Star BM 9mm Vs. Kel-Tec P11

[Grapeshot]

Been thinking about purchasing a good, cheap 9mm for range fun and for concealed carry. Problem is, funds are limited (so I won't be buying the Kahr MK9 I really want) and these are the only two guns in my price range.

Since my favorite mode of carry is pocket carry, I'm thinking the P11 would be best ... but on the other hand, I've always preferred the single-action trigger of a 1911-styled gun.

Can someone tell me if the Star BM's are any good? I've heard absolutely nothing about them, but SOG is selling them right now for a great price (used, Exc. condition). If it functioned reliably, I'd rather have the Star. But is my luck that good?

 

[leej]

The Star BM is a very, very good gun. They came with both a steel and an aluminum frame.

If you want an even smaller Star try the Star M43 starlight. I have one and it is much smaller than my BM is. I like my BM but for a carry piece the smaller Star M43 is the way to go. It is built like a tank, accurate and completely reliable. It is only about the size of a Walther PPK/s. Its only drawback is its weight. It is very heavy for such a small pistol. Of course its recoil is almost non-existant because of its weight. You can empty it about twice as fast as the aluminum frame BM Star but the aluminum frame Star although it is bigger is lighter in weight to carry.

The Starlight also has a lot of desirable features. It has a checkerd front and rear strap, beveled mag well, ajustable sights, checkered trigger guard, white and orange dot sights, large ejection port, loaded chamber indicator and rubber grips and excellent trigger pull, and an ambidextrius safety. I do not think that Star left anything out on this gun.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. The little Star BM 9mm pistols were pretty neat little guns in my opinion. In size, they're a bit larger than a Colt Officer's, but smaller than the Commander. They are thinner.

I've owned a few over the years and all shot pretty well and they do seem to be reliable with JHPs so long as you use ones with rounded ogives similar to ball ammo. I would stay with standard pressure rounds in this gun.

The problem with the Star pistols now is that spare parts are not so easy to get as they once were as Star Bonafacio Escheverria is out of business. These guns will break firing pins if dry fired much at all.

On the other hand, they can be found at pretty low prices.

Best.

 

[DMSC]

I've owned 3 Star BM pistols and one BKM (alloy frame).

The first one (the BKM) was a great pistol. It did need a bit of work to get it reliable with JHP ammo. I sold it after I was offered a fair sum for it.

Several years later, I found a BM for sell at a great price, so I bought it. It was a real jam-o-matic, even after I had a local smith work on it. No matter what we tried, this gun would not feed jhp ammo. Bye-bye!

I still had the itch for a BM so I bought another BM a short time later. This one ended in the same fashion as the previous one.

Being a persistent sort, when I found another BM, I bought it! Well, the third time was the charm as they say. This gun, with minor work, was reliable with jhp ammo. It ended up going to a smith for a trigger job and to be refinished. A local gunsmith friend found a set of checkered wood grips in the Gunparts Corp. catalog.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that, in my experience, the Star BM/BKM pistols CAN be great guns. That is, IF you find a good one.

I really think most of the spotty reliability is the fault of less than great magazine design. Star made two different style followers for the BM/BKM mags. The trouble is, one isn't any better than the other. I've tried both styles and could not find the one that worked better than the other.

Here's a neat Star site:

http://www.donttouchme.com/star/index.html

 

[Grapeshot]

Mr. Camp,

In your opinion, would the Star BM make an adequate self-defense piece for a cheapskate? Would the Kel-tec be more reliable?

I am not all that concerned with using hollow points in either gun, as I can't afford to practice much with them.

You speak of extra parts not being available ... do these things break that frequently, being all-steel? Or is the steel soft?

Where could I get extra mags for the BM?

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. Extra magazines can be bought at various places. I think CDNN has them, but they can be found.

Yes, I think the Star BM would make a viable defensive arm for a
"cheapskate," as you put it. (Bahahahahahahha!)

I do think the steel is a little soft, and I don't think they would hold up to the volume of shooting that an IPSC master might do over the years, but for the average shooter, they're fine.

