Star Model BM

In addition, the thumb safety on the Star BM blocks the hammer, whereas it blocks the motion of the sear on a 1911 and the Star's trigger pivots on a roll pin rather than moving straight back like a 1911A1's trigger to trip the sear. The pistol is fed by an 8-round detachable box magazine.

• Name — Star Model BM • Origin — Spain • Type — Semi-Automatic Pistol • Is Ranged — yes • Used By — See Users • Wars — * Rhodesian Bush War • Libyan Civil War • South African Border War • Manufacturer — Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A. • Production Date — 1972–1992 • Weight — 965 g • Length — 182 mm • Part Length — 99 mm • Caliber — 9mm Parabellum • Feed — 8-round box magazine • Sights — Fixed sights

• Illustration — An unloaded Star BM A total of 217,682 Star BM pistols were made between 1972 and 1992. BM serial numbers ranged from 1,226,501 to somewhere around 1,982,884. The pistols were made without mechanical variation throughout that period, but there may be numerous cosmetic variations depending on agency issue and commercial sales. In general, earlier pieces were more highly polished and later ones were more of a matte finish. After serial number 1,560,901 in 1981, all BM pistols were fitted with a ramped and serrated front sight. At approximately this same serial number a few other shortcuts were used to expedite production – a shorter rollmark/slide legend, coarser polish limited to the side of the slide and frame, and all the small parts were given a bead blast matte finish. The slide cocking serrations are also reduced in number on these later pistols. There have been at least four importers of ex-Spanish BMs to the United States: Garcia Sporting Arms, Interarms, PW Arms, and Century International Arms. Most imports in the US are arms that were traded in by various Spanish military branches to Star for exchange for newer model 28/30M and 28/30PK pistols. For the Interarms imports, Star reworked all these trade-ins prior to selling them to Interarms. Spain's Guardia Civil used BM's up through about 1990 or so as did many other police agencies in Europe and Latin America. The US-based gunsmith Timothy F. La France, the principal of LaFrance Specialties (formerly of San Diego, California) used the Star BM pistol as a basis to manufacture a sub-compact custom pistol called the NOVA 6-Pack, basically a Star BM shortened to pocket-size; the NOVA 6-Pack was manufactured only under custom order in a very small number of samples, and was, at one time, the smallest 9mm handgun in the world. In the motion-picture industry, particularly in the filming of war movies, a Star Model B pistol would often substitute for a Colt 1911, since the former works more reliably with blank ammunition, and the two appear quite similar from a distance. A handful of star BM variants were created, including the BKS and BKM. Mechanically they were identical, varying only in length, the BM being shorter than the BKS, with the main difference being a frame made out of alloy rather than steel.

• Action: Single-action w/locked breech • Barrel: 3.77" long w/1:10 rifling twist, swinging link with single lug • Weight: 2.14 lbs. • Length (From muzzle to rear of butt): 7.25" • Slide Width: 0.84" • Frame Width: 0.70" • Width across grips: 1.23" • Height (From bottom of grip to top of rear sight): 5.063" • Grips: Checkered brown or black plastic • Finish: Blue • Magazine disconnect: Yes (can be removed) • Sights: Notched rear blade and front ramp (serrated on some later models) • Extractor: External • Magazine Capacity: 8 • Beveled magazine well: Yes • Trigger: Vertically serrated, pivoting

• Libya • Rhodesia • South Africa: Used by the South African National Defence Force. • Spain: Was in service with Guardia Civil until it was replaced with the Beretta 92 around 2005.