High Standard 22's
- Thread starter BigDinOC
- Start date
H-s .22
High Standard pistols. When discussing H-S pistols, it helps to understand that you are referring to more than one company, producing pistols of different quality over nearly six decades.
The original High Standard manufacturing co. began producing pistols in 1951. Most of their pistols were produced at the factory in Hamden, Conn.
Those pistols were and remain the finest American made target pistols ever produced. Those pistols are available fairly often at places like Gunbroker.com.
Look on the frame to see that the gun was made in Hamden, Conn.
After H-Ss fortunes began to fall, which had nothing to do with the quality of their guns, they moved to Hartford, Conn. Many of the guns produced there were inferior to the Hamden pistols.
So, you can see that there is no customer service for the originals.
They are extremely accurate, perhaps the best factory trigger ever, easy to clean, and given care, extremely reliable. I have a Victor model that has been my Bullseye match .22 for many years. I don't know how many CASES of ammo I have put through it but it has only rarely ftf.
You will hear that they are finicky about magazines. True enough. Factory magazines work the best.
Since the original company's failure in the 1970's, the tooling for the guns and the name of the company have changed hands three times that I know of. I do not know about these more recent guns.
Pete
High Standard pistols. When discussing H-S pistols, it helps to understand that you are referring to more than one company, producing pistols of different quality over nearly six decades.
The original High Standard manufacturing co. began producing pistols in 1951. Most of their pistols were produced at the factory in Hamden, Conn.
Those pistols were and remain the finest American made target pistols ever produced. Those pistols are available fairly often at places like Gunbroker.com.
Look on the frame to see that the gun was made in Hamden, Conn.
After H-Ss fortunes began to fall, which had nothing to do with the quality of their guns, they moved to Hartford, Conn. Many of the guns produced there were inferior to the Hamden pistols.
So, you can see that there is no customer service for the originals.
They are extremely accurate, perhaps the best factory trigger ever, easy to clean, and given care, extremely reliable. I have a Victor model that has been my Bullseye match .22 for many years. I don't know how many CASES of ammo I have put through it but it has only rarely ftf.
You will hear that they are finicky about magazines. True enough. Factory magazines work the best.
Since the original company's failure in the 1970's, the tooling for the guns and the name of the company have changed hands three times that I know of. I do not know about these more recent guns.
Pete
Microgunner
New member
Pete nailed it. The later pistols (especially the Texas built versions) are iffy at best. But the Hamden pistols are.... a work of art when firing if they're in good condition. They're worth the effort.
Like Pete said, the older HSs are great. They made several target pistols. We had several in the AKNG MTU. I tired to stay away from the Victor. Some work some dont. You can tell until you get one. If you get one that works, there isnt better pistol out there, but I've seen some that didn't. I bought my Victor in the 70s, It was one of those that worked (and still does). Two of my pistol team members had Victors that wern't that impressive, Accurate as heck but wasnt that reliable. They were constantly shooting alibi strings. I have never had to shoot an alibi string because of my victor.
Anyway, I'll go with what Pete said, if you can pick up an older one, go for it. If I had to buy a NEW pistol, I'd go to the Smith 41. But I'll never let my Victor go.
Anyway, I'll go with what Pete said, if you can pick up an older one, go for it. If I had to buy a NEW pistol, I'd go to the Smith 41. But I'll never let my Victor go.
Weren't there High Standard pistols around during WW2?
http://www.bellum.nu/armoury/OSSHiStandardHDM.html
H-S
"Weren't there High Standard pistols around during WW2?"
Y'know, I thought that but then I looked into Tom Dance's book and the production runs, for the target pistols at least, begin in 1951.
As it turns out, you are correct. I found this post on another forum: a short history:
" High Standard Pistol Basics
Without writing an entire book on the subject, I thought this article might help some owners or even potential owners learn some basics about High Standard pistols.
The first High Standard pistol was actually a borrowed design from the Colt Woodsman. The creator of the first High Standard was a former Colt employee by the name of Carl Gustave Swebilius in 1929. After the firms collapse in 1984, Al Arenstein is credited for saving the company’s name with his reintroduction of the firm in 1994.
Since there are literally hundreds of major and subtle changes throughout the history of this firm, plus the existence of revolvers, shotguns, and rifles, I felt it necessary to stick to just semi auto pistols with this post. There are many books on the subject of High Standards. I would strongly suggest our readers become familiar some of these:
‘High Standard, A Collectors Guide,’ By Tom Dance, 1991, Andrew Mowbray Publishers, Lincoln, R.I..
‘High Standard Pistols and Revolvers, 1951-1954’ By James Spacek, 1998, Copyright, James V. Spacek Jr., Cheshire, Conn..
www.histandardinfo./ John Stimson Jr.
In the past I've been helping you all from memory created from years of collecting and shooting. Its now time I write it down before I forget it. Here are some basic facts that may save you from having to post long threads to find out details about your guns. these dates are close. dont hold me ransom on its perfection. im going by memory. if collectors are reading this, dont have a cow. how about helping us make it perfect by adding your input and stop calling me an annoying novice. im not a hair splitter. this thread is an act of love for the readers and is meant to be a tribute to a fine firearm. the nomenclature may not be book perfect, but if the reader understands it, it did its job:
Factories:
1929 - 1930……..Hartford Arms, Hartford, Conn
1931 – 1957……..High Standard New Haven
1957 – 1977……..High Standard Hamden
1977 – 1984……..High Standard East Hartford
1990 - 1995……..(Clones
Ft Worth Arms, Mitchell, Stoeger
1994 – Present.….High Standard Houston
Progression of Frame Designs:
1929 - Small frame slant
1937 - Large frame slant
1947 - Small frame slant takedown
1947 - Large frame slant takedown
1965 - Military frame takedown
Order Of Series Introductions:
1929 - Hartford Arms
1932 - Alphabetical: (SMALL FRAME) B, C, S
1937 - (LARGE FRAME) A, D, E, Hammers
1947 - G Series: GB, GD, GE, GO, .380
1950 - SUPERMATIC: 100
1954 - SUPERMATIC: 101
1957 - SUPERMATIC: 102,
1960 - 103
1963 - 104
1965 - MILITARY: 106
1967 - 107
1969 - Numbered
1975 - G Prefix
1977 - ML
1981 - SH
1984 – V Suffix, Out Of Business
1994 – HOUSTON MILITARY
1994 - AF
1994 - 105
1995 - Numbered"
In general, the Hamden guns from 1957-1977 are the most prized target guns.
