The Star Model PD is a compact and lightweight

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol, autopistol, or autoloading pistol) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridge (firearms), cartridges in its chamber (firearms), chamber afte ...

which was manufactured from 1975 to 1990 by the firearms manufacturing company Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A., located in the city of

Eibar Eibar (, ) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi. It is the capital of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Debabarrena. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eustat, 2018). Its chief industry is ...

in the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

region of Spain.Star Firearms P-Series Pistols
/ref> The Model PD can be loaded with six

.45 ACP The .45 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol), also known as .45 Auto, .45 Automatic, or 11.43×23mm is a rimless straight-walled handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic pistol. After su ...

pistol cartridges in the detachable internal

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

, 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 Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...

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 The Colt M1911 (also known as 1911, Colt 1911, Colt .45, or Colt Government in the case of Colt-produced models) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered primarily for the .45 ACP cartridge. History Early hist ...

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 John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine Corps officer and firearms instructor. He is the creator of the " modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small ...

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 Buffer may refer to: Science * Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas * Buffer solution, a solution used to prevent changes in pH * Lysis buffer, in cell biology * Metal ion buffer * Mineral redox buffer, in geology Technology and engineeri ...

to reduce the battering effects of

recoil Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, for according to Newton's third law the force requ ...

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 strong following among some firearms enthusiasts. It is a common misconception that "PD" stands for "Police Department," however, "PD" is actually the initials for Pete Dickey who submitted the idea for the Star PD to Star Bonafacia, in Spain.

References

External links

Field stripping the Star PD
Star semi-automatic pistols .45 ACP semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic pistols of Spain