Star-Firearms

You are right, I am not answering emails

2011-06-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

There are a couple reasons. First, I've been slipping because I am busy. My job takes me out of town 4-5 days a week now. I get good money, but have much less spare time.

And if I have spare time, I have freelance clients. And I've been writing this entire book. Which is being edited now, so there's still months of changes to do.

And I am editing another book (on webkit development, if you care) for Wiley's "Smashing" series.

And there are other hobbies where I end up making documents, doing webdesign, making maps, etc. It's a busy life. And that's before you get to having a house, and a wife and up to 5 foster kids at a time.

Second, because my hosting service is stupid. And I never really made a good way for you to get ahold of me. The email has failed, basically. Sometimes I can't even receive, but haven't been able to send from that account for months. So, now I am going to get emails at the new, more sensible address questions@star-firearms.com. Some day I'll get around to answering the emails already received, but remember I am busy still. Could be months.

This does make me sad, as I also have entire manuals, and thousands of photos to get through. Plenty to do on the site, even without answering questions. So sad really.

Which leads me to a question to all of you. What other support systems would you like? I used to run a forum, but it got out of hand so took it down long ago. I was thinking of maybe a Facebook page. I'll moderate, preferably with things like the ability of you guys to say posts are inappropriate to keep the spam low. But then you guys can buy and sell stuff, answer questions yourselves, etc.

Thoughts?

Colt Hartford M30 For Sale

2011-02-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

Not by me. Just up on Guns America

http://www.gunsamerica.com/946367984/Guns/Pistols/Colt-Automatic-Pistols/Colt_Star_Model_30_PK_9mm_Prototype_Pistol.htm#

They are asking $5000. Now, I'm not a Colt collector, but that still sounds steep.

Firestar on TV

2010-12-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

In the most recent episode of Psych (s5e13 We'd Like to Thank the Academy), one of the more sympathetic less bad guys has a black M243Firestar Plus, and near the end James Roday carries it around, rather clearly, before it is lost and picked up by Ralph Macchio (of all people. All in a well-lit area, in HD.

I no longer have my video capture box, but took some photos with the DSLR which might turn out. Will post if they do, when I get time (I now travel for work, pretty much all week, so time is very limited all of a sudden).

Anyone else is free to grab them if they have the ability, though, or post any other photos of Star firearms you see in film or TV.

More Date and Proof Info

2010-11-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

I've added a bit to the page about dating your gun. No, not a serial number lookup table. But there are a few oddities to add. One is an explanatory piece of paper I got forwarded that refers to a post-1995 system where serial numbers are in this code which includes dates. I see no evidence, but check your gun and see if it works.

The other is, apparently, a pistol with the date (month and year) in plain text.

I've also noticed that I don't say anywhere on the page the proofs can be hidden. So, now that's added. I wondered why everyone emailed asking how to find them. Well, I guess just because I know something doesn't mean I remembered to add it to the page and tell you guys. Oops.

Check it all out here:
http://star-firearms.com/firearms/proof.shtml

Who Here Reads Hebrew?

2010-11-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

You know, I forgot I made this a Blogger account, so it's a snap to add posts, and people can respond. So, when I get gossip, interesting stuff, and questions, I'll try to remember to add them. I'll probably forget, but I'll try.

So, an astute reader sent this in:

It's Hebrew. Well, I am prettysure. Which is interesting, but everything I am gonna say here is speculation and rumor and based on hearsay and informed guesses.

The Israelis imported everything they could get. For a long time, simply because they had no arms industry, and of course they have constantly been surrounded by folks who want to kill them. Rifles, MGs, mortars, etc. took priority over handguns, which were imported at least in part up through the 70s. Then, again more recently but that's another story.

I have heard of mass shipments of Stars, especially the smaller service type Classic era guns. Many were not issued out, but they were there. Supposedly, the big run of BM/BKM guns that came in a few years back in such good shape were all ex-Israeli stocks.

