Tribute to the Star BM9 - Page 2

USMCGrunt · March 14, 2015, 10:55 PM

I got one off gunbroker a couple years back for my son to grow into one day as his first center fire handgun. My criteria was for a single stack (smaller grip radius for smaller hands) 9mm (low priced practice ammo for plenty of trigger time in a caliber with mild recoil) with a single action trigger (to avoid excessive trigger reach problems present in traditional double action pistols). I was also looking for a firearm with a manual safety that can be left on safe until the sights are on target and ready to fire. I've had plenty of students on an M9 firing line with college degrees (educated itiots IMHO) that had problems grasping that concept so thatruled out something like a Glock or M&P. I was also looking for a jheavier steel fra!me that would help soak up recoil and all in a more compact sized pistol for a younger shooter. The Star BM made the grade in every criteria I was looking for so that's what I went for. The fact that they could be had for a very economical price and are a reliable pistol are also great selling points that steered me to this pistol. The high price of magazines and hard to find spare parts for are dings against it though. Still, a good pistol for a good price that should fill this role fairly well in the years to come.

Bill DeShivs · March 14, 2015, 11:07 PM

I make firing pins for the Stars.

Dain Bramage · March 14, 2015, 11:16 PM

I second getting a spare extractor, if you can find one.

My Star BM was jamming regularly, as delivered. I had always heard they were such great guns. Got an extractor from Jorge of Iparguns, and the Star has been 100% ever since.

Jorge was a hoot. We talked about Elvis and other things of import in the world. Shame he's out of the biz. Hope he's doing well wherever he may be.

The Star is the favorite of my youngest son. Makes me proud he's a chip off the old blued steel block.

sixgunluv · March 15, 2015, 12:37 AM

I agree Dashunde,
The Star BM9 has retained the good looks of the 1911, smoother/rounded a little less 'squarish' than the Sigs. However the back of the grip didn't...for me. The sides of the back of the grip seemed sharp to me and grip itself was not deep enough up high. So i smoothed of the hard edges on the back of the grip frame and reshaped a little deeper. You can probably tell from the pic i posted.

My two favorites the Star BM and Astra A70. The grip on the A-70 is perfection in my opinion and needs no improvement.
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Walt Sherrill · March 15, 2015, 07:34 AM

At the range, when I used to shoot my Star Firestars (in both 9mm and .40) the standing joke was, "If you miss hitting the the bad guy, just drop the gun on his foot and he'll be out of action for a while."

Those guns are HEAVY. The Firestar Plus, with the alloy frame and higher capacity (but only in 9mm, in the U.S. anyway) was an improvement.

Dashunde · March 15, 2015, 08:27 AM

Sixgun, you wanna sell me your BM?

I've handled the Sig several times at the LGS... I never would have guessed it was based on the BM.
I can see the family resemblance in the controls and I tried to like it, but it would be like dating the BM/1911's really ugly sister.

My earlier point was that we have 9mm's in just about every possible configuration, except, oddly... we do not have one that is visually identical to the 1911 only scaled down to 9mm.
I guess Commander length 1911's is as close as we're gonna get.

We have a few scaled to the 380 (Colt & the new Browning) but not one for 9mm, the most popular ammo around?

The enduring popularity of the BM kind of speaks to the viability of a 9mm 1911 in the correct scale with the right looks.

I'd really like to see the Dan Wesson CCO come out in 9mm... I'd buy it in a second. It would be worth the chewing out from the wife.

Walt, I had one of those alloy framed Firestar's back in the mid-late 90's.
Nice gun I suppose, but its frame cracked at the slide stop hole.

Walt Sherrill · March 15, 2015, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dashunde

Walt, I had one of those alloy framed Firestar's back in the mid-late 90's.
Nice gun I suppose, but its frame cracked at the slide stop hole.

That's the first Firestar Plus I've heard of having a problem -- sorry to hear it. That would have put me off Firestar Pluses, had it happened to me. I've had maybe four of them over the years, and shot a couple of them quite a bit, without problem.

Don't know if that's something that will happen with a lot of use, or whether yours was just unusual.

lee n. field · March 15, 2015, 01:08 PM

Quote:

At the range, when I used to shoot my Star Firestars (in both 9mm and .40) the standing joke was, "If you miss hitting the the bad guy, just drop the gun on his foot and he'll be out of action for a while."

Those guns are HEAVY.

32 oz, in a package no bigger than a Kel Tec PF9.

