Military Camp

Star BM 9mm rebuild.

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  • RedArmy

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    It looks amazing, but what is the total amount spent to get the pistol in this condition I have to know.

    I was going to post that, but had to run off get some other jobs done. So here's the total cost.

    This is total cost including pistol and three spare mags:

    Star BM pistol Very Good condition grade $235.00 with tax.
    Wolff recoil spring $7.89
    Wolff magazine springs X 4 $24.78
    Evolution Gun Works barrel link $14.99
    Jack First Extractor spring $6.00
    Jack First Firing pin spring $5.00
    Jack First Hammer Spring $6.00
    Jack First Barrel Link pin $5.50
    Original Star magazines picked up from e-Bay X 3 $138.00
    Wood checkered grips from grips4u $59.00
    Hot Bluing from McClelland Gun Shop $108.00

    Total cost $610.16


    Cost not including pistol and spare mags:

    Total cost $237.16

    If you already own the gun then $237.00 plus your own elbow grease and that's not too bad. A little more if you want to go all out like I did plus purchasing the gun. Was it worth it? For me, YES! I was entertained for about two months and I ended up with a fairly unique pistol, not to mention the knowledge gained. And yep, I'll be doing it again once I come across something that sparks my interest.
     
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    satx78247

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    Red Army,

    IF I can get a LH safety, I'll buy one of the 150.oo ones & refinish it with "slow set epoxy putty" & semigloss epoxy-based appliance paint. = Won't be "purty" like yours but I could use another "Cheap"/functional carry/PU 9mm pistol.

    About 175.oo total, less the cost of the safety, if available.

    Note: My EDC Sig-Sauer P225 is anything BUT "purty" but I TRUST IT to keep Darla/me safe from 2 and/or 4 footed predators.

    yours, satx
     

    RedArmy

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    That build sheet lacks a line item for the time you spent. At any reasonable hourly rate, I imagine the bottom line would be way higher.

    And people wonder why competent firearms restoration is so incredibly expensive...

    Yep, it would have been too great a cost for a pistol like this had I paid them to do it for me. The gun smith told me that a high polish job starts at $500.00. Yikes!
     

    RedArmy

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    Well she has proven her worth. It ate everything I threw at it. After 80 rounds I started getting hammer bite, it's to be expected, I knew about it but didn't want to trim the hammer, I pressed on to about 230 rounds before I stopped to shoot my other pistols. She's loosened up perfectly now and feels great after the test fire session. More than accurate enough for a combat pistol with minimal sights.

    14 rounds at 10yards, I'll take it! It's such a small pistol, it will take some getting used to for me to get good with it. My grip screws started coming loose so I'll have to put some Loctite on them.
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    RedArmy

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    Red Army,

    IF I can get a LH safety, I'll buy one of the 150.oo ones & refinish it with "slow set epoxy putty" & semigloss epoxy-based appliance paint. = Won't be "purty" like yours but I could use another "Cheap"/functional carry/PU 9mm pistol.

    About 175.oo total, less the cost of the safety, if available.

    Note: My EDC Sig-Sauer P225 is anything BUT "purty" but I TRUST IT to keep Darla/me safe from 2 and/or 4 footed predators.

    yours, satx

    If you bought a spare safety lever you could ground the end that protrudes on the right side flat so that it just clears the frame, then take the other safety lever and cut off the shaft. Drill and tap the lever with the shaft and then drill the other lever and attach it to the shaft with a screw, add loctite and it would be solid. The safety lever is not structural so there is no force imposed on it other than to operate the safety, drilling and tapping it would cause no issues.

    My EDC pistol isn't pretty either (M&P 2.0), but it works and that's all that matters.:twin:
     

    Darkpriest667

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    Just one I would think. I am also going to need you to PM me and tell me how to clean and sand down the pistol. I'm not a machinist or mechanically inclined so I'll need a little more guidance. Definitely excited to get one of these bad boys cleaned up.
     

    RedArmy

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    Just one I would think. I am also going to need you to PM me and tell me how to clean and sand down the pistol. I'm not a machinist or mechanically inclined so I'll need a little more guidance. Definitely excited to get one of these bad boys cleaned up.


    I would be happy to provide more detailed instructions. Give me until the weekend though, I've got a busy week ahead, I'll also cut that hammer strut for you.

    I just put a set of Altamont grips on mine.
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    Hard to believe a surplus pistol could be this accurate. I read posts all the time where people are saying these pistols are cheap junk, if that's the case then I'd like to know where I can find more cheap junk pistols like these. This is fairly rapid fire at 10 yards, I missed a few, still pretty dang good I think.
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    satx78247

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    Red Army; All,

    Fwiw, the Guardia Civil has NEVER bought cheap junk, even during the Spanish Civil War.
    (I won any number of shooting matches in AR, when I was a deputy constable/county stock detective, with my CHEAP old/surplus ex-Condor Legion ASTRA 400, in the late 1960s.)
    Note: Don't ask me to do that anymore, as my hands shake & my eyes aren't what they were in 1967.

    yours, satx
     

    diesel1959

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    Red, if you've still got the other set of wood grips (grips4U?) that you had on before the Altamont's arrived, I'd be happy to buy them from you.

    BTW, yours is undoubtedly the finest-looking Star BM I've ever seen. I highly doubt any of them came out of the factory looking that good. Well done, sir!
     

    Dad_Roman

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    I would be happy to provide more detailed instructions. Give me until the weekend though, .....
    ...and share. Always interested in techniques that might improve my smithing. Would really like to know your polishing tecniques cause I have a Browning .22 I need to get on.

    Gonna take me a week to polish this friggen Witness. Sonnyboy just keeps sayin "the joy of steel guns!"
     

    Darkpriest667

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    Red don't rush I have to go to a funeral this weekend in Amarillo and I won't have the pistol in my hands until next week. Then I'll need to know what sanding materials I need. I'll basically be disassembling and cleaning it as you did sanding off the blueing and then taking it to a shop to have it reblued.
     

    RedArmy

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    Red, if you've still got the other set of wood grips (grips4U?) that you had on before the Altamont's arrived, I'd be happy to buy them from you.

    BTW, yours is undoubtedly the finest-looking Star BM I've ever seen. I highly doubt any of them came out of the factory looking that good. Well done, sir!

    Thanks! On the grips you can have them, PM your address to me and I'll get them shipped out this weekend.
     

    RedArmy

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    ...and share. Always interested in techniques that might improve my smithing. Would really like to know your polishing tecniques cause I have a Browning .22 I need to get on.

    Gonna take me a week to polish this friggen Witness. Sonnyboy just keeps sayin "the joy of steel guns!"

    Will do, are you mirror polishing those guns? I avoid high polish like the plague, lol. I prefer a brushed finish, it's much easier and doesn't scuff or scratch easily. I'll post up what I know though.
     
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