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

[Dave Williams]

Louis Awerbuck used to carry a PD.

[kwb377]

Good catch.
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.

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?

When I pulled the grips on this one, it has a couple of brown spots under the grips. I've seen Stars with that brown/bronze color on both the steel parts and the aluminum frame, so I'm not sure what's going on with that...must be something to do with whatever chemicals they use in the finishing process (not sure if they anodized, etc. the aluminum frames?)

I'll head out to the range in a few days to put some rounds through this one for old times' sake, but doubt I'll put more than @ 50/year through it. I won't be carrying it, though...I've become spoiled by poly-strikers with more ammo in the same size.

[kwb377]

If I had seen it I sure could not have walked away.

Same shop had a PD marked S&W 4586 with a buttery-smooth DAO trigger. Having also carried several 3rd Gens. at work back in the day (5946, 4046, 4506) it was a struggle to decide between the two.

I know, "Buy both!"...which is usually my problem-solving answer when faced with this dilemma. But I had already depleted most of my "gun money" for this month and dropped $500 not even an hour earlier at another shop to put an early-2000 era like-new Sig556 on layaway until next month.

[Jim Watson]

. I won't be carrying it, though...I've become spoiled by poly-strikers with more ammo in the same size.

I get that, my Commander is pretty well retired, too.

[Moped]

Great find! Always wanted one of these and looked at one a couple of years back, but it was ragged out. One thing about PDs that I read, was that you have to replace the rubber recoil buffer between the end of the guide rod and the recoil spring. You can still find those. Just search the internet. They sell them for $13, on Evil Bay. I'd lay in a supply of them. Seems like they are supposed to be good for 500 rounds or so. Check that out on the internet too, just to make sure I'm remembering correctly.

Me personally, I would go ahead and do this now, because you really don't know how many rounds have been put through it.

Again, congrats on the PD!

[kwb377]

Me personally, I would go ahead and do this now, because you really don't know how many rounds have been put through it.

Already got a few orders, and picked up a guide rod/recoil spring/buffer assembly off GPC for $24.

[Jim Watson]

Google finds an outfit selling a bushing and flat buffers.
https://www.apexgunparts.com/star-pd...-auto-new.html

An old Gunboards posts describes cutting a piece of copper tubing as a shim to mate up a regular 1911 buffer.

I would stick to the reproduction, no more than you say you plan to shoot it, though.

[Poconnor]

IIRC Cooper called it a shoot seldom but carry often type of gun. Wasn’t it suggested to sight your PD in and the loctite the rear adjustable sight?

[LtDave]

I saw this one and had to have it:


LtDave is a sucker for LH guns.