Now you sound like the other Mike.

funny

Monday’s Firearm of the Day is............

The Lee Enfield no4 mk1:

The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle that was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century. It was the British Army's standard rifle from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957.[3][4] It is often referred to as the "SMLE," which is short for the common "Short Magazine Lee-Enfield" variant.

A redesign of the Lee–Metford (adopted by the British Army in 1888), the Lee–Enfield superseded the earlier Martini–Henry, Martini–Enfield, and Lee–Metford rifles. It featured a ten-round box magazine which was loaded with the .303 British cartridge manually from the top, either one round at a time or by means of five-round chargers. The Lee–Enfield was the standard issue weapon to rifle companies of the British Army and other Commonwealth nations in both the First and Second World Wars (these Commonwealth nations included Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and South Africa, among others).[5] Although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1957, it remained in widespread British service until the early/mid-1960s and the 7.62 mm L42 sniper variant remained in service until the 1990s. As a standard-issue infantry rifle, it is still found in service in the armed forces of some Commonwealth nations,[6] notably with the Bangladesh Police, which makes it the second longest-serving military bolt-action rifle still in official service, after the Mosin–Nagant.[7] The Canadian Rangers unit still use Enfield rifles, with plans to replace the weapons sometime in 2017–2018 with the new Sako-designed Colt C-19.[8] Total production of all Lee–Enfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles.[1]

The Lee–Enfield takes its name from the designer of the rifle's bolt system—James Paris Lee—and the factory in which it was designed—the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Southern Africa and India the rifle became known simply as the "three-oh-three"[9]

By the late 1930s, the need for new rifles grew and the Rifle, No. 4 Mk I was officially adopted in 1941.[32] The No. 4 action was similar to the Mk VI, but stronger and most importantly, easier to mass-produce.[33] Unlike the SMLE, that had a nose cap, the No 4 Lee–Enfield barrel protruded from the end of the forestock. The charger bridge was no longer rounded for easier machining. The iron sight line was redesigned and featured a rear receiver aperture battle sight calibrated for 300 yd (274 m) with an additional ladder aperture sight that could be flipped up and was calibrated for 200–1,300 yd (183–1,189 m) in 100 yd (91 m) increments. This sight line like other aperture sight lines proved to be faster and more accurate than the typical mid-barrel rear sight elements sight lines offered by Mauser, previous Lee–Enfields or the Buffington battle sight of the 1903 Springfield.

The No. 4 rifle was heavier than the No. 1 Mk. III, largely due to its heavier barrel and a new bayonet was designed to go with the rifle: a spike bayonet, which was essentially a steel rod with a sharp point and was nicknamed "pigsticker" by soldiers.[33] Towards the end of the Second World War, a bladed bayonet was developed, originally intended for use with the Sten gun—but sharing the same mount as the No. 4's spike bayonet—and subsequently the No. 7 and No. 9 blade bayonets were issued for use with the No. 4 rifle as well.[34] However, in McAuslan in the Rough, George MacDonald Fraser alleges that the Pattern 1907 bladed bayonet used with the SMLE was also compatible with the No. 4 rifle.[35]

During the course of the Second World War, the No. 4 rifle was further simplified for mass-production with the creation of the No. 4 Mk I* in 1942, with the bolt release catch replaced by a simpler notch on the bolt track of the rifle's receiver.[36] It was produced only in North America, by Long Branch Arsenal in Canada and Savage-Stevens Firearms in the USA.[36] The No.4 Mk I rifle was primarily produced for the United Kingdom.[37]

In the years after the Second World War, the British produced the No. 4 Mk 2 (Arabic numerals replaced Roman numerals for official designations in 1944) rifle, a refined and improved No. 4 rifle with the trigger hung forward from the butt collar and not from the trigger guard, beech wood stocks (with the original reinforcing strap and centre piece of wood in the rear of the forestock on the No.4 Mk I/Mk I* being removed in favour of a tie screw and nut) and brass buttplates (during World War II, the British replaced the brass buttplates on the No.4 rifles with zinc alloy (Zamak) ones to reduce costs and to speed up rifle production).[38] With the introduction of the No. 4 Mk 2 rifle, the British refurbished many of their existing stocks of No. 4 rifles and brought them up to the same standard as the No. 4 Mk 2.[39] No. 4 Mk 1 rifles so upgraded were re-designated No. 4 Mk I/2, whilst No. 4 Mk I* rifles that were brought up to Mk 2 standard were re-designated No. 4 Mk I/3.[36]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c408339c2d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1ea01bc346.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...afd39e5f42.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8cb80afca8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...79e23d5dd4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7b24e3e7b5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...30f6c9c458.jpg


