9x23mm Largo vs. 9x23mm Winchester

[McNally M.]

Hey guys,

I recently acquired a Star Super B 1911. I love this gun, the feel is great, not in the best shape, but having an old 1911 as a beater sits just fine with me. I am however very confused about what kind of ammunition to use for it. I understand that most Star pistols, like mine, take 9x23mm Largo which is a pain to find at a reasonable price and it seems that only Spanish military surplus remains on the market. However I have found that Winchester also makes a cartridge in 9x23mm that is a bit cheaper, but I am unsure whether or not it is safe to use in my Super B. Looking at comparative ballistics information, I found that the Winchester is a hotter and more powerful round. Thus my first instinct would be to avoid it as many advise online. In doing my research though, I found that there are many Star owners who swear by the Winchester 9x23mm and use it without any trouble in their Spanish guns. In one forum thread (listed below) opinions for and against the use of 9x23mm Winchester in Star pistols are expressed. I cannot come to decision about whether or not I should try the Winchester, my primary concern of course being that the gun might explode and harm me or others.
For all those 9mm Largo weapons owners, what is your opinion?

Aforementioned thread:

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-346913.html

[TRAP55]

Nope, wouldn't even think about it unless "I" reloaded the Winchester case to the Largo specs.
Externally the cases are the same, internally the Win case has a thicker web,...for a reason! Like a pre 1900's .45 Colt black powder case, compared to a .454 Casull case, for the same reason, higher chamber pressure.
Like shooting .308 Win in a small ring Mauser, sooner or later the result will be the same, a damage firearm at best.
Stick to the Largo, stock up while it's still fairly cheap.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=354005248

[chuckdc]

Do not even THINK of shooting 9x23 Winchester in a Star. 9x23 is loaded to pressures that make it effectively a semi-auto .357 Mag.
It was designed to be fired in modern handguns with ramped, fully-supported chambers. 9mm Largo is not even close to that. Anyone who shoots it in a Star is truly rolling the dice with turning their handgun into scrap and potentially injuring themselves in the process.

You might use the empty brass to create reloads at Largo pressures, and in fact that would not be a bad thing. The far thicker 9x23 Win brass would hold up better to slightly warmer loads.

This whole idea is similar to shooting .38 Super Major-power-factor loads in a handgun made for the .38 ACP (.38 Colt Auto). It's seriously bad juju.

[McNally M.]

Thanks for the input guys. I most certainly will NOT be fooling around with any 9x23mm Win in any gun intended to shoot only 9mm Largo. My question is now, how can you tell whether or not you have a Star Super that shoots Luger or Largo? My understanding is that the Super Models A & B are principally identical save for the calibers. Therefore is the only real difference between the pistols the barrel?

[TRAP55]

http://9mmlargo.com/star_spr/

[morrcarr67]

Here is another site: www.star-firearms.com

[McNally M.]

Thanks once again. Well it looks like I was misinformed when I purchased my Star Super because it is definitely a Model A, not Model B as indicated by the 9mm Largo electro-dotted on the barrel. What kind of aftermarket 9mm Luger barrels are out there should I want to convert my Star? I saw that Swenson makes a drop-in barrel but I don't know if those will fit into a Spanish 1911. Any ideas?

[deadcoyote]

I will only say I own a Star Super Modelo in 9 largo and an Astra in the same (see avatar). I have been advised by many an old coot that it's fine to shoot 9x23 or .38 super in the Star, never been brave enough to do it.

On a side note My star came with a 9mm barrel (9x19) as an extra but won't feed well at all. I had been advised to try different mags as the 9 largo mags and 9x19 mags have the same overall dimensions but different feed lip geometery. Never have tried the different mags, I picked up a ton of corrosive ( largo spanish surplus and havent burned through it yet.

*add on* I just looked at the ammo listed above, and that's about what I paid for my case a couple of years ago. On the bright side, even though the ammo is scarce, nobody wants it so the price seems to stay static!

*Bonus Add on* I just googled a bit and a company called Mitchell military arms and ammunition is offering 2000 round sealed crates for $449.