Star Dunn & Bradstreet Report

[rbwillnj]

Attached, courtesy of Swanee, is a 1979 Dunn and Bradstreet report on Star Machine Works of San Diego Inc.

It shows their annual sales in 1978 as $900,000.  Eighty five percent of their sales was reloading equipment, and the balance was irrigation sprinkler equipment.   I always thought it was the other way around.

I have a 1979 price list which shows the price of a Universal at $760, so a little math leads me to believe they were selling maybe 900-1000 reloaders per year at that time.

Thanks Swanee

[Star73]

Any  kind of a rough estimate of the total production over the life of the company? How many years were they in production?

LIke you, the irrigation/loader ratio is a real surprise. One of our local shooters visited the facility, maybe roughly 1980, and said the irrigation business was where their emphasis was & that loaders were an aside. I wonder if that was an assumption based on floor space used by the two?

He also said they were very safety oriented in regards to the loader and any chg that might be made.

Ron

[rbwillnj]

I had a nice long conversation with the lady at Magma Engineering last week.   They had expressed their interest in the Lubesizer long before Star closed their doors.   They finally bought the rights, molds, and machines to make the lubesizer in the early 90's, she thought around 1993.   That matches up with other reports I've heard about when Star ceased opporations.   

As for when they started, it was in the early 30's.   They applied for their patent in 1933, and it was granted in 1934.   I have seen Stars on eBay that had a brass plaque that said Star Mfg, Patent Pending.  American Rifleman did a review of a "Progressive" in May 1934.  According to the review, Star was already making the Universal.

How many did they make??  I don't think we will ever know that one, but I'd like to hear if anyone has and ideas.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Elord told me once that they turned out 500 units a year.