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Very cool. That thing looks like a monster

You will know you are shooting a .30! Don’t know if it kicks harder than a 30-06 but, definitely makes the .308 seem weak.

Today’s Firearm of the Day...

Hungarian M44 Mosin Nagant:

While the Hungarian PU Mosin Nagant Sniper Rifle is commonly known, the Hungarians also undertook production of the M44 Carbine and their version of the standard M91/30 rifle at FEG in Budapest. Production ran from 1952-1955; however, the total amount of carbines/rifles manufactured is unknown.

These firearms will be marked with a 02 on the barrel shank and also have the Hungarian crest. The 02 is the Eastern Bloc country code for Hungary and the crest is a star , hammer, with a bar running under. While this crest looks a bit like the Soviet Izhevsk proof, they are clearly different. The stocks of these rifles will have a 02 and a B ( Budapest Arsenal ) marking in almost every case. The various parts used in the Mosin Nagants will also bear Hungarian proof markings with the 02 proofs commonly encountered on the bolt parts.

Another noticeable difference in the Soviet and Hungarian M44's are the numerous inspector proofs that appear on the Hungarian bayonet housing. As with the Romanian and East German proofed M44's and M91/30's, the Hungarian models are often sold and marked as Soviet ( Russian ).

The overall quality of the Hungarian manufactured Mosin Nagants are much the same as their Soviet and Eastern European counterparts. In short they are well made and dependable. The wood is a local type and like the examples from Romania shows little grain pattern in many cases. The stocks also have a similar overall heavy varnish type finish seen on the Romanian manufactured firearms. While these can be found in very good overall condition, the Hungarian firearms tend to show a bit more use than the Polish or Romanian examples, and are much more in line with the M44's that came out of the DDR when comparing condition. It should be noted that many of these carbines seem to have parts from Romania mixed in. It is unknown why this was done as there could be a number of reasons. I do think it clear this happened in Europe and was more than likely done in the nation of Romania as this is where many of these carbines were stored. This appears to be the same location of many Polish, Romanian, and Russian carbines as well.

While the Hungarian M44's seem to be a bit more common than the Romanian and Polish models, they are still a desirable Cold War collectable. The M91/30's produced in Hungary are even more collectable as they are not commonly seen on the market. It is unknown if they are truly a rare rifle or if they are just misidentified as Soviet rifles. The truth, as it does in most cases, is probably somewhere in the middle. If a collector runs across a Hungarian M91/30, it should be snapped up instantly as one never knows when or if they will see another. These rifles are showing up in decent numbers in Europe but still would have to be considered rare.

As with all the Eastern European Mosin Nagants, the Hungarian examples are interesting parts of Cold War history. They deserve a section in any Mosin Nagant collection.



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Nice write up.....

Nice!

Thanks

You will like the next one.

Any chance to get a pic with the bayonet extended? That bayonet looks like it would add another two feet to it!

Mike sent me this one a while back. I think it’s appropriate!

Best I can right right now. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c3ad6014c4.jpg


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That is a long rifle. I bet it would suck to carry in battle

Today’s Firearm of the Day is........

M1 Carbine:

The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight, easy to use,[3] .30 caliber (7.62 mm) semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and well into the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced in several variants and was widely used by not only the U.S. military, but by military, paramilitary and police forces around the world. It has also been a popular civilian firearm. The M2 carbine is the selective-fire version of the M1 carbine capable of firing in both semi-automatic and full-automatic. The M3 carbine was an M2 carbine with an active infrared scope system.[4]

Despite its name and similar appearance, the M1 carbine is not a shorter version of the M1 Garand rifle. It is a completely different firearm and it fires a different type of ammunition. It was simply called a carbine because it is smaller and lighter than the Garand.

