Star BM 9mm rebuild.

[DD130]

That looks nothing like the gun I have! Getting me super motivated!!!

 

[Ozzman]

Excellent work!

 

[orbitup]

How did I miss this thread??

Great details and pictures on this. I'm sure this will be a valuable resource for others doing maintenance on these pistols. Well done.

 

[RedArmy]

Hot damn! That looks great, can’t wait to see that blued and back together.

That makes two of us! I can't wait to shoot it.

 

[RedArmy]

That looks nothing like the gun I have! Getting me super motivated!!!

Excellent, get started on yours, take your time with it and have fun.

 

[RedArmy]

Thanks again guys. I hope you will be inspired to start on your own projects.

 

[DD130]

I have a 92s as well that I got at the same time that needs TLC:




I was thinking about using the Oxpho stuff to re-blue after stripping the current bluing. It looks like you're familiar with it, and also sounds like it might NOT be the best thing to do for a full gun. Thoughts?

 

[Dad_Roman]

I was thinking about using the Oxpho stuff to re-blue after stripping the current bluing. It looks like you're familiar with it, and also sounds like it might NOT be the best thing to do for a full gun. Thoughts?

Its ok for home made.

Its just NOT hot bluing. No way to get there without puttin it in the tank.

 

[RedArmy]

What Dad_Roman said, it also doesn't hold up well over time like hot bluing. It's great for touch up and small parts like screws. On large parts that have been completely stripped to bare metal you are going to run into color consistency issues. Some areas will be dark while others will have a grey color. This is true of all cold bluing solutions. Hot bluing is the only way to get that factory look.

I want the finish shown here on my Ruger 22/45. The part above it is from my SKS that I cold blued about twenty plus years ago, it's held up fairly well but, note the color inconsistency and wear over time. This would not happen with hot bluing.

 

[Dad_Roman]

Have an old Stevens .22 from my Grandpa that reflects that same thing exactly. I had redone it myself with cold blu. Just doesnt compare in anyway to my Browning rifles.

 

[RedArmy]

I found that the hammer strut was close to failure. It had a really poor fit and was walking to the side of the hammer and being milled through. I found a similar problem with the barrel link which I replaced with the EGW tool steel link. Since no one makes a new hammer strut I decided to make my own heavy duty part from tool steel.

You can see where the hammer has cut into the strut here.

I made a new one from tool steel that should never fail. My part is thicker and even weighs more than the stock piece. I suspect that the stock strut is cast metal.

Stock strut on the left and new strut on the right. The new part is a perfect fit so there should be no more wear problems.

Blued and thrown on the finished pile. Sadly this is my last vacation day so I'll have to leave it here until next week.

 

[Dad_Roman]

Beautiful work so far dude.

 

[benenglish]

J&G has "Gunsmith Special" Star BMs on sale for $150. You have the skills to turn them into masterpieces.

I cannot express my admiration.

 

[RedArmy]

Thanks guys! I might pick up one of those gunsmith specials.

 

[GonzoLonzo]

That is really some good work there. Can't wait to see it looking better than new. I am almost tempted to buy one and try it out too.

 

[DD130]

Thanks guys! I might pick up one of those gunsmith specials.

I'm confident you have he skills to revive one. Tempted to get one myself at $150.

Is tool steel easy to come by and the 2nd question; how do you work with something that I'm going to assume is pretty hard?

 

[RedArmy]

Is tool steel easy to come by and the 2nd question; how do you work with something that I'm going to assume is pretty hard?

You can get tool steel and much more from e-Bay, even titanium. I always seem to be making stuff so I have lots of metal stock laying around. I used flat bar tool steel to make the hammer strut. I just traced around the stock part with a marker on the sheet and drilled it out on my drill press. I then used my cheap Harbor Freight belt sander to grind it into shape. I fine tuned the shape with a Dremel and then fine sanded the piece using sand paper and a sanding block for a final finish. A good set of machinist dial or LCD calipers to check fitment is mandatory for making your own parts. For making more complex pieces I will also use draftsman templates for hole sizing and shapes, it wasn't necessary for this simple piece though. All can be had on e-Bay. It would be nice to have a metal cutting band saw and a lathe and mill, those are not cheap tools though and I can't justify the expense for something I won't use all the time.

It's not as hard as you think to make simple parts like that hammer strut. Once you start messing with metal you'll see what I mean, you just have to get out there and try it. Wood is what I have trouble working with, I have major respect for cabinet makers. You don't want to see how my wood projects turn out, lol.

Tool steel
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...sacat=0&_odkw=tool+steel+sheet&LH_TitleDesc=0

Calipers
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Ca...epid=2254583809&hash=item4d7f63367e:rk:1:pf:0

 

[satx78247]

To All,

Presuming that classicfirearms.com DOES get someone to make ambidexterus safeties, MY pair of BM pistols will be refinished (al la CZ 75/86) with APPLIANCE EXPOXY PAINT. = That stuff, once cured, is DIFFICULT to remove with sandpaper.

Looks FINE to my eyes, too.

yours, satx

 

[DD130]

Classic has the BM9's on sale right now: https://www.classicfirearms.com/star-model-bm-9mm-8rd-original-box-manual/

 

[RedArmy]

This weekend I'm going to strip the mags and the remaining small parts and then give everything a once over. I see from one of my pictures that the slide needs a little work on the right side under the barrel lug where they didn't quite shape it enough. Once that's done I'll be taking it to McClelland gun shop in Dallas. At least that's the shop that impresses me the most, we'll see when I get there. In addition to the bluing I also want the hammer color case hardened like it originally was. I hope to have it dropped off on Monday.