High Standard USAF Pilot Survival Pistol

B

BillCnKC

New member
All--

I am a High Standard collector. Maybe just a wannbe collector. Some of the REAL collectors have well over a hundred of those beautiful old pistols. In any case, I added my first model GB some time ago. It has a 4.5" barrel. GB barrels are removable. They take either the short barrel that I have or the longer, 6.75" barrel. I began looking around for the longer barrel with no luck.

Eventually, I found another GB laying on the shelf in a big name sporting goods store. It literally laid there for months. It had the 6.75" barrel. But, there was a big blemish on the side of it. It looked like someone had hit it with a piece of sandpaper. Like everyone else, I passed on it.

But, I couldn't find that longer barrel. The GB in the store was marked with a fairly good price. I decided to buy it, add the barrel to the one in my collection and use the gun for parts. I got the salesman to knock off fifty bucks specifically because of the blemish (we discussed it) and took the GB home.

I cleaned it up and looked at the blemish, wondering who in the world would do that to a great firearm. Examining it closely, I discovered the letters "USAF" scribed by hand in the blemish. I had no clue why someone would do that, either.

Of course, I am a member of John Stimson's High Standard forum. I always run the serial number through Mr. Stimson to find out when the gun was sold and to whom it was sold.

The High Standard GB with the ugly blemish is one of six to twelve known existing USAF pilot survival weapons. Collectible is an understatement. The people at the big sporting goods store never had a clue what was laying on their shelves. Neither did all those folks that had passed it up. Neither did I. It was certainly my lucky day!

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The Air Force armorer created the blemish when he hit the frame with a piece of sandpaper so the letters he was about to scribe in the frame would stand out.

--Bill
 
Tell us more that you know about it (specs and all), if you will. I know nothing of this pistol but what you've said so far. Thanks.
 
OcelotZ3 and All--

Yes, it is crude. There was no requirement for anything but markings indicating the pistol's ownership. In fact, when I first figured out they were letters, I thought someone was playing some kind of game. I have seen three others (online). Two of them had much better markings and the third was little better than the one I show above.

In another post, I will provide some facts about the pistol in this thread. Like every High Standard I own, it is a superb shooter.

--Bill
 
CurlyQ.Howard and All--

The .22lr High Standard GB was introduced in 1949 and dropped from production in 1951. It shipped with interchangeable barrels; 4.5" and 6.75". The hammerless gun (snagging during bailout would have been a bad thing) had brown plastic grips and fixed sights. It was available with a blued finish, only.

It was a pretty simple firearm. However, if you have ever shot an old High Standard you know they are very easy to operate, light and extremely well balanced, and deadly accurate if you do your part. The gun I show above is certainly all that. When I got it, I cycled a box of subsonic ammunition through it and the firearm performed flawlessly.

--Bill
 
So, are there going to be a bunch of newly discovered High Standards, with "USAF" scratched into the frame, on the gun auctions sites, now? :cool:
 
g.willikers--

Fortunately, John Stimson can easily tell anyone interested in a High Standard about it's provenance. However, inexperienced buyers might make the purchase first and check it out later. I have been collecting High Standards long enough to have at least a small clue as to whether something might be wrong. However, on any significant purchase I always check the data found on his site first. If I can't find anything, then a simple request to him will result in his search of the factory records.

--Bill
 
If an armorer added marks as bad as that to anything he should have been given a different job. Looks more like some kid added those letters to dads old pistol.
 
kahrguy--
kahrguy If an armorer added marks as bad as that to anything he should have been given a different job. Looks more like some kid added those letters to dads old pistol.
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It probably was a kid that made those marks on the pistol for some other kid to carry with him in his plane as he flew missions over the Korean peninsula.
--Bill
 
I would assume there is a known serial number range for these USAF pistols and that Bill's pistol conforms to it. So it seems to me that the "crudeness" of the USAF engraving is probably irrelevant and, if anything, only enhances the certainty of its genuineness. Who would fake such a thing in such a manner - especially of a firearm that is so rare and so few have actually seen? A fake would be far more likely to have a pristine, deeply struck stamping of a most official nature, methinks.
 
Those markings almost look acid etched.
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True - but most acid etchings I've seen are far more professional looking! When acid etching, you have time to correct the mistakes and basically perfect the design before removing so much as an atom of metal. I think this one was done with a dull engraving tool and a mallet.
 
The numbers are crude but they are all like that. This marking was done with a low voltage electric etcher. You ground the frame and draw with an electrified copper stylus.

These are listed in the factory records as account number 9872 invoice 2050.
 
I still shoot and enjoy my High Standard Sport King with 6" barrel. I added walnut right-hand grips with thumb rest. I bought it 45 years ago as a youngster. It's picky with certain brands of ammo, but found which one works best.
 
High standard GB USAF marked

I recently inherited a high standard GB USAF marked. Does anyone have any more info on these A Google search turned up very little but brought me here
 
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