Way off topic here. I recently ran across a very clean (1950s?) Hi-Standard .22 auto pistol with the 4-inch barrel, and I simply haven't been able to find much information on these guns. I'd obviously rather have a nice Colt Woodsman, but I just can't justify the price tag on such a toy. Can anybody here give me the low-down on the quality/accuracy of these units or direct me to a good source of information?
my father shot a 1950's hi standard king model in a pistol league back then
he won several shoots and trophies with it
he was one heck of a pistol shot, but the HS would perform for him-
one thing at some point they changed the angle of the magazine's floor plate - so you need to be sure what you are getting when you get replacements
The original High Standards were fine pistols. I would put them as equals of the Colts of the era, only missing the Pony. Somewhere later on, the company moved to Texas(?) and became Mitchell Hi-Standard and quality went downhill.
I agree, at least with the Colt Match Target Woodsman- I have one, made in 1968 with the 4.5" barrel, and I am looking for an earlier one with the 6" barrel. The High Standards were very good pistols, get a target series with the removeable barrel (front push pin at the front lower edge of the receiver) and make sure the barrel is solid in battery- great shooter if made in Hamden CT- the ones made in TX- Nicht zer gut!!
I have a Hi Standard Olympic (.22 Short), which is probably the last pistol I would sell out of my modest collection. I agree with the recommendation to get the later grip configuration which mimics the 1911 grip angle. It's hard to switch from the Hi Standard Slant grip models to the 1911 angle.
The 1911 grip angle guns 106 and 107 series are primarily Texas made guns. The slant grip guns point like a dream. I have four, great shooters all. Get the magazine adjustment tool (ebay) to maintain lip dimensions and they will feed most all .22 ammo fine. Mine do
I have a High Standard with 5.5" bull barrel from the 60's. It shoots under and inch at 25 yards... I often use empty 12 gauge hulls set up on a piece of wood at 20-25 yards as a target! I've taught a number of people how to shoot with it, and they all have shot about 2" groups at 7 yds with it the first time they try. I joke that if the target is north of where I'm standing, I could face due south and fire and the bullet will still hut the target lol. By far and away the most accurate pistol I've ever owned, and easily beats my $1800 target 9mm. I simply cannot say enough good things about it!
I had custody of my uncle's High Standard Sport King .22 LR with 2 interchangeable barrels when I was in high school. It had the more steeply slanted grip angle, and it pointed very well, almost as naturally as pointing your index finger.
It seemed to be a very nicely made & high quality pistol, and I wish I still had it.
I would prefer a pre-war Woodsman, too, but there was nothing wrong with that older High Standard. I believe it was mid-to-late 1950s vintage, or maybe very early 1960s.
My first pistol as well and I still have it. IMO for whatever that's worth; the High Standard pistols were heads and tails better designed then any of the competition including Colt and Ruger. The Ruger 22s remain a nightmare to disassemble and then re-assemble for routine maintenance. The Colts aren't much better.
On the High Standard, after making sure it was unloaded, you lifted up on the lever at the front of the frame and the barrel followed by the slide slipped right off. This took a matter of seconds.
Jim
Next to my great grandfather's 1917 U.S.[S&W] Service Revolver in .45 ACP [used to dispatch 5 Germans in a single trench action] his High Standard Mil-HD .22 Auto with 5.5 Bull Barrel is my second. It was made in Feb. 1945 and roll stamped U.S. Army. I even have the original box. The quality of the High Standard is on a par with any pistol made at that time. They were also used by the O.S.S. with silencers.
H
Lloyd,
I don't have a High Standard .22. I always looked at them and the right ones are very accurate. When I was looking for a .22 pistol, the only issue mentioned on the High Standard was the mag feed could be touchy. You need to look for the ones made in CT.
The guys on this website
Rimfire Central can help with what to look for.
Ken
High Standard were wery nice pistols. Try to find a copy of Tom Dance's book "High Standard - A Collector's Guide to the Hamden & Hartford Target Pistols".
Lloyd,
Great pistols.
Suppress it as an OSS clone.
When I was young, a buddy had one we suppressed on a form 1. One Saturday we were scheduled to go shooting but it started to rain as I arrived at his house. He retrieved the High Standard and we sat on the sofa in his living room across from a cheap bullet trap and had a ball.
When his wife got home, we really didn't understand why she couldn't appreciate the fine smell of burnt gunpowder in her house.
Good times.
Hello Bill:
Lots of variety in these guns. Hard to pick the right one, but sure fun to learn about them. HD Military, Sport King or Duramatic?
Lloyd
I prefer the Sport King. The HD military had (I believe) the closer to 90' grip angle which 1911 target shooters like because it had the feel of those guns. But I am not a 1911 shooter, and to me the Sport Kings point better. The Duramatic was an economy version with a strap trigger guard and other cost saving shortcuts. I am no High Standard (HS) expert, but to me the Sport King is the classic HS pistol.
Redoak:
Probably the closest configuration to a Woodsman as well.
Found a deal on a 2nd Model Colt Challenger (for about the same money I'd spend on a Sport King) so I'm a Colt owner now. Hope it shoots as good as the Woodsman.