On July 1, 1925, the U.S. Army began using the current naming system where the "M" is the designation for Model and the "number" represents the sequential development of equipment and weapons.[5] Therefore, the "M1 rifle" was the first rifle developed under this system. The "M1 carbine" was the first carbine developed under this system. The "M2 carbine" was the second carbine developed under the system, etc.

Prior to World War II, U.S. Army Ordnance received reports that the full-size M1 rifle was too heavy and cumbersome for most support troops (staff, mortarmen, radiomen, etc.) to carry. During prewar and early war field exercises, it was found that the M1 Garand impeded these soldier's mobility, as a slung rifle would frequently catch on brush, bang the helmet, or tilt over the eyes. Many soldiers found the rifle slid off the shoulder unless slung diagonally across the back, where it prevented the wearing of standard field packs and haversacks.

Additionally, Germany's use of glider-borne and paratroop forces to launch surprise attacks behind the front lines, generated a request for a new compact infantry weapon to equip support troops.[6][7] This request called for a compact, lightweight defensive weapon with greater range, accuracy and firepower than handguns, while weighing half as much as the Thompson submachine gun or the M1 rifle.[6] The U.S. Army decided that a carbine would adequately fulfill all of these requirements, but specified that the new arm should weigh no more than five pounds and have an effective range of 300 yards.[8][9] Paratroopers were also added to the list of intended users and a folding-stock version would also be developed.

Designing the M1 carbineEdit
In 1938, the Chief of Infantry requested that the Ordnance Department develop a "light rifle" or carbine, though the formal requirement for the weapon type was not approved until 1940. This led to a competition in 1941 by major U.S. firearm companies and designers.

Winchester at first did not submit a carbine design, as it was occupied in developing the .30-06 Winchester M2 Military Rifle. The rifle originated as a design by Jonathan "Ed" Browning, brother of the famous firearm designer John Browning. A couple of months after Ed Browning's death in May 1939, Winchester hired David Marshall "Carbine" Williams who had begun work on a short-stroke gas piston design while serving a prison sentence at a North Carolina minimum-security work farm. Winchester, after Williams' release, had hired Williams on the strength of recommendations of firearms industry leaders, and hoped Williams would be able to complete various designs left unfinished by Ed Browning, including the Winchester .30-06 M2 rifle. Williams incorporated his short-stroke piston in the existing design. After the Marine Corps semi-automatic rifle trials in 1940, Browning's rear-locking tilting bolt design proved unreliable in sandy conditions. As a result, the rifle was redesigned to incorporate a Garand-style rotating bolt and operating rod, retaining Williams' short-stroke piston. By May 1941, Williams had shaved the M2 rifle prototype from about 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) to a mere 7.5 lb (3.4 kg).

Ordnance found unsatisfactory the first series of prototype carbines submitted by several firearms companies and some independent designers.[10] Winchester had contacted the Ordnance Corps to examine their rifle M2 design. Major René Studler of Ordnance believed the rifle design could be scaled down to a carbine which would weigh 4.5 to 4.75 lb (2.0–2.2 kg) and demanded a prototype as soon as possible. The first model was developed at Winchester in 13 days by William C. Roemer, Fred Humeston and three other Winchester engineers under supervision of Edwin Pugsley, and was essentially Williams' last version of the .30-06 M2 scaled down to the .30 SL cartridge.[11] This patchwork prototype was cobbled together using the trigger housing and lockwork of a Winchester M1905 rifle and a modified Garand operating rod. The prototype was an immediate hit with army observers.[12]

