Star Model PD
Encyclopedia
The Star Model PD is a compact and lightweight semi-automatic pistol which was manufactured from 1975 to 1990 by the firearms manufacturing company Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A.
, located in the city of Eibar
in the Basque
region of Spain
.
The Model PD can be loaded with six .45 ACP pistol cartridge
s in the detachable internal magazine
, plus one in the chamber
, and was very popular with police and civilian users in the self-defense and backup gun role, especially in the United States
.
The Star PD improved on its predecessor (Star Model PKM) by using a low-profile adjustable rear sight and by removing material from the slide and other small changes. These modifications, combined with its aluminum alloy
construction, resulted in a slim, compact, lightweight and relatively powerful pistol, revolutionary for the time. As it also bore an external resemblance to the well-known M1911
pistol, the gun sold very well in the U.S. until it was replaced in 1990 by the Firestar M45
.
This pistol began the trend towards the production by other manufacturers of compact 1911-style pistols, which continues to the present day. However, the pistol did have some flaws.
Very late-model PDs were built with manufacturing shortcuts, especially in the fabrication of the slide, and will not last as long as the earlier models. Even the earlier models are more likely to wear out more quickly with the use of full-power ammunition than steel-framed pistols due to the lightweight alloy construction. Well-known firearms writers such as Jeff Cooper applied the phrase "carried much, shot little" to the Star PD, and advocated purchasing two pistols - one for the practice range, and one for carry.
In addition, the pistol uses an internal plastic buffer
to reduce the battering effects of recoil
on the alloy frame. This buffer gradually wears with use, and requires replacement after firing approximately 1000 rounds. Failure to replace the buffer when required will accelerate wear on the pistol, and pieces of a disintegrating buffer may cause malfunctions
, quite possibly at critical times.
Despite these flaws, and with proper maintenance, the Star Model PD was generally very well liked, and still has a small following among firearms enthusiasts.
Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A.
Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A. was a manufacturer of small arms in the Basque region of Spain from about 1905 until 1997.-Bonifacio Echeverria and the ancestry of Star:...
, located in the city of Eibar
Éibar
Eibar is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. The city was chartered by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1346...
in the Basque
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
region of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The Model PD can be loaded with six .45 ACP pistol cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
s in the detachable internal magazine
Magazine (firearm)
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...
, plus one in the chamber
Chamber (weaponry)
In firearms, the chamber is that portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the cartridge is inserted prior to being fired. Rifles and pistols generally have a single chamber in their barrels, while revolvers have multiple chambers in their cylinders and no chamber in their barrel...
, and was very popular with police and civilian users in the self-defense and backup gun role, especially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Star PD improved on its predecessor (Star Model PKM) by using a low-profile adjustable rear sight and by removing material from the slide and other small changes. These modifications, combined with its aluminum alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
construction, resulted in a slim, compact, lightweight and relatively powerful pistol, revolutionary for the time. As it also bore an external resemblance to the well-known M1911
M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
pistol, the gun sold very well in the U.S. until it was replaced in 1990 by the Firestar M45
Star Firestar M45
Star Firestar M45 is a .45ACP semiautomatic pistol. The M45 Is a Single action pistol. The weight is 2.5 lb's with full Mag of 7 rounds and one in the chamber.Trigger pull is 4.5 5 lbs....
.
This pistol began the trend towards the production by other manufacturers of compact 1911-style pistols, which continues to the present day. However, the pistol did have some flaws.
Very late-model PDs were built with manufacturing shortcuts, especially in the fabrication of the slide, and will not last as long as the earlier models. Even the earlier models are more likely to wear out more quickly with the use of full-power ammunition than steel-framed pistols due to the lightweight alloy construction. Well-known firearms writers such as Jeff Cooper applied the phrase "carried much, shot little" to the Star PD, and advocated purchasing two pistols - one for the practice range, and one for carry.
In addition, the pistol uses an internal plastic buffer
Recoil buffer
A recoil buffer is a factory-installed or aftermarket component of firearms which serves to reduce the velocity and/or cushion the impact of recoilling parts of a firearm.-Design:...
to reduce the battering effects of recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
on the alloy frame. This buffer gradually wears with use, and requires replacement after firing approximately 1000 rounds. Failure to replace the buffer when required will accelerate wear on the pistol, and pieces of a disintegrating buffer may cause malfunctions
Firearm malfunction
A firearm malfunction is the partial or complete failure of a firearm to operate as intended. Malfunctions range from temporary and relatively safe situations, such as a casing that didn't eject, to potentially dangerous occurrences that may permanently damage the gun and cause injury or death...
, quite possibly at critical times.
Despite these flaws, and with proper maintenance, the Star Model PD was generally very well liked, and still has a small following among firearms enthusiasts.