Walt Sherrill · March 15, 2015, 07:22 PM

No bigger than a PF9, and a lot more pleasant to shoot, but NOTICEABLY heavier to carry. (I actually tried it for a while. As noted earlier, I liked the Firestar Plus better, and it's was just a big wider than the PF9.)

lee n. field · March 15, 2015, 08:15 PM

I think (without looking up the Kel Tec's specs) the Firestar is twice the weight of the PF9. For the same capacity.

It sits well in the hand, doesn't beat me up when shooting (like the PF9), and feels like a full size gun.

Now that this benighted state finally has carry, I need to find a good carry holster for it, and get it into the rotation.

saltydog452 · March 16, 2015, 01:41 PM

A question was asked about spare parts in Post # 11. There is a small part that lives under or around the thumb safety. If dropped during detail disassembly, it is immediately sucked into a black hole, and isn't likely to be seen again.

If you feel that you just gotta strip it down for cleaning, I wouldn't go past field stripping. Slosh it around in some diesel fuel or Varsal/Kerosene, blow dry and call it good to go.

Right now, for spares, I'd buy a back up BM.

AirCool65 · March 16, 2015, 03:06 PM

I love my BM... this thread has me thinking that I should probably buy another one.

sixgunluv · March 17, 2015, 01:01 AM

"Right now, for spares, I'd buy a back up BM."
saltydog

Exactly what i was thinking. I was pricing used parts against what some of the lesser condition BM's are going for..as you can still find them on GB. I saw one on GB that needed minor fixin, my problem is i'd buy it as a parts gun then fix it... Where would that leave me? Looking for parts for three working BM9's.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Dashunde · March 17, 2015, 08:10 AM

Sixgunluv,

Are they known to have any particularly weak or wear-prone part?

If not your likely to continue on with 3 working BM's... and if one did break then your left with 2 plus a parts gun and fingers crossed that the next one doesn't break the same part as the first, but if it did... your still left with 1 working BM... which is 1 more than me.

sixgunluv · March 20, 2015, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Sixgunluv,

Are they known to have any particularly weak or wear-prone part?

If not your likely to continue on with 3 working BM's... and if one did break then your left with 2 plus a parts gun and fingers crossed that the next one doesn't break the same part as the first, but if it did... your still left with 1 working BM... which is 1 more than me.

Not that i'm aware of...never had anything break on mine, that's what i came here to ask. So far no one has mentioned anything breaking specifically on the BM9.

Bill DeShivs · March 20, 2015, 10:41 PM

The firing pins will break if the guns are dry-fired.

cc-hangfire · March 21, 2015, 05:28 PM

I recently got a BM9 off gunbroker, & it is a hoot to shoot. I rounded up two extra mags - had to do a little fine tuning on those. I will say mine likes to run wet; I hadn't relubricated after fiddling with the new mags (took off the slide a few times), and had FTF & FTE till I oiled it up.

[BillDS, I'll be saving your email -- I should probably get a spare firing pin just in case.]

sixgunluv · March 23, 2015, 11:42 PM

Quote:

The firing pins will break if the guns are dry-fired.
__________________
Bill DeShivs

I use snap caps....

I think Wolff has recoil springs for the BM9 at a good price, other parts are more expensive. So much so that buying a parts gun makes more sense.

sixgunluv · March 23, 2015, 11:56 PM

Quote:

I recently got a BM9 off gunbroker, & it is a hoot to shoot. I rounded up two extra mags - had to do a little fine tuning on those. I will say mine likes to run wet; I hadn't relubricated after fiddling with the new mags (took off the slide a few times), and had FTF & FTE till I oiled it up.

cc hangfire

Original mags are now quite pricey it seems, were the extra mags you bought aftermarket types?, hence the need for fine tuning?

cc-hangfire · March 24, 2015, 12:13 PM

Yes, the extra mags I got were aftermarket & were tight in the mag well and the mag catch hole was flared a hair. Took some filing and 1000 grit sanding to get to near-drop-free condition. Sorry I can't tell you the maker- got them off gunbroker also. They were still pricey but well under original mags - worth some hand fitting.

sixgunluv · March 25, 2015, 11:17 PM

Wolff has 12,14,16lb springs. http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%...1/mID61/dID278

I was thinking for the price i should get a spare. Suggestion for weight and your reasoning behind it?..

sixgunluv · March 25, 2015, 11:37 PM

a couple random internet pics of sexy stylish...er fancy BM9's.
[IMG]

[/IMG]
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Ibmikey · March 26, 2015, 09:43 AM

Sixgunluv, I think that bottom photo is of one of my BM's better go look to see if it is hiding in the safe

I have a half dozen or more of these neat little pistols and shoot one quite often because they are the right size, feel and accuracy one would want in a medium sized pistol....and just fun to shoot as well.