After the initial army testing in August 1941, the Winchester design team set out to develop a more refined version. Williams participated in the finishing of this prototype. The second prototype competed successfully against all remaining carbine candidates in September 1941, and Winchester was notified of their success the very next month. Standardization as the M1 Carbine was approved on October 22, 1941. This story was the loose basis for the 1952 movie Carbine Williams starring James Stewart. Contrary to the movie, Williams had little to do with the carbine's development, with the exception of his short-stroke gas piston design. Williams worked on his own design apart from the other Winchester staff, but it was not ready for testing until December 1941, two months after the Winchester M1 Carbine had been adopted and type-classified. Winchester supervisor Edwin Pugsley conceded that Williams' final design was "an advance on the one that was accepted", but noted that Williams' decision to go it alone was a distinct impediment to the project,[11] and Williams' additional design features were not incorporated into M1 production. In a 1951 memo written in fear of a patent infringement lawsuit by Williams, Winchester noted his patent for the short-stroke piston may have been improperly granted as a previous patent covering the same principle of operation was overlooked by the patent office.[11]

In 1973 the senior technical editor at the NRA contacted Edwin Pugsley for "a technical last testament" on M1 carbine history shortly before his death 19 Nov 1975. According to Pugsley, "The carbine was invented by no single man," but was the result of a team effort including Bill Roemer, Marsh Williams, Fred Humeston, Cliff Warner, at least three other Winchester engineers, and Pugsley himself. Ideas were taken and modified from the Winchester M2 Browning rifle (Williams' gas system), the Winchester 1905 rifle (fire control group), M1 Garand (buttstock dimensions and bolt and operating slide principles), and a percussion shotgun in Pugsley's collection (hook breech and barrel band assembly/disassembly.

The M1 carbine with its reduced-power .30 cartridge was not originally intended to serve as a primary weapon for combat infantrymen, nor was it comparable to more powerful assault rifles developed late in the war. However, it was markedly superior to the .45-caliber submachineguns in use at the time in both accuracy and penetration,[6] and its lighter .30 cartridge allowed soldiers to carry more ammunition. As a result, the carbine was soon widely issued to infantry officers, American paratroopers,[34] NCOs, ammunition bearers, forward artillery observers, and other frontline troops.[35] The first M1 carbines were delivered in mid-1942, with initial priority given to troops in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).[6]

The M1 carbine gained generally high praise for its small size, light weight and firepower, especially by those troops who were unable to use a full-size rifle as their primary weapon.[36][37] However, its reputation in front-line combat was mixed and negative reports began to surface with airborne operations in Sicily in 1943,[38] and increased during the fall and winter of 1944.[39]

In the Pacific theater, soldiers and guerrilla forces operating in heavy jungle with only occasional enemy contact praised the carbine for its small size, light weight, and firepower.[40] The Carbine bullets would easily penetrate the front and back of steel helmets, as well as the body armor used by Japanese forces of the era.[41][42] Soldiers and Marines engaged in frequent daily firefights (particularly those serving in the Philippines) found the weapon to have insufficient penetration and stopping power. Reports of the carbine's failure to stop enemy soldiers, sometimes after multiple hits, appeared in individual after-action reports, postwar evaluations, and service histories of both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corp.

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very nice! I hope to get a M1 some day...very iconic rifle. Nice job!

I kicked myself for not picking one up back when they were a dime a dozen.

http://www.cotep.org/forum/picture.p...&pictureid=888

Same here.... now they are around $1k.


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Ahh, the Carbine.

Have the M1 and the M2. :D

I have the Russian version, but mine is more modern lol and yes I have the bayonette as well. fully set up it is taller then my wife.

I have shot an M2. After the first couple of shots you are shooting into the sky. I tried everything I could to keep the muzzle down in full auto, but to no avail.

http://www.cotep.org/forum/picture.p...&pictureid=888

That’s the anti-aircraft feature.

Short, controlled bursts. It is also very controllable when shot from the hip.

JMB Classic
 

Found this and thought it was Firearm of the day worthy!

The quest for a repeating handgun took some strange turns on the way to the revolving cylinder.



This particular oddity is known as a Harmonica Gun, because of the distinct appearance of a steel slide that contained a number of chambers.

It's a firearm innovation that preceded the perfection of the centerfire cartridge. On the earliest models, each chamber was breech-loaded with a powder charge, projectile, and percussion cap. You could say this design's heart was in the right place, but it just didn't quite get there as a practical repeater.

