Firestar M40 test, review, and disassembly

[@georgeveneziano2754]

I have a star m43 I like mine it's reliable enough plus I found a lot of parts on line anyway glad someone else has one to not meny people own firestar good video ty

[@steveamos5490]

The reason your Firestar has such a "different" recoil feeling is its high bore axis. The center of the barrel is higher above your grip hand than on many other pistols, such as your Glocks. This extra distance from bore to hand creates a lever that causes the pistol to want to rotate upwards significantly rather than coming straight back at you. The "bounce" you feel is the muscles in your wrist and forearm that are twisted upwards more with this pistol than others with a lower bore axis. Your tensioned muscles have a "rubber band" effect when rotated backward, causing your hand to snap back forward. You can help reduce this effect somewhat by moving your grip up as high as possible on the pistol to reduce the distance between bore and hand; the pronounced beavertail on the Firestar will help protect you from hammer bite when taking this high grip.

[@tommidd8042]

wrong. he has the lighter weight 9mm m43 slide with m40 barrel. both utilize a 16 lbs recoil spring. a 22 lbs wolff spring will function better with his mis matched configuration..

[@donhindman9707]

Good video and an excellent assessment of the Firestar. Enjoyed the research and history as well. The gun is heavy and the the slide spring a beast to pull back especially if your hands are a bit sweaty. Its a compact so you have to expect slide snap from a .40. It's weight helps to compensate. I bought mine in '97 new and because of the finish still looks new. It's easily one of the safer weapons. Additionally, the firing pin moves out of the way when the clip is just snapped loose. Another attractive safety feature in self defense.

[@kanionargentina4157]

Hello. It's been 4 years and I don't know if you still have the STAR gun from the video. You must lubricate sintetic oil before your M43 the 3 notches of the barrel and the apex of the funnel, the slide guides. Also pass a light sandpaper in a circular shape around the exit mouth of the barrel to remove burrs (a few smooth turns with 600 grit). Best regards

[@brutaltea]

I actually do still have it. Thanks for the advice!

[@cumshot247]

I don't feel any burrs on mine.

[@kanionargentina4157]

@@cumshot247 how do you know as a check?

[@zoom539]

I have this firearm only shot it a couple times wish they made parts for it

[@johnjefferson1260]

Had a blued M40 Firestar i carried concealed and duty. After many rounds the barrel hood exhibited peening that was not to the point of changing headspace yet, but would with continued use. Very, very accurate and good for concealed carry. If you have a blued one...might look at having at least the barrel nitrided to give it surface hardening, maybe stop the barrel hood face peening.

[@briankerr4512]

I have the same one but an M43 my gun is a Jam O Matic though ... fails to extract a lot

[@stevenmitchell6347]

My ex has an M40 she carries that responded very well to some mild tuning/polishing of the slide rails, feed ramp, trigger group, etc. as well as quality synthetic lube. Her only complaint is the recoil spring being so strong as to make operating the slide difficult for her arthritic hands. She carries cocked and locked so she doesn't have that worry should she need to use it. The only two times she's had to draw it defensively, the assailants fled rapidly.

[@briflemn]

I realize this is an older video, but I just came across it. Yeah, sounds like you need a new recoil spring. They should be changed every 5000 grounds on full length guns but more often on shorter barrels. I change mine every 3000 and have had 0 problems - except with Winchester white box. They ammo also has some nasty extreme spreads in velocity so, I'm betting, it's the ammo. Other than that, my pistol has been totally reliable. With the tight fit of the barrel to slide, it's also capable of very good accuracy with good ammo. Mine consistently holds around 3"from a rest at 25 yards - or did back when I could see the sights and the target at the same time. I bought mine about a month after the .40 S&W version hit the market and carried it as my back-up weapon as a deputy sheriff and still carry it when I need to carry something more discrete than my full size 1911. One point I really like is that the controls function the same as the 1911. I hate striker fired guns and vastly prefer a single action Auto carried cocked & locked.