The firing pin seems to be the weak point in the design, but that's only because of the way it's retained; there's a verticle steel pin that is held in by the rear sight and it fits in a notch in the firing pin. When dry fired, the firing pin smacks the vertical pin. Over time, this can weaken, crack and break the firing pin. These are difficult to find.

The thumb safety disengages the hammer from the sear and is a very good system in my view.

Best.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

The Star Firestar Plus would be a better gun than the BM.

I sold my Kel-Tec P11 after I found a Firestar Plus.

Similar size, and because the Firestar Plus has an ALLOY frame rather than steel, it is much lighter than the normal Star handguns.

I have two. Very accurate; very reliable; and if you choose to do so, their triggers can be made to be very crisp, indeed.

I used my P-11 in local IDPA matches. Normally I have some of the best times, but with my P-11, I seldom got out of the middle of the pack. The first time I tried my Firestar Plus, I had the lowest overall score.

They're available on various auction sites for around $200. I picked one in ANIB condition at a pawnshop for $129.

The larger 13 round mags are still available, but the .40 s&w Star Firestar Plus mag works in the 9, and gives you 13 rounds, too. And they are more reasonably priced.

Check out the Firestar Plus before you spring for other Stars.

(The Kel-Tec isn't a bad choice, either, but it takes a lot more practice and shooting to become proficient than I was willing to expend. Parts won't be a problem, and you can do your own gunsmithing...)

 

[Grapeshot]

Thanks guys ... Walt,

I am sortof limited in my choices as there aren't a lot of used guns around here and those the pawn shops do have are overpriced junk.

I would love to have a Firestar, but simply haven't seen one. I don't have a lot of confidence in gun trading on the 'net (I'd be the guy that got fleeced!), so I don't really think this is an option.

I will keep my eye out though.

My gun-forum research seems to point out a lot of durability issues with the Kel-tec, BTW, so I'm leaning toward the BM.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

The real problems with the Kel-Tec P-11 is NOT durability.

If you get one that works, and the vast majority of them now come that way from the factory, the problem will be getting where you can hit something with it.

The gun is accurate, but it takes a lot of practice to master the long, heavy Double-Action-Only trigger. The trigger can be made to be smooth, and "smooth" makes it seem lighter.

Even if durability were a problem, the gun is pheonomenally simple. You can do a major rebuild of the gun yourself.

If you haven't visited WWW.KTOG.ORG, you need to do so. (Once there, click on "Tech Works".)

(The other option, in the same price range, is a short-barreled S&W revolver.)
-----------------
An aside:

I've done a lot of gun buying and selling over the internet and haven't been burned, yet.

I done everything from sell inexpensive C&R rifles to other C&R license holders, to sell a $1500 SIG P-210-6 to a guy in Florida. (It temporarily got lost in the mail due to the fact that my dealer addressed it wrong. I was sweating bullets, as I already had the check in the bank, and the gun was missing...) I've bought quite a few guns from others through the internet, too.

The secret is to 1) do business through a licensed dealer, and 2) use a certified check or postal money order as the means of payment.

Then, if things go sour in the deal, you have the BATF and the US Postal Service as helpful friends to chase down the culprit. Its not guaranteed to be error free, but is close to it.

 

[alamo]

I agree with Walt, durability is not the issue. The trigger is not for everyone and it does take some practice to get used to it. The trigger shoe/trigger stop can help with this issue.

 

[Grapeshot]

Thanks for the info, Walt!

I just purchased the Star BM so we'll see how well it goes. I wish it were a Firestar, but oh well, I didn't pay that much for it, either.

CDNN has BM clips for $11.99!

 

[Erich]

Back in the old days, before everyone made a mini-9, a lot of cops used to carry BMs/BKMs as back ups. It has a lot of oomph for a small (old-timey) package.

I hope you like yours! (I saw those on SOG's site and started thinking that maybe I needed one. Then I remembered all the other things I need first.) Please post with a report.

 

[Grapeshot]

Be glad to, Erich. Probably won't till next week though, that SOG sure is slow about getting guns out.

BTW, it was the old-timeyness that convinced me ... I just hate polymer.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

The Kel-Tec P-11, incidentally, does not have a polymer frame.

Its aluminum with a plastic/polymer cover. Feels different than a polymer frame gun, and its certainly lighter than you'd expect.