Alright...who's dumping their Star collection????

B

Big Shrek

New member
I'm finding a buttload of Stars in almost every pawn shop & gun shop
in the tri-county area of Northwest Florida...
reportedly, it's the same guy selling them all over the place...

STOP DOING THAT!!
Selling to a pawn shop means you are getting ripped off, it's that simple.
If you are pawning them & loosing 'em, even worse.

Because there are idiots like me that'll buy 'em at the prices the shops are asking...
well, after some hagglin, of course...can't let pawn shops make too much ;)

You'd be far better off doing auctions on the auction sites,
some even allow State Only auctions...
so your buyer has to be from your state...
which saves you all kinds of BATF headaches ;)

And ESPECIALLY since there are more than a few Star collectors in NWF...

Although, whoever did the truly terrible cold-blue refinish of that 30PK
that I found in Crestview, wow...
next time, Parkerize it, it'll look closer to Star's OEM finish. :)
 
People who pawn guns or sell to dealers want quick and easy cash.

They don't want to wait around for someone to come along and make an offer.
 
bleep pawn shops, basically places for druggies to sell their parents stuff after they've sold everything they owned. Then you have the idiots behind the counter that thinks an unknown history of a device makes it worth 80% of new after paying 20% for it. Hard to believe there's scum out there that ranks below car salesmen.

If you have anything you want to sale, post it in your local BST facebook site, or on MEWE if it's firearm related.
 
I've seen more Stars lately also. I'm in Upstate SC. I wonder if there has been a bunch come through a surplus dealer? I have seen a few really nice Model 30s. Normally a rare bird for sure!
 
I'm hanging on to my only Star, a PD bought new over 35 years ago!

I don't see many Stars for sale around here but jumped all over an old Llama .45ACP going for $200 a couple years ago.

Parts? Parts you say? Who needs stinkin' parts anyway! :D
 
Pawn shops are a good full step above flea markets for selling stolen goods. Most make an attempt to work with law enforcement to return stolen stuff to it's owner. I have seen guns recovered as many as 15 years after the crime when a second or third owner takes one in to sell.
 
In the past sixteen years I've only had two pawn shops be difficult in the recovery of stolen property. I explained to them that knowingly selling stolen property was against the law, but even more importantly they would lose their license for refusing to work with the police which is an ordinance in my city. Those two shops were pretty seedy and both are now out of business. All the other pawn shops have been very easy to work with and I've bought a few guns from them over the years.
 
While I would never sell a gun to a pawn shop, I do stop in and see what they have. Best deal was a unfired Henry Golden Boy in 22WMR for $200. Still had the tags on it.:D
 
bleep pawn shops, basically places for druggies to sell their parents stuff after they've sold everything they owned. Then you have the idiots behind the counter that thinks an unknown history of a device makes it worth 80% of new after paying 20% for it. Hard to believe there's scum out there that ranks below car salesmen.
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I'm one of those "idiots behind the counter" and you don't know what you are talking about. You can't make a broad generalization like that.....unless, of course, you are Hillary Clinton.

Selling to a pawn shop means you are getting ripped off, it's that simple.
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Unless someone is forcing you to sell your firearm at gunpoint how is anyone getting ripped off? It's an offer, take it or leave it.
 
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Where are you seeing Stars in the upstate? I'd be a buyer if the price and condition was right.

I only shop at Dewey's since it's cleaner and better lit than most pawn shops. I've also scored some decent deals there over the years.
 
To be honest, ya'll are both kinda right...

Pawn Shops make their money by taking in things
at an average of 1/4th to 1/5th of it's Estimated value...
Some Special items they'll take in at around Half,
like a Gibson top-end guitar...because they know it'll flip fast...
they then have to hold the item a minimum of 30 days,
(if it was sold to them) and wait until it sells to recoup their money...
if it was a pawn, they have to wait until the pawn deal has expired,
and then an additional 30 days after that...
So they do tie up money for awhile in pawns.

Items like Star Pistols, which have a great rep,
but sell slow, as most folks have no flippin clue about 'em...
they take in low...1/4th to 1/5th of value...
If the PS is LUCKY, they've got a buyer like me running through
on a regular basis...who not only knows old oddball guns,
but buys the bleep outta 'em...
Granted, there is a trade-off, I'll haggle 'em down like gangbusters...
many now just check the 'Puter real fast, add $50 to what they took it
in at, and sell it to me to get it flipped fast ;)
At the same time, I'll give 'em a history lesson on 'em...
New Dude at Jay's Guns literally was not born while Star was in Biz...
so while buying one pistol, I gave him the info on it and it's brother...
the brother being a Star 30PK...so NOW, he can sell it more effectively!

Heck, how many know that the Star number models are all designed
so that once you remove the slide disassembly lever,
it was made to push ALL the other pins out of the pistol?
Tool-less disassembly...back in the 80's Star was the only one doing it.
 
I only have experience with 2 stars, and one isn't even a true star.
my little brother's Ballester Molina 1938 is supposedly closer to stars than 1911s but I love that pistol aside from the fact that tolerances are horribly inconsistent, I bought him a new set of grips for it and the holes don't line up at all.

the other is a star 9mm semi compact, that thing actually drew blood the first time I shot it from the super short, and low beavertail.

given that small sample size, I'm not a huge fan. I do agree with the OP that if it's the same guy selling them all he's a moron, taking $50 a gun from pawn shops. I don't sell to pawn shops, and I don't buy from them unless they're desperate for a sale.
 
Not all Pawn Shops are crooks...or take advantage of sellers or buyers.

I happen to have a pawn shop in my area...that is the best gun shop in the area...in fact many of us use his shop to custom order guns from Wilson Combat, Freedom Arms, shotguns from Browning, etc.../ he has a great network of wholesalers and is a certified dealer for many mfg's.