The slide was inserted into the breech. After firing a round, the shooter released a camlock to advance the slide through the gun. The problem was, each chamber had to be lined up with the barrel and hammer by hand. There were no indexes or mechanism to progress the slide. On later models, this was rectified, with some double-action models produced that advanced the slide through the gun to a new chamber as the trigger was pulled. But it was still bulky and awkward.

A famous maker of harmonica guns was Jonathan Browning, the father of even-more-famous John Moses Browning. He began making the guns in 1834 in Quincy, Illinois, along with more conventional revolving rifles.

This video from Forgotten Firearms shows two examples of harmonica gun designs. These two are pinfire weapons manufactured by Jarre, which used metallic cartridges that basically had a primer inside the brass case with a tiny firing pin extending from the primer and protruding through the top of the case. A second type of harmonica gun, shown in the video, uses a slide with a small barrel attached for each chamber, instead of a stationary barrel.

video:

https://youtu.be/y-N1MRFnByQ

That’s cool as heck , thanks for sharing!


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:D

love this thread! Good stuff here with some learning too

Here is a Jonathan Browning Harmonica Rifle (with some background info on Jonathan Browning)
:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxNcjRf0O0o

http://www.cotep.org/forum/picture.p...&pictureid=888

Nice!!!


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I liked the video. Interesting weapon and great background on the family.

Neat!

Great thread. I really like it.
On the M1 Carbine, it's one of my favorite historical weapons I always wanted to add to my collection. But, alas, it's one of the prohibited weapons in this state.
A few years ago we picked one on up on a gun buy back program. It was in excellent condition. I convinced my agency not to destroy it.
We can't do anything with it, though. At least it'll be a conversation piece. That and the German Luger that was brought in by a WWII veteran who took off a German.

Good that you were able to convince them not to destroy those pieces of history! I wonder if they could transfer it to an FFL out of state?

Hey, I have a FFL. I would be happy to take such a dangerous assault rifle out of the state of NJ. :D

If you ever left the DPRNJ, I'll transfer it to you.

And the WWll Luger!


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Speaking of forgotten weapons:

1930’s 18 shot 26.5mm Manville....

The Manville gun was a stockless, semi-automatic, revolver type gun, introduced in 1935 by Charles J. Manville.[1] The Manville Gun was a large weapon, with a heavy cylinder being rotated for each shot by a clockwork-type spring. The spring was wound manually during the reloading.

By 1938 Manville had introduced three different bore diameter versions of the gun, based on 12-gauge, 26.5-mm, or 37-mm shells. Due to poor sales, Manville guns ceased production in 1943

In 1936, Manville introduced a version that held eighteen rounds of 26.5mm bore shells. This design fired 26.5mm x 3.15 inch Short (26.5mm x 80mmR) flare, smoke, and riot gas shells. Explosive shells were not available and the cylinder walls are too thin for shot-shells. The weapon is similar to the earlier 12-gauge version, except the barrel was either 9.5 inches (240 mm) or 9.75 inches (248 mm), and used hard rubber rear grips instead of wood.

The First Model 26.5 was a larger-bore version of the 12-gauge shotgun, using the same two securing screws.

The Second Model 26.5 differed in that it used a long, thick metal locking bar with a turned-down bolt-handle, like the metal bolt on a bolt-action rifle, which locked into a recess machined into the frame. This slid through a round sleeve atop each half of the weapon to secure the two halves. When the bolt was unlatched and pulled to the rear, the back-plate was turned to the operator's right using the rear grip, allowing access to the cylinder. The operator could then pull out the spent shells and reload fresh ones.

Barrel and cylinder inserts were available to allow it to fire 12-gauge shells or clusters of .38 Special rounds.

In 1938, Manville introduced a twelve round gun with a 37mm bore. This version fired 37mm x 5.5 inch Long (37mm x 127mmR) flare, smoke, or tear gas shells and was designed for police and security use. It was meant to be used in an indirect fire mode and had its barrel mounted at the bottom of the cylinder rather than the top. Its greater weight prohibited its use by any but the strongest of men, since it was designed to be fired from a tripod or pintle mount.