Bill DeShivs · March 26, 2015, 02:15 PM

Guys, the proper designation is simply "Star BM." It was never called a BM9.

sixgunluv · March 26, 2015, 06:15 PM

Sorry Bill, i've been calling it the BM9, otherwise some people assume it has something to do with a bodily function.

March 14, 2015, 11:07 PM	#27
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,985	I make firing pins for the Stars. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

March 15, 2015, 12:37 AM	#29
sixgunluv Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Posts: 200	BM9 I agree Dashunde, The Star BM9 has retained the good looks of the 1911, smoother/rounded a little less 'squarish' than the Sigs. However the back of the grip didn't...for me. The sides of the back of the grip seemed sharp to me and grip itself was not deep enough up high. So i smoothed of the hard edges on the back of the grip frame and reshaped a little deeper. You can probably tell from the pic i posted. My two favorites the Star BM and Astra A70. The grip on the A-70 is perfection in my opinion and needs no improvement. [IMG][/IMG] Last edited by sixgunluv; March 15, 2015 at 01:15 AM.

March 15, 2015, 08:27 AM	#31
Dashunde Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2004 Posts: 2,018	Sixgun, you wanna sell me your BM? I've handled the Sig several times at the LGS... I never would have guessed it was based on the BM. I can see the family resemblance in the controls and I tried to like it, but it would be like dating the BM/1911's really ugly sister. My earlier point was that we have 9mm's in just about every possible configuration, except, oddly... we do not have one that is visually identical to the 1911 only scaled down to 9mm. I guess Commander length 1911's is as close as we're gonna get. We have a few scaled to the 380 (Colt & the new Browning) but not one for 9mm, the most popular ammo around? The enduring popularity of the BM kind of speaks to the viability of a 9mm 1911 in the correct scale with the right looks. I'd really like to see the Dan Wesson CCO come out in 9mm... I'd buy it in a second. It would be worth the chewing out from the wife. Walt, I had one of those alloy framed Firestar's back in the mid-late 90's. Nice gun I suppose, but its frame cracked at the slide stop hole. Last edited by Dashunde; March 15, 2015 at 08:42 AM.

March 15, 2015, 08:15 PM	#35
lee n. field Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2002 Location: The same state as Mordor. Posts: 5,569	I think (without looking up the Kel Tec's specs) the Firestar is twice the weight of the PF9. For the same capacity. It sits well in the hand, doesn't beat me up when shooting (like the PF9), and feels like a full size gun. Now that this benighted state finally has carry, I need to find a good carry holster for it, and get it into the rotation. __________________ "As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. "

March 16, 2015, 01:41 PM	#36
saltydog452 Senior Member Join Date: August 16, 2004 Posts: 516	Post # 11, sixgunluv A question was asked about spare parts in Post # 11. There is a small part that lives under or around the thumb safety. If dropped during detail disassembly, it is immediately sucked into a black hole, and isn't likely to be seen again. If you feel that you just gotta strip it down for cleaning, I wouldn't go past field stripping. Slosh it around in some diesel fuel or Varsal/Kerosene, blow dry and call it good to go. Right now, for spares, I'd buy a back up BM. __________________ Bread and Circuses don't pay the Bills.

March 14, 2015, 10:55 PM	#26
USMCGrunt Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2000 Location: Somewhere in 14T NT Posts: 730	I got one off gunbroker a couple years back for my son to grow into one day as his first center fire handgun. My criteria was for a single stack (smaller grip radius for smaller hands) 9mm (low priced practice ammo for plenty of trigger time in a caliber with mild recoil) with a single action trigger (to avoid excessive trigger reach problems present in traditional double action pistols). I was also looking for a firearm with a manual safety that can be left on safe until the sights are on target and ready to fire. I've had plenty of students on an M9 firing line with college degrees (educated itiots IMHO) that had problems grasping that concept so thatruled out something like a Glock or M&P. I was also looking for a jheavier steel fra!me that would help soak up recoil and all in a more compact sized pistol for a younger shooter. The Star BM made the grade in every criteria I was looking for so that's what I went for. The fact that they could be had for a very economical price and are a reliable pistol are also great selling points that steered me to this pistol. The high price of magazines and hard to find spare parts for are dings against it though. Still, a good pistol for a good price that should fill this role fairly well in the years to come.

