster and sprayed aluminum oxide in the grooves to smooth them out.
    pK5R1Rk.jpg


    I also blasted the slide grip grooves to remove the bluing and then smoothed them out.
    itiIHss.jpg


    IHvDrBj.jpg
     

    satx78247

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    Red Army,

    NIFTY LOOKING & NICE WORK.

    Fwiw, "a little bird told me" at a large vendor that they are looking for a company to MAKE ambidextrous safeties for the STAR BM & STAR B pistols, as they have >2500 pieces currently with many more to come.
    (My informant, when asked if he had any notion of the retail price, said that the offshore company that they are working with will likely be as inexpensive as the aftermarket safeties for BHP & Colt-style GM pistols. = <50.oo each.)

    A Personal Note: I do NOT like "plastic pistols". Make mine (for this 72YO "old school guy") the "old-school" metal firearms & nothing but.
    (The ONLY "plastic" firearm that I have found, over time, to be acceptable was the old Nylon rifle in .22LR by Remington.)

    yours, satx
     

    RedArmy

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    Red Army,

    NIFTY LOOKING & NICE WORK.

    Fwiw, "a little bird told me" at a large vendor that they are looking for a company to MAKE ambidextrous safeties for the STAR BM & STAR B pistols, as they have >2500 pieces currently with many more to come.
    (My informant, when asked if he had any notion of the retail price, said that the offshore company that they are working with will likely be as inexpensive as the aftermarket safeties for BHP & Colt-style GM pistols. = <50.oo each.)

    A Personal Note: I do NOT like "plastic pistols". Make mine (for this 72YO "old school guy") the "old-school" metal firearms & nothing but.
    (The ONLY "plastic" firearm that I have found, over time, to be acceptable was the old Nylon rifle in .22LR by Remington.)

    yours, satx

    That's good to hear, I knew the aftermarket would eventually make start making parts for these pistols. I like all steel guns too, though I have to admit I love my M&P 2.0.
     

    RedArmy

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    OK, I tried cold bluing and a few other techniques I saw on YouTube and well, they all sucked, lol. I tried all of the techniques on two small parts and I just wasn't satisfied with the results. I'm going with hot bluing, I priced it at $200-$250 so my little project just got more expensive. I put too much work into this pistol to settle for mediocre refinishing, got to pay up. Anyway, I'll press on with the work beginning on the frame next, I'm also going to try my hand at making my own grips. Updates will continue.
     

    DD130

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    I got mine at my gun dealer in Hurst, Kentucky Windage. I'd imagine that your gun dealer could pick up one for you. Current prices are $236.00 for good condition and $281.00 for very good condition. I bought the very good condition option, the barrel looks like new inside, the frame, not so much.
    I grabbed one from Classic for $179 about a month ago. Same thing, those machine circles, mine is about the same condition. Shoots very nicely and is more accurate than me.

    STAR_B6_02.jpg I want to get one of the full-size versions. Now seeing this thread I want to get 1 or 2 more and start playing around with refurbishing. Great thread!!
     

    satx78247

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    DD130,

    WHEN & IF the aftermarket ambi-dexterous safeties become available, I'm buying a PAIR of the BM pistols, with extra mags, while there are GREAT condition ones available at classicfirearms.com = "Bart" tells me that they have some at a 20.oo handpick fee that LOOK as if they were never issued.

    The Spanish Guardia Civil bought NO junk.

    yours, satx
     
    Last edited:

    RedArmy

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    I grabbed one from Classic for $179 about a month ago. Same thing, those machine circles, mine is about the same condition. Shoots very nicely and is more accurate than me.

    View attachment 153202 I want to get one of the full-size versions. Now seeing this thread I want to get 1 or 2 more and start playing around with refurbishing. Great thread!!

    Thanks! I should have shared this before, to refinish I'm just using 3M automotive grade 400 grit sand paper. It takes a good while to sand, but 400 grit won't leave any scratches and enhances the grain. I follow up with a 3M 340 grit sanding sponge. I use micro-mesh super fine sanding cloths for polishing too. The 3M sanding sponge is what I use for brushed finishes on stainless steel. Amazingly, Walmart is the best source for 3M sandpaper.

    sSuBsgJ.jpg
     

    satx78247

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    RedArmy,

    How much material did you have to remove from the slide to obliterate the "billboard"??

