Colt Mustang

[Charlie98]

Is the Star currently imported?

[Ibmikey]

No company went out of business ( as did most all Spanish firearms manufacturers) in the nineties but there are tons of their firearms available that have been imported to the US.

[Charlie98]

No... we want sparkly new guns!

[Ibmikey]

I just bought a like “sparkly new” Model S With Police markings for $300.
Colt no longer makes the .380 Government and used ones are astronomically priced. Smaller Mustangs are expensive and not near as nice as the Sig P 238 which comes with night sights. You have many choices in the Micro Pistol field.

[jocala]

I'm considering the Mustang Lite (polymer) for pocket carry. Is the currently shipping polymer Lite model the same as XSP?

[Old Stony]

There are a few things I can argue with Ibmikey ...I think somewhat successfully, but Star pistols and the variants thereof is not one of them.

[Charlie98]

That's also one of the reasons I started looking for an alternate carry piece... the cost to replace the Colt .380 if I lost it... means I probably wouldn't.

[otasan]

Is this Mustang model a fastback or square back?

[Ibmikey]

Stony, Well how about hunting bow legged camels on the Alaskan tundra ? Bet you would be at a loss for words on that one too!

[Jazzgun]

I'm ready to upgrade from my Raven. My hands are just not very strong and I need a pistol I can rack the slide easily on. I have the Taurus P22 with the tip up so I don't have to rack the slide but I want to be able to.

Does anyone know how hard it is to rack the slide on these guns? And which is your preference. I want small and lightweight with accuracy and dependability.

The guns in the running are:

1. Colt Mustang
2. Sig Saur P238
3. LWS Seecamp .380

TIA

~ Jazz

[jocala]

I have the poly Mustang with dovetail sights and the slide is very smooth and easy to rack. It's now my wife's edc, she has bad arthritis in hands, has no problems with this pistol. I haven't used a Sig 238, but my edc is the Sig 938, very easy to rack as well.

[Jazzgun]

Originally Posted by jocala

I have the poly Mustang with dovetail sights and the slide is very smooth and easy to rack. It's now my wife's edc, she has bad arthritis in hands, has no problems with this pistol. I haven't used a Sig 238, but my edc is the Sig 938, very easy to rack as well.

Thanks so much for the info. I have a touch of arthritis as well and when I rack the slide on my Raven it feels rough and I have a hard time getting it back far enough. Some of the other pistols...well, there's no way I could rack the slide if my life depended on it.

I'm really leaning toward the Mustang because I love Colt! I really do like Sigs too though. Tough decision. Your reply was very helpful and appreciated.

[jocala]

If you get the Colt you will love it. I got the model O6790ST and added Novak tritium sights. My wife shot it and told me that I'd have to buy another for myself, that this one was hers! I decided on the Sig instead, but the Mustang is the more comfortable pistol to shoot. I don't really notice a difference between it and my Beretta Tomcat .22. Good luck!

[Jazzgun]

Jocala....thank you VERY much! I think you just made my mind up for me. And tell your wife thank you too. I want the sights too.

[Jazzgun]

This is the Colt I want: The Mustang Pocketlite. But I want to put White Pearl grips on it.

[Charlie98]

Generically speaking, a locked-breech pistol will have an easier slide to manipulate than a blowback pistol... the blowback pistol requiring a heavier spring to operate properly (with a heavier slide.)

I don't think you can go wrong with the Colt .380s, I have a Government model (the Mustang's bigger brother...) and it's a fun pistol to shoot. My brother's Walther PPK/s... not so much, mainly because of the SA/DA trigger and the sharp recoil.

[jocala]

This is mine. I went with the poly frame to save an ounce, and you'll notice the dovetail sights, not the fixed front blade. If you go with dovetail and want to replace them with Novaks, your slide will need to be cut for the fit. $100 locally, $90.00 by Novak.

[HisSoldier]

Except for the sights that is what you have in a Star Model S (or SS).…this is a thin 380 with a great feeling grip that points just right.

I agree about the ergonomics of the S (and SS) model Stars, however, a big difference most shooters might not notice is that the "hand" of everything behind the trigger is different, except the hammer. The trigger bar, sear and disconnector are on the right hand in the Star, but on the LH side on all the rest.

I also believe the Star had no firing pin block, which all the current US copies have.

Though the Star designed safety is extra secure compared to a 1911 (Which has redundancy in the grip safety to make up the difference) because it lifts the sear off the hammer hooks and blocks it, still carrying a current copy does feel more secure with the FP block to me, especially since I tend to toss a gun in my pocket instead of carrying in a holster.
The model SS has a mag safety, but that adds nothing to carry safety, only to negligent handling and (It's said) scuffles with bad guys after the gun is drawn. It's said that a police officer struggling with a "perp" can pop the mag, pretty amazing pistol work it seems to me, and why not just shoot the perp if he's trying to grab the gun?

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Charlie 98

One of the hot setups, when the Mustang was released, was to fit a short Mustang slide on to the Gov't frame... sort of a .380 Commander.

Or a Mustang +2 -- which Colt sold as a model for awile.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Charlie 98

That's also one of the reasons I started looking for an alternate carry piece... the cost to replace the Colt .380 if I lost it... means I probably wouldn't.

Have you considered the Browning 1911-380 Black Label? There's a "Commander" version that's very close in size to the Colt Government 380. I bought one for Summer carry, because I couldn't afford a Colt Government 380, and because I wouldn't want to have a Colt end up in a police evidence locker if I ever had to use it for its intended purpose.

M1911.ORG reviewed the Browning awhile back. The review included a table comparing the dimensions to the Government 380.
https://ezine.m1911.org//showthread....80-Black-Label

[thickstrings]

There is a auction for 2 Colt Ponies on Gunbroker .... consecutive ser. #'s Yes, the ones that don't exist.....In case if any one wants to look....bidding is starting just under 10 k. Dead ringer for the FI mod. D except it says Colt...

[Ibmikey]

As I said many months ago the serial numbers started at CPA 001000 and this pair bear that out (my earliest pistol is a scrubbed Colt slide in the 300 range) if you look at the photos the pistols have the FI (not FIE a different company) steel frame with a lanyard loop and extended over the mag floorplate unlike the flush Star DK. All parts in the Colt pistols were Star kits except the US made (by FI) frames, Colt provided emblems for the grip panels and roll dies for slide markings.

[Charlie98]

Have you considered the Browning 1911-380 Black Label? There's a "Commander" version that's very close in size to the Colt Government 380. I bought one for Summer carry, because I couldn't afford a Colt Government 380, and because I wouldn't want to have a Colt end up in a police evidence locker if I ever had to use it for its intended purpose.

I replaced it with a Kahr CW9...