Star MB. Six shots at 10 meters standing. The magazine was giving me problems, so this was a two shots, clearance drill, one shot, clearance drill… kind of thing. It came with four magazines, but I’d left the other three at home… silly me.
The Star MB is a Model BM built on a Model M (large) frame, but chambered in 9mm. Like many Star pistols, anyone who knows the Colt 1911 will be familiar with the mechanicals. It comes with a detachable rifle type stock which also doubles as a holster, and with extended magazines. This one is nicely accurate (no, I’m not hiding flyers under the gun).
This is one of 350 built in 1972, and one of 1 757 made in total.
Star Firestar M43. A fairly modern 9 mm (they were made in the nineties, shortly before the demise of the Spanish firearm industry). A few years ago, I was looking at buying one of these new — I would have chosen the 40 S&W model — but I couldn’t bring myself to pay R 5 500. I got this one for considerably less.
Astra Police 357 Magnum. This revolver is very similar to the standard Astra 357, except that there’s a button that releases the cylinder crane, then you can swap in a 9 mm Parabellum or 357 SIG cylinder (neither of which I have, unfortunately).
I also managed four shots with my Browning 1900. Shot #5 was a missfire, and this is where I learned that the extractor is broken. Bugger.
In any case, the Browning 1900 is a fascinating design. The barrel sits under the recoil spring, and the recoil spring also doubles as the hammer (striker) spring. And the back end of the lever which drives the striker doubles as a “cocked” indicator, blocking the (rudimentary) sights when the gun is not cocked.
My Rossi Puma 357 levergun shoots into 40mm off a rest at 25m using 38 Special handloads. Not great, but I should be able to fix that with better ammo. And it’s a damn sight better than my Winchester ’94, which struggles to get 4 inches at the same distance.
My “silhouette load” 180 grain lead bullet 357 Magnum loads keyholed into 45mm, so I guess I should stick to 158 grainers with this gun.
Hmm, looks like that little firestar doesn’t agree with you either. How’d you find the trigger? Gf described it in terms of sandpaper attached to an anvil.
Trigger’s not too bad. Can prolly do with a bit of smoothing. The things never seen oil, I suspect you guys put the first shots ever through it.
It’s got all the ‘improvements’ that they force on 1911 users, but no accuracy. Ah well.