Hello Tokarev,
That is about what I paid for mine- which is round barreled also, but I'd have to pull it out to see which mag bottoms it has. I think mine is the baseplate that covers the entire bottom of the magwell, but I'd have to hold it to see.
If you have the skills, making a replacement firing pin isn't that difficult. I just don't have a lathe to do it perfectly symmetrical, and I've never tempered steel before- so the whole 'heat until cherry red, but not pink. Quench in an oil that doesn't add hydrocarbons, repeat' process is something that frankly intimidates me a bit.
On the gunboards, in the spanish pistols subforum, there is a guy who actually will make replacement pins, but I think his charges were somewhere between $70 and $100 for the pin.
I was lucky in that my pin was fine, and I had no overtravel on it that leads to chamber mouth damage. I had to repair the chamber mouth on a High Standard HD Military, which is where my experience with microwelding companies fits.
I had fun with my Star F, but mine is definitely in the 'plinker' category. Although, I haven't given it the same attention to tuning the action as I have most of my other handguns. Maybe I'm being unfair about the trigger potential.
Yet, the lack of adjustable sights makes it more a 'plinker' than precision gun in my eyes. Find the right load and then use 'kentucky windage' for changes in distance, load, or wind. But, no up/down/left/right fine tune ability with screwdriver. left/right with hammer:
That said, this
is the same for many
good firearms: S&W Model 10 revolver, for example- or the original 1911. Heck, even the classic Beretta 92 has fixed front sight and only a drift adjustable rear.
They are fun- but, go in eyes wide open.
Maybe take a look to see how easy it is for you to find the right magazines at reasonable costs. I know 3K makes aftermarket, and believe they are normally around $45. Yet, they are 3K.
I am glad 3K exists! I couldn't get mags for some of my pistols otherwise. It is just that their mags are not as uniformly reliable as factory mags are. Some are great and some are so-so.
We are all just lucky to have a company that makes mags for these pistols, when MecGar won't touch them and the company is out of business.
For example, Femaru M37 magazines. 3K cost around $45 each. Originals cost between $75 [for really ratty/rusty ones] up to $200 for great shape- per mag.
If you want to buy 4 mags, and that adds $400-800 to the cost, 3K is looking pretty good!!!