Star Firearms

All weapons listed on this site are grouped into one of about 20 groupings. These groups are of my own devising, and while as accurate as I can make them, are not precisely picked up from the factory. I could be wrong. I have been in the past.

Below is a simple list of all the classes. Most are self-explanatory, but if you have trouble, go to the next tab on finding your model number. Or, just peruse the long list of weapons by caliber, which has some more information, but is broken out by every variant so is very long.

Early	Classic	Vest-Pocket & Target
Izarra Pre-1920 models No. 1 No. 2 1906 1908 1913 1914 1919 1920 1926 Model 1920 Model 1921	A Series .38 Super/9 mm Largo Certain "Super" pistols Military models 1922, 1931 & 1940 B Series 9 mm Parabellum/Luger Certain "Super" pistols Pistole '08 D Series M Series .38 Super/9 mm Largo P Series .45 ACP S Series S, SS, etc. in .380 SI, SIS, etc. in .32 S-Supers in .380 or .32	C Series E Series E Starlite F Series H Series I Series
Modern	Sub-Machine Gun	Rifle
Models 28, 30 & 31, Starfire Firestars Firestar M40, 43 & 45 M243 Firestar Plus Ultrastars 9 mm & .40 S&W M105 Prototype Megastars 10 mm & .45 ACP Model 316	Machine pistols Si35, RU35 & TN35 Z-45 Z-62 & Z-63 Z-75 & Z-84	Sporting Rifles Model 110 in .22 caliber Model R single shot break-open Double Rifles

Some basic information about Star firearms

A lot of the time I spend answering questions — I mean good questions, by people who at least try to read the site — is communicating some basics about how Star made or sold pistols,

I am not going to cover information detailed other places, like how to find your model number, how to find the date of manufacture, and other stuff. Look at the tabs across the top for these. Parts, spares and accessory dealers are in the Information tab.

Commercial vs. government issue

The Star factory considers most guns to be in one of two categories, either "commercial" or "military." Military means government issue, really, and includes the Guardia, and all domestic police forces as well as the conventional armed forces. Domestic is the critical word here. Firearms built for issue to a government outside of Spain are still generally considered to be "commercial" models. This is why the "Miliary" Model 1921 and the "Commercial" Model B can both have been issued to government troops.

To keep things simple, for myself mostly, I use these terms in the Star manner, so don't be confused.

"Super" models

Almost all "classic" era Star pistols, basically 1911-looking guns, were made in both original and Super variants. The original series employs a Colt/Browning swinging link, while the Super series use a Sig/Petter closed cam path system. The super models were almost always sold alongside the original style pistols, and did not supplant them. They are easily identifiable, aside from markings, from the takedown lever on the right side; conventional pistols will require removing the slide lock pin entirely.

Engraved and other custom work

The Star factory continued the traditions of Spanish arms makers in their love of the custom arm as well. There are many examples of finely engraved Star pistols, especially smaller guns as presentation pieces. The degree of customization and intricacy varies a great deal. The factory entertained true custom orders, but the best of these rarely pop up on the secondary market, and do generally command a significant price premium. Many, many guns were also made with semi-custom features, such as plated controls, special finishes or minor engraving. As Stars are not collectable, these generally bring no premium at all. If you want to start a collection, look for really nice Spanish handguns.

As a general rule, "pretty" customization, such as plating, anodizing and engraving can be assumed to come from the Eibar factory. Functional modifications (enlarged slide stops, magazine floorplates) will be aftermarket.

Importers

Okay, this one is covered other places, but I'll touch on it here. If a firearm was not built in your country, it was imported. In the US at least, and aside from special cases like war trophies, this was done by an importer. Importers have to stamp the gun with their identifying information. This should not be confused with the manufacturer info. Also, importers are usually very large dealers. Sometimes, special packages are made up for these dealers, of custom guns that are not necessarily cataloged otherwise. This adds a lot of confusion; a weird variant will suddenly become very common as a stockpile of some special order will appear.

What else have I missed?

I'll be adding more, but feel free to suggest info to add to this list.