History:

The Indiana National Guard used 26.5mm Manville guns to break up mobs of strikers during the Terre Haute General Strike of 1935. They fired flare and tear gas shells at strikers until they dispersed.

Police and military forces found the Manville guns to be large and heavy, resulting in limited sales. The Manville company ceased production of the weapons in 1943, after which Charles Manville destroyed all machinery, dies, diagrams and notes.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...91677d2bc1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7285b74c64.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f3306b18e5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d0889839fc.jpg

The last pic I took at my local gun show, it was for sale for only $2500.

This IS the original “Street Sweeper”.


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Star Super Modelo B
 

The Star Modelo B is based on John Moses Brownings’ Classic 1911 but with some Spanish changes. It fires the 9mm Largo round which is not to be confused with the .38 Super. 9mm Largo is as the name suggests a lengthened 9mm. 9mm Luger is 9x19 and 9mm Largo is 9x21. However it is not as hot as the .38 Super so the rounds are defiantly not interchangeable. It lacks the beaver tail safety and uses a different barrel bushing, also the take down lever is not removable during field stripping. The usual plunger for the safety is also done away with. The pictures are mine but rather than butcher the history and details I am cutting and pasting an excellent review however the original pictures in the review did not copy over so I will provide a link to the original article as well.

https://i.imgur.com/o1WK4zl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KnS6VBF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Z3PJbmG.jpg

9mm on the left and 9mm Largo on the right.
https://i.imgur.com/d3Ka7bd.jpg


Star Modelos Super

A brief history of the Star Modelos Super.
First a brief note on reference material for Star Pistols. The Star factory had a habit of changing characteristics on it's firearms without changing model names. Therefore you may find conflicting information than given here, and your Star may exhibit characteristics not mentioned here.
The Star Modelos Super were produced by the firm of Star Bonifacio Echeverria S.A. in Eibar, Spain.
After World War II the engineers at Star dusted off the plans for the Modelo M (9mm Largo/38 ACP) and decided some improvements were in order. The Modelo M continued to be produced, but the Modelos Super made improvements on its design and were produced from 1946 until 1983 when it was discontinued. Over its life, the Supers were offered in seven chamberings. In 1946 the Super M was debuted in 9mm Largo and 38 Super, soon the Modelo A (9mm Largo) underwent 'Superization' to become the Super A. Later that year the Modelo C (9mm Browning Long) was 'Superized as well, but was only produced in limited trial quantities. The Modelo B (9mm Luger) was also modified in this year to become the Super B. The year 1948 saw the addition of the Modelos SI (.32 ACP), and S (.380 ACP, 22 ozs.). In 1950 the Modelo D (.380 ACP, smaller than a Super S) was modified, in 1958 the Modelo P (.45 ACP) and finally in 1971 the Modelo SM (.380 ACP with adjustable rear sight) was modified. Production of all Super Models continued until 1983, except for the Super C (1946 only), Super D (1950 only) and Super P (1958 only).
The Super A and Super M were produced concurrently in 9mm Largo and .38 ACP. The two differences in these models is an enlarged breech face on the Super M that will allow the semi-rimmed .38 ACP cartridge to fully chamber and the Super A weighing 2ozs. less than the Super M. These pistols have their barrels marked 9mm/38.
There were 8 changes made to the basic pistol designs to make them Super models.
1. addition of a loaded chamber indicator
2. addition of a full magazine indicator in the magazine
3. sights were changed by the addition of white inlay to improve target acquisition in low light
4. recoil spring was made captive on the spring guide
5. swinging barrel link (M1911 style) was replaced with a cam system (Browning Hi-Power style)
6. addition of a quick takedown lever to the right side
7. magazine safety was changed
8. trigger system was changed
The magazine safety of the Super is an interesting design. When the magazine is inserted it forces the takedown lever to the right (out), moving a shoulder out of the sear's path of movement. When the magazine is removed the takedown lever moves to the left (in) blocking the sear's path of movement.