...and he has a great used gun inventory ( semi-autos and revolvers, shotguns and rifles...) ...and new guns in inventory...probably a 50/50 mix of new and used. Family run business - and they do it right / and treat sellers fairly - if they want to sell or pawn. If I had to guess...right now he probably has 300 - 400 handguns for sale / probably 100 shotguns ( Mossberg, Rem -- to Browning, Beretta, Kolar, Krieghoff...) / ...probably 150 rifles...bolt action, semi-auto, etc..

I'm mostly a buyer...not a seller...but I have traded some guns to him that I didn't want .../ and I've probably bought 40 guns from him over the last 20 years...
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Just like all "gun shops" are not great guys...give the Pawn Shops a break too. Spend your money with the shops you like !!
 
Items like Star Pistols, which have a great rep,
but sell slow, as most folks have no flippin clue about 'em...
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BigShrek you are correct. I am one of the people that have no clue about them. I was under the impression that they were cheaply made Spanish guns. I did have a Star BM9 that I shot a little and then traded off. It was nice and compact but a little heavy.

It would be good if you could start a thread and educate us a little. Maybe I should be on the lookout for them if I know what to look for.

As for Pawn Shops they are what they are. And no one is forcing another to sell to them. Not too far away from me (70 miles) in Waco is a place called Praco Pawn and those people have been great to deal with. I have bought several guns from them all at a fair price and two of the guns could only be found in stock there. I bought a Ruger Red Label for my son and two Marlins, a 357 and 45-70 and felt like I was treated right on all the deals.
 
I only have experience with 2 stars, and one isn't even a true star.
my little brother's Ballester Molina 1938 is supposedly closer to stars than 1911s but I love that pistol aside from the fact that tolerances are horribly inconsistent, I bought him a new set of grips for it and the holes don't line up at all.

the other is a star 9mm semi compact, that thing actually drew blood the first time I shot it from the super short, and low beavertail.
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The Argentine Ballester's tolerances are just fine. The grips' tolerances were off!
 
The Ballister-Molina doesn't accept 1911 grips...
have to get grips made only for it...
there are sources for some beautiful wooden ones!!
often wondered if Star P series grips would fit?
 
I saw a Star Model 28/30/31 series in the case of my favorite local south Georgia pawn shop today. I should have looked at it closer, & I'll check it out if its still there next Saturday. We are next to the Florida line, so it might be spillover from the glut the OP mentions.

I'll also have to defend this pawn shop regarding firearms. They are the best LGS for selection & price on used guns. I've bought and sold several guns with them, and they pay fair money for used guns. I had a shakey experience on a private sale, so I'd rather sell to these guys within $25 to $50 of a private sale. You can't paint all pawn shops with the same broad strokes of criticism.
 
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It would be good if you could start a thread and educate us a little. Maybe I should be on the lookout for them if I know what to look for.
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While the Letter Models of pre-1980's did run on the simple side of things,
they went bang and gave few issues :)
Some were even used by Hitler's forces, so there's good & bad there as well.
Hollywood also made quite a lot of use of the B models,
since the 9mm blanks worked far better than the .45 blanks,
Magnum PI being one of many famous series that used them instead of 1911's.

The Post-1980 Number Models is where Star really started to shine,
had the squishy not hit the fan in Spain, Star would have really taken off.
Their Starvel finish has held up well to the test of time.
Model 28's start the series, which were attempts at the US military contract.
It didn't do as well as hoped, so they improvised & remade into the Model 30.

The 30 series M/PK/etc...and 31 (.40S&W) were well liked by those who carried them...
which include many Spanish Police Departments and tons of US security guards...
since is was less expensive than many others on the market.
I found its 15+1 capacity to be to my liking, accuracy was right on the money.
It utilized S&W 5900 series magazines...go figure...
Still have two Star mags in storage, waiting for the time when I find another one ;)

The Firestar compact Series is well loved & respected.
Models 43 (9mm), 40 (.40S&W) & 45 (.45acp)
are all exceptional performers and surprisingly slightly more accurate
than their nearest competition, the S&W Chief's Special series...
although that is likely due to the smart things Star did,
which was to put the controls in the frame like a 1911, instead of in the slide...
that allowed them to utilize a slightly longer barrel in the same size slide...
and that, of course, gives an edge in accuracy.
And yet again, they use S&W mags...the 9mm uses the 3900 series mags,
the 45 uses CS45/4500-series mags...you just have to add mag catch holes...
but the .40 version is an oddball with its own mags.

This leads to the Firestar Plus, the double-stack mags,
coupled with the reliability of the Firestar line,
means that they do very well as a compact concealable :)
I'll post pics of my new one in a few weeks...put one on layaway last week!

Then, you have the Full Size line of MEGASTARS, in .45acp & 10mm
basically full-size versions of the Firestar, with all the bells & whistles!


And Star also started up a line of pistols meant to compete with Glock,
the Ultrastar 105 & 205, the 105 was the first Gen, and the 205 was the Final...
utilizing a steel skeleton inside the polymer was a stroke of genius!
Fun part about these...they soak up felt recoil like crazy!!
the .40S&W version is like shooting a .32acp!!

When the Spanish Economy folded, it nailed a lot of businesses...
however, some workers from Star and Astra got together,
created ASTAR, and made the last pistol created by Star,
calling it the 8800. Never seen one in person, but I'd love to :)

That's a quick Star primer...for more info there are writeups already on here...
on the ones I own, at least!
 
The Ballister-Molina doesn't accept 1911 grips...
have to get grips made only for it...
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I did get ballister molina grips, I also tried 1911 grips, also off by quite a bit.
sorry for the little bit of a derail.
 
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