[kestak]

Greetings ,

(New on that board, just find it out)

I am trying to find that information and I can't find it. Maybe someone will know or point me in the right direction:

AimSurplus claims, there were 15,000 Star B manufactured.
How many made it as of today and are "available"?
How many just got imported (Some available now at AimSurplus)?

Thank you

 

[gewehr44]

There were 15K in this particular order to Bulgaria. I'm not sure of the total # of Star B's manufactured, but I'm sure it's in the hundreds of thousands.

 

[Bob In St. Louis]

I don't have my reference material with me, but the Star B is not a very rare gun. It seems that a large portion of the Bulgarian order has hit the US surplus market, as well as some post-WWII West German issued pistols. The escalation in price recently seemed strange, but the more I look across the board at handgun prices, this seems to be common.

 

[MGMike]

How "rare" can a gun be when some distributor has a quantity large enough to advertise?

M

 

[garfield]

According to Antaris, Star Firearms, from 1942 through 1966, a total of 104,757 Star Model B pistols were produced.

 

[jimlay]

Is there a web site with information as to when a particular Star B was made, based on serial number?

 

[Bob In St. Louis]

Best reference is Len Antaris's book "Star Firearms".

I am not aware of a web site with complete info.

 

[MGMike]

Yes, do buy the book. Len needs the sales to encourage further writing.

M

 

[jimlay]

I went looking for Len Antaris's book and found it... for $115. Too rich for my blood today. I checked out some other leads and happened across this tidbit at: http://www.gunsnet.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-260294.html

" As to Bulgarian contract: Page 343 of Len Antaris' new book "Star Pistols:

"---Star received a large order for 15,000 Model Bs from the Ministry of War in Sofia, Bulgaria. --- Shipment to Bulgaria was effected in three equal blocks of 5,000 pistols between September 1943 and March 1944:

09-09-43; serial ranges 225007-225775 and 226101-230331

02-12-43; serial ranges 230332-230375, 230826-231756, and 231758-235782

23-03-44; serial ranges 235901-240900

The B pistols used by Bulgaria were marked as standard commercial guns and issued without a specific acceptance proof. Over 50 years later a number of these pistols were released as surplus. The majority of the guns were reblued. As sales were slow, at least one European dealer took to marking the guns with a E/WaA 251 proof as found on the early B pistols accepted by the Nazis. This postwar counterfeit marking should not be confused as an original stamp."

I gather that this information was originally furnished by Bob in St. Louis, for which, I thank you, Bob. My serial was evidently shipped as part of the batch dated 12 FEB 43.

 

[Bob In St. Louis]

Jim - instead of running in circles, you could have asked here, and we would have told you the info!

 

[jimlay]

I know that Bob...now!

I did ask in this thread, earlier, but I didn't wait very long before going off on my own to explore for answers. I must confess that I dearly love poking about for information on the Internet. Ultimately, the information did come from yourself, though filtered through another web site.

Although 'tis said that all things come to he who waits, they come faster to he who shakes the bushes!

All in all, though I haven't fired it yet, I am having fun with my Model B. Just figuring out the deal with the thumb safety was (what I call) great fun!

I have just this minute realized that the dates given in my last post were in the European format, thus my pistol was shipped December 2, 1943 vice February 12, 1943.

Thanks again for your valuable input!

 

[kidao35]

Not to drag this OT, but what do these look like? The last batch had many victims of "Ivan the Mad Buffer" syndrome, with much of the slide lettering obliterated.

 

[Bob In St. Louis]

Almost all of these Bulgarians I have seen have been buffed to some extent - particularly to the right of the Star legend on the left side of the slide where they were removing the Bulgarian arsenal mark.