Many people mistake the 'S.A.' in the Star name and stamped on the slide of Star pistols to be a model designation. I constantly see Star pistols listed on online auction sites as "Star Model S.A. 9mm pistol." These normally turn out to be Star Modelo A, B, and Super pistols. The 'S.A.' is actually a Spanish abbreviation for 'Sociedad Anónima', the English equivalent would be 'corporation' or 'incorporated.' As with other late Star pistols, model types can be determined by looking at the butt of the pistol. This, combined with the caliber will tell which model of Super you have. Modelo Super Bs are marked 'B Super', but I don't know about the other Supers. With a .380 ACP model you also have to take note of weight and sights; the S weighs 22ozs, the D is lighter than this, and the SM has an adjustable rear sight.


The year of production on Star firearms can be approximated by the Year of Proof Codes. The pistol should have been proofed shortly after manufacture, and surely not before. This is normally located on the left side of the frame forward of the slide stop.
The Star Modelos Super are disassembled much like other Browning High Power style pistols. The Supers have been out of production for many years now and there are no known stocks of new parts for them. Used parts, however, are available from a variety of sources. An exploded parts diagram is available to help identify the various parts of the pistol. An Adobe PDF file of the original Spanish owner's manual is available (22.8Mb) as is an English translation of the complete disassembly instructions.
When 9mm Largo ammunition was hard to find in quantity shooters regularly fired other cartridges such as the 9mm Luger, 9mm Steyr, 9mm Browning Long, etc in their 9mm Largo firearms. Many dealers and distributors also claimed the firearms would fire all of these and more. This however is not a prudent practice to engage in. The Star Modelos A and M, like all pistols firing straight walled cartridges, headspace on the mouth of the cartridge. When a cartridge shorter than the 23mm of the 9mm Largo is used, the cartridge case cannot headspace against the end of the chamber. This leaves only the extractor to hold the cartridge case against the breechface allowing the firing pin to impact the primer. This causes excessive wear and stress on the extractor, too much freebore (the distance from the bullet to the beginning of the rifling), and scoring of the chamber walls. The result of these abnormalities can result in broken/misshapen extractors, poor accuracy, and the inability to chamber and extract correct size cases.
The use of cartridges that produce too much chamber pressure is also discouraged. Yes, the .38 Super and 9x23mm Winchester will chamber in most 9mm Largo firearms, and if they will chamber they will fire. The metallurgy and design of the Modelo Super were not developed to handle the pressure of these rounds. Use of these type cartridges in the Modelo Super risks damage to the pistol and possibly yourself through a ruptured chamber, fractured slide, or fractured frame.
Ammunition in 9mm Largo is now available from a number of sources. Surplus ammunition is now coming into the country in shootable quantities and is available at some gunshops, many gunshows, and via mailorder. Factory new 9mm Largo ammunition is being made by CCI in their Blazer line (product number 3513) with a 124g Gold Dot Hollow Point bullet. If you reload RCBS makes dies in 9mm Largo (product number 56665), these are not a normally stocked item and require special order. You can also utilize 9x23mm Winchester dies to reload 9mm Largo, the exterior case dimensions are almost identical. Starline also produces virgin 9mm Largo brass for reloading. Gone are the days of manufacturing cases out of .223 Remington (done that, not fun), 9mm Winchester Magnum (done that, much easier) or other cases.

Star Pistol Timeline

Link to the original write up:

http://9mmlargo.com/star_spr/index.htm

I think you need bigger pics funny
I have been temped a couple of times to get a Star B. Sarco sells them from time to time. You might have pushed me over the edge now.

Yeah I never know how to scale them down in Imgur. Hopefully someone will be along who can shrink them.

Just make sure you can get 9mm Largo. They do make conversion barrels for 9mm but you also need the conversion spring as well.

I wasn't really that familiar with 38 ACP (I thought that might be a typo at first) so I looked it up.
One of JMB's creations, of course. Would have been the standard 9mm if it hadn't been eclipsed by the 9mm Luger.
It's actually still with us in the form of the 38 Super which is basically just a 38 ACP +P. Same case dimensions but stronger case.
http://www.cotep.org/forum/picture.p...&pictureid=888

They have them for $195 right now.... is this a decent price?

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/starbspistol.aspx

Yes..... with surplus firearms, the less they are available the more the price goes up. Snatch one up now before the prices jumps to $400+


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