Cruzer wrote:
OK, so 13 rounds of 9mm comes to about 7 oz. Making the Firestar Plus around 31 oz. loaded. Now, I am not a fan of heavy trigger DAOs, so I wasn't questioning whether the Firestar Plus is a good SA gun (sounds very interesting). It just isn't a "small" 9mm in my estimation...
I can't find measurements anywhere, but the gun is smaller than it looks or seems. If you lay a Firstar Plus along side a Kel-Tec, Kahr P-9, or small Glock, they all look about the same size.
I've had a Kel-Tec P11. It was my carry gun for a couple of years. It was a good gun, but I could never shoot it all that well under pressure/stress. Just punching paper, it was very accurate. And mine was unfailingly reliable.
I tried the P-11 in a local IDPA match and finished down in the pack; the following month I tried the Star Firestar Plus (which I had picked up at a pawn shop for $129) -- and had the top time -- despite mags that don't readily drop free. The P-11 trigger was a chore.
I've tried shooting the small Glocks, and find the grips too short for my hand, hard to grip well, and generally unpleasant to shoot. I think they're less concealable than they should be. The holster I first bought for the Star Firestar was a Galco IWBfor one of the small Glocks and the Star kinda rattled around inside the holster. (I've since gotten a custom holster that fits it right.)
The Kahr P-9 is great little gun, and I'd give it serious consideration if I were buying new. I a little put off by its single-stack mag -- I don't like its limited capacity. The steel Kahrs are too darned heavy. Great trigger in the P-9 I shot. Suprisingly smooth and light!
The Star, like the Glock, has the same trigger pull every time, and it doesn't feel like you're crushing a styrofoam cup. (Grinning and ducking after that shot...)
But in terms of bang for the buck, I think the little Star Firestar Pluses are hard to beat. And if you can find one in .40 -- they made some -- you'll have one heckuva gun.