    Btw, classicfirearms.com HAS extra magazines in stock at a reasonable price.

    yours, satx
     

    RedArmy

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    RedArmy,

    How much material did you have to remove from the slide to obliterate the "billboard"??

    Btw, classicfirearms.com HAS extra magazines in stock at a reasonable price.

    yours, satx

    You mean those milled out circles? It was only a 1mm if that, it took some time to sand though.
     

    RedArmy

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    Time to get the frame taken apart!

    You will need a 3/32 steel punch to drive out the trigger pin. I would suggest using a brass punch to tap it down flush first, then use your steel 3/32 punch to drive it out. Once the pin is out move the trigger reward and then out the right side of the frame. This is the only way to remove the trigger, it can't be removed from the top or the other side of the frame.
    UwyIxAz.jpg


    There is a spring inside the trigger that controls the trigger bar, I'm going to leave it be. It will receive a thorough cleaning and the trigger refinished. I see no wear whatsoever on any of the trigger components. Lots of sharp and rough edges inside the frame though.
    p2ozBPm.jpg


    This little bar resets the trigger, it simply slides out, it's made in a way that you can't install it incorrectly. Just push it down and you're done. The mag release button is like a 1911, push it all the way in and then take a small screwdriver and turn the camlock and it comes right out.
    aFzMOvw.jpg



    WARNING! We are now going to be dealing with the high powered hammer spring. Wear safety glasses, the hammer spring on any 1911 type pistol is very dangerous. It's even more dangerous on this pistol as there is no dedicated pin holding it in, it's held in place by the hammer pin. Put those safety glasses on!

    WARNING! To get started turn the safety counterclockwise, remove the small detent spring shown here.
    9rhUDSD.jpg


    WARNING! While pressing the hammer all the way back turn the safety counterclockwise, there is a key that will align so the safety can be removed.
    m11xWMA.jpg


    WARNING! This pin is holding the hammer and hammer spring in. I held a thick towel over the whole pistol and kept my hand over the hammer as is pushed out the pin. It's unnecessary to use a hammer on the pin, it just pushes out, be ready for it!
    SaEoIsR.jpg


    Boom! There it is, if you pushed out the pin without holding down the hammer, parts would shoot out everywhere. Reinstalling this will take great care.
    sLUxqDt.jpg


    I failed to show the sear being removed, you just drive out the pin and out it comes, it's at the top of the frame below the safety. This photo shows the sear spring, it simply slips out. NOTE: The silver pin that holds the sear spring is staked and can't be removed, this is why it's silver and the sear pin is blued. I tried to tap it out anyway without luck, just leave it be.
    5wEEwXm.jpg


    Here's the parts group, lot's of clean up to do. I forgot to show the magazine disconnect removal too, it's easy to remove and sits in the long slot to the rear. It has no function other than to stop the pistol from being fired without a mag, it also stops empty mags from falling free. I won't be reinstalling it. It can be removed without tearing the pistol down.
    9WcAFYu.jpg


    Remember the milled out circles? Me neither, they're gone for good.
    9ATru33.jpg


    Now to get started on the rest of the frame, lot's of work to do!
    vWQekIC.jpg
     
    Last edited:

    RedArmy

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    OK, it's nearly ready to go off for hot bluing. I've got the outside of the frame completed, the interior of the framed received a full deburr and polish, talk about sharp edges, you could literally cut yourself inside the frame. Just a hand full of parts to strip including the four mags I now have and it'll be ready.


    I removed all of the Spanish serial numbers, I left only my US serial and the gun manufacture date.
    hsf3HWI.jpg


    Every ding, nick and pit has been removed from the slide and frame. It took a lot of work to get it this straight. French walnut grips from grips4u.net . I found four shops that do hot bluing in the DFW area, all look expensive, I figure $250 to $300 depending on the finish chosen. I'll probably avoid high polish as I intend to carry and shoot this pistol a lot, high polish tend to scuff too easy.
    RTS7Ue6.jpg


    nQI4BRZ.jpg


    XYt6tuN.jpg


    mwRCM3Y.jpg


    8NZH2Lz.jpg


    All of these parts are finished, pins and screws blued with Brownells oxphoblue. Sight, firing pin and guide rod ready for hot bluing.
    7CvNqbj.jpg


    The trigger received a brushed finish.
    pQED1AX.jpg
     
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