Found A "One That Got Away" Today...

[kwb377]

1992...

I had recently turned 21 and was looking for my first compact handgun to carry concealed...something that would be a lot easier to hide than my only other handgun, a Taurus PT92 (I carried the 92 in a Galco SOB holster...I had no idea what I was doing).

The Colt Officer's Model was my dream CCW, but with a bank mailroom worker's salary, that wasn't going to happen. I stumbled upon a well-used Star PD at an LGS and decided it would fill the role.

I carried the PD for about 2 years before I traded it for a 6906 (I was a rookie officer carrying a 5946 and figured it'd be advantageous to carry magazine compatible guns (Again, I was clueless and thought it mattered. Or maybe I was looking for an excuse to buy another gun).

Ever since, I thought about the PD every now and them and how much I loved that little gun. I'd casually kept an eye out when I visited gun shops...saw a couple over the years, but in pretty junky shape. I missed a few on GB recently that looked in decent condition, but either got outbid or I forgot about the auction and came back just after it ended. I made a trip upstate to visit a couple of gun stores and happened into a pawn shop close by to one. Browsing the case, my eye caught what I thought was a familiar profile and as I snapped my gaze back I said, "Oh...it was a Star BM."...but then a saw a tag showing "Star PD .45ACP" and nestled next to the BM was a pristine Star PD marked at $499. I handled it for a few, looking it over...amazed at the condition. Some slight haggling got me out the door at 10% off.


Included was the original box and accoutrements (paperwork is in perfect condition). The bluing is near flawless, with just two spots, top of the slide release and on the thumb safety, showing the typical "bronze" color that these seem to turn (I've seen some PD's with frames that are almost completely "bronze" color from the bluing/anodizing fading). There is zero wear in the typical spots (muzzle, grips, backstrap, etc.) and the lack of wear on the magwell suggests the magazine hasn't been removed/inserted very often.

Glad I missed those on GB now. 🙂

[FNFAN]

What a rare bird nowadays! The PD carry’s great. I used to borrow a friend’s when I would fly into town and didn’t want to check a gun into baggage. Congratulations on your find!

[Trooper224]

Congrats, that's in great shape. Those were a solid option back when options were few.

[revchuck38]

A Star BM was my first autoloader, bought at the Ft. Ord Rod & Gun Club. I kinda wanted the PD, but they were unobtainium at that point in time (‘81).

[SoCalDep]

Great gun and post! I love that you started it with the year. I have my own nostalgia stuff going right now and reading about yours put a smile on my face. I had to start researching the Star PD… I’m liking it!

[kwb377]

Stripped it down for cleaning/inspection and found an "X1" proof mark. According to this site, that dates it to 1978...

http://star-firearms.com/firearms/proof.shtml

[fatdog]

circa 1992-93 I had a colleague in Pittsburg who was a Vietnam Vet and loved 1911's but did not trust the officers model, he chose one of those for his EDC gun. Our office was downtown on Smithfield and he parked at the stadium every day, so a long walk, it was his constant companion. I got to shoot it a couple of times, he claimed he never had a single malfunction. I looked for one but they had mostly stopped coming in as NIB guns by then and the people who had one were not giving them up very often. I think that is a great find. If I had seen it I sure could not have walked away.

[Jim Watson]

Good catch.
Reminds me of the time I heard of one second hand for $250. I dashed to the store only to found it had been sold. It was still there, we had a waiting period, so I got to see what I had missed. It had NO finish left, it was a dull dark brown all over, I guess you could call it a patina. No pitting or active rust, though.
I bought a Commander.

Oh by the way, have you shot it? Will you shoot it, use it, carry it, or is it to be a Spanish knick-knack?

[Borderland]

I had a Star BM around 1968. Although not a PD it was a reliable pistol. Those were fairly inexpensive in those days. IIRC I found mine in a pawn shop in Pensacola FL. I traded it for a Ruger Blackhawk sometime in the 70's.

Very nice acquisition. I would have had to look at both of them with a hand on my wallet.

[psalms144.1]

I carried a PD for quite a while back in the late 80s, before I got turned on to soul-less plastic throw away pistols. I enjoyed shooting mine, and it was surprisingly reliable for what I paid for it.