But this actually has Hebrew marks. Not good ones -- those are hand stamps -- so it was probably done by a local (Police or Army) unit armorer, who also assigned it a number.

Anyway, what would help is if we knew what it said. Anyone?

Working a Little Again

2010-11-26T18:35:00.001-08:00

Sorry it's been like over 6 months since any serious work here. Work got busy, then disappeared, so I spend my time looking for a job now. And, I got a book contract (for mobile design patterns, you probably don't care) which will eventually be great, but doesn't exactly pay the bills now. Busy.

Anyway, your continuous emails finally guilted me into answering (over 50 just today!) and a few tweaks to the site also were added.

LMO has Largo ammo. I knew this, but somehow it never got on the site.

There is a new HK photo and a few tweaks to the page.

There may be a system to get dates from certain serial numbers. Check the bottom of this page, and see what you can come up with on your post 1995 guns.

Additionally, I've been sent a handful of manuals, which will be updated, and a lot of other neat info that is too much to get through immediately. I'll work on it, I promise.

Megastar Manual!

2010-02-07T18:26:00.001-08:00

I have done several updates this weekend:

There is a first generation model C! Had to be, I thought, but now I have seen one thanks to an astute reader in Spain, and have updated the model C page accordingly.

While poking around in pocket pistols, I realized I never finished the model I. Probably other stuff, but I went ahead and "finished" this. Yes, there are questions and holes and not enough examples, but at least you can read my notes, and it's organized well enough now. A good future task will be to make an ID guide for the pocket pistols. Especially since people are coming to me, referred by the NRA, with wildly incorrect identifications.

And lastly, I have obtained a manual for the Megastar! This is among the most requested, and I have never been able to get one. It's pretty low-res, so if you have better, scan it well and send it on over. For true fans, there's also a brochure on the Megastar I have included at the bottom of the page. Enjoy all the glowing text and exciting photos.

New manual!

2010-01-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

Reader Lewis Tabor has sent us a manual for the Model D pistols. Very interestingly, it's for the Garicia / Fi version, adding a little more context to that part of the story.

This sort of thing is how most of the content of the site came to be. I answer lots of questions via email, but here and there I get a really good photo, a hint about disassembly, or parts, or a new manual. If you have something that is not on the site, please send it over, or talk about it in this thread.

This Model D manual is available right now for free download from the manuals page. It is NOT yet in the printed version you can buy, but will be soon enough. Contact me or respond here if you really want it, and I'll spend the time sooner rather than later to work that out.

Printed manuals now available!

2009-08-13T08:38:00.001-07:00

Finally, I have a good excuse for no visible updates. I have been gathering up the manuals into one location, and making them formatted for printing.

This not 100% done. Shortly, instead of spread all around, every manual will be stored in one place and (as well as accessed from each relevant firearm page) will be listed in the table here:
http://star-firearms.com/firearms/manuals/index.shtml

That way, in the very likely case we don't have the right manual, you can make a good guess as to which one to download instead.

More exciting, I think, is the printed version. There's now a nice, spiral bound (so it lays flat and you don't fight it while handling the gun) version of every manual I have for handguns (I figured there aren't too many SMG owners) in either color or economy black & white editions. At 277 pages, if you are a Star owner, you probably want one of these.
Buy the color edition now 227 pages $59.95
Buy the black & white edition now 227 pages $19.95

The PDF manuals for download will remain at full resolution, and totally free. I take a few bucks off the top of each book sale, but as with the T-shirts and donations, this is for site upkeep. I'll lower prices a bit if I sell so many I don't know what to do with the money. Again, like the T-shirts, almost all of the price you pay is for the product itself, so there's only so much I can do about that.

No, this is not complete. And I need your help to complete it. I am desperate for a Megastar manual, and now realize I don't have a good Super manual. If I cannot find one, I will be happy enough making one myself. So, anyone in the KC metro area with a Super, tell me and maybe we can meet and I'll take lots of notes and photos, and just make a maintenance guide of sorts.