Star introduced the Model A as the commercial sale version of the Model 1920 and 1921 pistols which they had entered into Spanish military trials in 1920. The pistol was rejected by the Army in favor of the Astra 400, but the Spanish Guardia Civil adopted it as their standard sidearm. The original design included a grip safety which was quickly removed, and in 1921 the Model A was added to Star’s sales catalog.
The blossoming civil war in China was creating a significant demand for automatic pistols by the late 1920s, especially ones with shoulder stocks and large magazines. The Mauser C96 was proving exceptionally popular, and Star attempted to gain a foothold in that market with a carbine variant of their Model A. This version included an extended barrel, wooden combination holster and stock, and optional 16- and 32-round magazines. It was chambered for the 7.63mm Mauser cartridge, instead of the 9mm Largo used by the domestic Spanish market.
The Star failed to sell well, however, being far less popular that the C96 and its lookalikes (such as the Astra Model 900 series). Even a select-fire version of the Star failed to drive significant sales, and the gun was discontinued in 1928.
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