Star Modele 1935
Star Bonifacio Echeverria · Pistol · Prototype · 1935
Also known as: Star PA 35, Star 1935 Trials Pistol, Star Modelo 1935
Overview
The Star Modele 1935 is a Spanish semi-automatic pistol chambered in 7.65x20mm Longue, submitted by Star Bonifacio Echeverria as a competitor in the French military pistol trials of the mid-1930s. A locked-breech, short-recoil design feeding from an eight-round single-stack magazine, it was one of four finalist entries evaluated by the French commission alongside designs from SACM (Charles Petter), MAS and FN Herstal. The French ultimately selected the Petter/SACM design that became the Modele 1935A, and political pressure to award the contract to a domestic French manufacturer left the foreign Star prototype out of service adoption.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 750 g (26.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 188 mm (7.40") |
| Barrel Length | 109 mm (4.29") |
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 341 m/s (1119 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 306 J (226 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.65x20mm Longue · primary — also known as 7.65 French Long, 7.65mm MAS, .30 Pedersen
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: 8-Round Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Locked-Breech Short-Recoil Action, Single-Stack Magazine, Experimental Trials Prototype
Production
Production years: 1935-1937
Built only as trial prototypes for the 1935-1937 French pistol competition; never entered mass production.
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Designer: Star Bonifacio Echeverria
Discontinued: 1937
Notes
An obscure trials prototype; few published technical figures survive. Dimensional and ballistic specifications listed here are approximated from the 7.65x20mm Longue service-pistol class (the contemporaneous Modele 1935A) and should be treated as indicative rather than confirmed.
Background
Spain's Star Bonifacio Echeverria was a respected exporter of Browning-pattern automatics in the interwar years, and its entry into the French 7.65 Longue trials placed it head-to-head with France's own state arsenals. The Star reached the four-way final round of 1935 but, like the FN Herstal submission, lost out to the home-grown Petter design amid pressure to keep the lucrative military contract within French industry.