[@ElainesDomain]

I got this gun new and never had a problem. Star's problems came from quality control in the later years just before shutting down. This gun is not as good as my S&W 28-2 or 19-4 revolvers but much better for ccw.

[@pdog2448]

Bought mine new many years back... I'm happy with it, fits my hand well! Heavy AF but has never jammed on me. Took it shooting today with my Ruger P94 and the only reason I found this video is because I forgot how to disassemble it for cleaning. As soon as I saw you match up those markings I remembered, Thanks!

[@tommidd8042]

Your problem is you have the lighter weight M43 9mm slide with the .40 cal barrel. They are interchangeable. The recoil spring for both M40 and M43 is 16 lbs. If you're going to continue pushing the .40 S&W with that slide then I suggest a 22 lbs or 24 lbs Wolff spring.

[@M21L35]

I've a blued M40 as my CC & it's a tack driver. It's home is a black OWB snap-closure holster. Your best magazines are GENUINE Firestar M-40 extended mag.'s w/the stepped foot. It seems as though there are but 2 very knowledgeable individuals (1's a Canadian) who can provide Firestar parts. I've dealt w/both & they're good guys.

[@jayhenry3342]

Would like to get contact information on the 2 suppliers thanks

[@StevenCondou]

Who is the Canadian supplier? Thanks!

[@meatrocket1]

Info on sellers please

[@andrewl.2219]

Good video just picked one of these up and I am also worried about finding parts but nice little concealed carry gun.

[@markstark7731]

How does it shoot ?

[@ElainesDomain]

@@markstark7731 Mine is excellent.

[@Evan2]

Very smart move blurring your serial number.

[@jonathananderson1359]

So I have a problem with my slide , I follow your instructions perfectly. So when I take the slide pin out , the slide still won’t remove and I just want to know is this a serious problem and how will I be able to fix this

[@felixvillarreal9424]

Putting the hammer back together step by step would like to be shown

[@A-zoneJack]

Great presentation about the Star. More lights would improve the images. Thank you.

[@davidledds]

$250 is a great buy. Good luck on finding one under $400

[@ElainesDomain]

2 years ago it was a hard sell at $350.

[@MrGravity2]

I have the 40 cal love it much grayish color

[@awkwardrumble4460]

Finally an English video.

[@washburnroad8816]

my m40 is fast at return to target, yet a sag on the belt.

[@MrJinglebombs123]

Have you been able to find a OWB Kydex holster for these Guns? Thanks.

[@brutaltea]

No I haven't. I've been using a leather IWB holster when I carry it.

[@joshcarter2604]

I have the all black firestar m 40 40 cal. I have 3 holsters I bought my iwb it's for a 3in barrel 1911. My owb is for the same thing the bother have great retention.

[@joshcarter2604]

I'm sorry I apologize I missed the kydex part mine are leather.

[@segundocano3055]

Buen vídeo Yo solo tengo una STAR SUPER del 9 largo Y despues de 48 años de disparar sin parar sigue perfecta La Firestar no lo se

[@ronaldlucero4258]

THANKS

[@travissmith7889]

Just for your information that’s not a complete disassembly You only took the slide and barrel out!!! What about the extractor, the trigger,the safeties, the hammer.

[@williamthompson8278]

I think you need to find another video career.

[@JonathanWrightZA]

Unloaded it weighs as much as my Glock 19 loaded. And it takes 8 rounds less than my 19.

[@chrishall5499]

That's because it's not plastic lol The glock is a better gun no arguing that. This isn't a comparison video either. Fanboy somewhere else 👍✌

[@A-zoneJack]

Oh yeah, did he mention he had a Glock 19? Chill Jonathan. There are lots of guns with various attributes. That’s what makes firearms appreciation fun. No one would ever argue that a 19 isn’t an outstanding duty/carry.