March 14, 2015, 11:16 PM	#28
Dain Bramage Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2001 Location: Arlington, WA Posts: 219	I second getting a spare extractor, if you can find one. My Star BM was jamming regularly, as delivered. I had always heard they were such great guns. Got an extractor from Jorge of Iparguns, and the Star has been 100% ever since. Jorge was a hoot. We talked about Elvis and other things of import in the world. Shame he's out of the biz. Hope he's doing well wherever he may be. The Star is the favorite of my youngest son. Makes me proud he's a chip off the old blued steel block.

March 15, 2015, 07:34 AM	#30
Walt Sherrill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA Posts: 6,348	At the range, when I used to shoot my Star Firestars (in both 9mm and .40) the standing joke was, "If you miss hitting the the bad guy, just drop the gun on his foot and he'll be out of action for a while." Those guns are HEAVY. The Firestar Plus, with the alloy frame and higher capacity (but only in 9mm, in the U.S. anyway) was an improvement.

March 15, 2015, 07:22 PM	#34
Walt Sherrill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA Posts: 6,348	No bigger than a PF9, and a lot more pleasant to shoot, but NOTICEABLY heavier to carry. (I actually tried it for a while. As noted earlier, I liked the Firestar Plus better, and it's was just a big wider than the PF9.)

March 16, 2015, 03:06 PM	#37
AirCool65 Senior Member Join Date: April 22, 2013 Location: Virginia Posts: 110	I love my BM... this thread has me thinking that I should probably buy another one.

March 17, 2015, 01:01 AM	#38
sixgunluv Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Posts: 200	"Right now, for spares, I'd buy a back up BM." saltydog Exactly what i was thinking. I was pricing used parts against what some of the lesser condition BM's are going for..as you can still find them on GB. I saw one on GB that needed minor fixin, my problem is i'd buy it as a parts gun then fix it... Where would that leave me? Looking for parts for three working BM9's. [IMG][/IMG] Last edited by sixgunluv; March 17, 2015 at 01:10 AM.

March 17, 2015, 08:10 AM	#39
Dashunde Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2004 Posts: 2,018	Sixgunluv, Are they known to have any particularly weak or wear-prone part? If not your likely to continue on with 3 working BM's... and if one did break then your left with 2 plus a parts gun and fingers crossed that the next one doesn't break the same part as the first, but if it did... your still left with 1 working BM... which is 1 more than me.

March 20, 2015, 10:41 PM	#41
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,985	The firing pins will break if the guns are dry-fired. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

March 21, 2015, 05:28 PM	#42
cc-hangfire Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2014 Posts: 304	I recently got a BM9 off gunbroker, & it is a hoot to shoot. I rounded up two extra mags - had to do a little fine tuning on those. I will say mine likes to run wet; I hadn't relubricated after fiddling with the new mags (took off the slide a few times), and had FTF & FTE till I oiled it up. [BillDS, I'll be saving your email -- I should probably get a spare firing pin just in case.]

March 24, 2015, 12:13 PM	#45
cc-hangfire Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2014 Posts: 304	Yes, the extra mags I got were aftermarket & were tight in the mag well and the mag catch hole was flared a hair. Took some filing and 1000 grit sanding to get to near-drop-free condition. Sorry I can't tell you the maker- got them off gunbroker also. They were still pricey but well under original mags - worth some hand fitting.

March 25, 2015, 11:17 PM	#46
sixgunluv Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Posts: 200	Springs Wolff has 12,14,16lb springs. http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%...1/mID61/dID278 I was thinking for the price i should get a spare. Suggestion for weight and your reasoning behind it?..

March 25, 2015, 11:37 PM	#47
sixgunluv Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Posts: 200	Tribute To The Star BM9 Cont. a couple random internet pics of sexy stylish...er fancy BM9's. [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]

March 26, 2015, 09:43 AM	#48
Ibmikey Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2013 Location: Now relocated to Texas Posts: 2,943	Sixgunluv, I think that bottom photo is of one of my BM's better go look to see if it is hiding in the safe I have a half dozen or more of these neat little pistols and shoot one quite often because they are the right size, feel and accuracy one would want in a medium sized pistol....and just fun to shoot as well.

March 26, 2015, 02:15 PM	#49
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,985	Guys, the proper designation is simply "Star BM." It was never called a BM9. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

March 26, 2015, 06:15 PM	#50
sixgunluv Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Posts: 200	BM9 Sorry Bill, i've been calling it the BM9, otherwise some people assume it has something to do with a bodily function.