Pete
"Weren't there High Standard pistols around during WW2?"
Y'know, I thought that but then I looked into Tom Dance's book and the production runs, for the target pistols at least, begin in 1951.
As it turns out, you are correct. I found this post on another forum: a short history:
" High Standard Pistol Basics
Without writing an entire book on the subject, I thought this article might help some owners or even potential owners learn some basics about High Standard pistols.
The first High Standard pistol was actually a borrowed design from the Colt Woodsman. The creator of the first High Standard was a former Colt employee by the name of Carl Gustave Swebilius in 1929. After the firms collapse in 1984, Al Arenstein is credited for saving the company’s name with his reintroduction of the firm in 1994.
Since there are literally hundreds of major and subtle changes throughout the history of this firm, plus the existence of revolvers, shotguns, and rifles, I felt it necessary to stick to just semi auto pistols with this post. There are many books on the subject of High Standards. I would strongly suggest our readers become familiar some of these:
‘High Standard, A Collectors Guide,’ By Tom Dance, 1991, Andrew Mowbray Publishers, Lincoln, R.I..
‘High Standard Pistols and Revolvers, 1951-1954’ By James Spacek, 1998, Copyright, James V. Spacek Jr., Cheshire, Conn..
www.histandardinfo./ John Stimson Jr.
In the past I've been helping you all from memory created from years of collecting and shooting. Its now time I write it down before I forget it. Here are some basic facts that may save you from having to post long threads to find out details about your guns. these dates are close. dont hold me ransom on its perfection. im going by memory. if collectors are reading this, dont have a cow. how about helping us make it perfect by adding your input and stop calling me an annoying novice. im not a hair splitter. this thread is an act of love for the readers and is meant to be a tribute to a fine firearm. the nomenclature may not be book perfect, but if the reader understands it, it did its job:
Factories:
1929 - 1930……..Hartford Arms, Hartford, Conn
1931 – 1957……..High Standard New Haven
1957 – 1977……..High Standard Hamden
1977 – 1984……..High Standard East Hartford
1990 - 1995……..(Clones
Ft Worth Arms, Mitchell, Stoeger1994 – Present.….High Standard Houston
Progression of Frame Designs:
1929 - Small frame slant
1937 - Large frame slant
1947 - Small frame slant takedown
1947 - Large frame slant takedown
1965 - Military frame takedown
Order Of Series Introductions:
1929 - Hartford Arms
1932 - Alphabetical: (SMALL FRAME) B, C, S
1937 - (LARGE FRAME) A, D, E, Hammers
1947 - G Series: GB, GD, GE, GO, .380
1950 - SUPERMATIC: 100
1954 - SUPERMATIC: 101
1957 - SUPERMATIC: 102,
1960 - 103
1963 - 104
1965 - MILITARY: 106
1967 - 107
1969 - Numbered
1975 - G Prefix
1977 - ML
1981 - SH
1984 – V Suffix, Out Of Business
1994 – HOUSTON MILITARY
1994 - AF
1994 - 105
1995 - Numbered"
In general, the Hamden guns from 1957-1977 are the most prized target guns.
Pete
In the 1966 Gun Digest, Gil Hebard reported machine rest groups as tight as 0.67" (10 shots) with Remington .22 LR Pistol Match from a 7 1/4" fluted barrel High Standard Supermatic Trophy...at 50 YARDS. 10-group averages of ten shots each ran from 0.99" to 1.66". 
Source: 1966 Gun Digest, P.56
Source: 1966 Gun Digest, P.56
Jim Watson
New member
Not hand picked for gunzine, either. I have an elderly Citation Military that will shoot like that... from a Ransom Rest. Which sure means that I have no excuse.
When I started shooting Bullseye again in 2003, I sent my HS Victor (bought originally in 1976) to the company in Houston to put new springs in it. They found that the frame had cracked and offered to replace it.
They used the parts from my old frame and put the pistol back together. While I can't vouch for a completely new gun, the one they repaired works just fine and the frame is top-notch; good fit and finish.
At the time, they would work on older models, like the slant grip pistols, but I'm not sure about now.
They used the parts from my old frame and put the pistol back together. While I can't vouch for a completely new gun, the one they repaired works just fine and the frame is top-notch; good fit and finish.
At the time, they would work on older models, like the slant grip pistols, but I'm not sure about now.
stuckinthe60s
New member
i wrote that article about 15 years ago that appeared in mausercentral.com.
if i can help in any way, let me know guys.
btw....i tried to access mausercentral and it appears the website went belly up?
gee i hope i didnt lose that article.
can anyone else get on mausercentral these days?
if i can help in any way, let me know guys.
btw....i tried to access mausercentral and it appears the website went belly up?
gee i hope i didnt lose that article.
can anyone else get on mausercentral these days?