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Old July 6, 2018, 01:48 AM   #1
dakota.potts
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A Beautiful Target Pistol I Acquired

I have always wanted a High Standard .22. In fact, there's a Sport King at a local shop that I had been looking at for a little while. But I'm in a busy spot right now where I'm saving money for something really important to me and trying to focus on my future goals. So gun purchases were not something I wanted to be making, and a .22 pistol was way down on my list of necessities.

Recently, a not-quite-blood relative passed. I had talked with him a few times and he was a respectable man, an adventurer, and a collector of many fine things. He had an outstanding knife collection and a smaller gun collection that featured some very high quality firearms. I was told that they were selling off some of his collection and sent pictures, and to my surprise, there were two High Standard .22s in there. His wife no longer wanted them and was trying to slim down on possessions. I told them what the guns were approximately worth, and then offered $500 for one (much lower than market value) as that's all I was in a position to offer. Generous people that they are, and knowing that I would get use out of it and handle it with the care it deserved, they accepted my offer. And that's how I ended up in possession of an early 1980's High Standard Supermatic Trophy.

I only have one picture for now, snapped quick at the range.

It is a beautiful pistol, and you can tell that it was built at a time when craftsmanship in production guns was more revered. The bluing is very nice and in good condition. The wood on the grips is quite nice, and the contour on the grip is great for target shooting.

So far I have only shot a couple of boxes of ammo out of it. CCI standard and Aguila Eley Primed subsonic. Extraction and ejection was flawless even with the subsonic ammo but I had a number of feeding hiccups. I noticed the chamber was fouling heavily and I will take it down for a good cleaning to see if this solves the issue. I have read that this is common with these guns and they may need a magazine adjustment. The Aguila subsonic consistently fed with the bullet nose high and would not load unless I pressed the tip of the bullet down with my index finger, but the CCI standard shows promise of feeding very well with a clean chamber and maybe some very slight magazine adjustment.

The trigger on this gun is superb. I have read that is set at around 2 lbs. from the factory. I don't have a trigger pull gauge but I absolutely believe it. There is a small amount of take up, a very easy break, and a very short re-set that makes the gun very easy to shoot. The sights are nice and clear and adjustable. The gun, although surprisingly heavy, balances very well in the hand. It seems to balance and shoot almost as easily in one-handed bullseye position as it does with two hands.

I was shooting at a digital range so I have no paper targets to show but I know this gun is a great shooter. Soon I will try to take it to the public range with a sandbag and see what kind of groups I can get at 15 and 25 yards with it.

I just wanted to share my appreciation for this unexpected and very welcome opportunity to own this gun.
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Old July 6, 2018, 06:23 AM   #2
tallball
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Beautiful pistol!
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Old July 6, 2018, 07:54 AM   #3
rodfac
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Great pistol...I shot one for 4 years on the USAF Academy Pistol Team (64-68)...our coach, a Senior Msgt could break clay birds on the rifle team's range...the butts were 110 yards out and we'd lay those 4" birds out there and watch that old man (he was all of 34 at the time) break 'em one after the other. You've got a keeper there! Congrats. Rod
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Old July 6, 2018, 08:49 AM   #4
HighValleyRanch
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The High Standard 107 Trophy was my very first bullseye pistol. I put over 10,000 rounds through that gun in practice and competitions. It served me well.
Two things to note.
They do have a possiblilty of cracking in the frame with high velocity ammo. Mine did eventually, but a good welder repaired it.
2nd, they are prone to peening on the edge of the chamber on dry firing.

Barrels can be replaced in various lengths and configurations.
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Old July 6, 2018, 09:41 AM   #5
tranders
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Very nice!

Congratulations
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Old July 6, 2018, 11:04 AM   #6
HighValleyRanch
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Quote:
I was shooting at a digital range so I have no paper targets to show
I guess I'm old school. What's a digital range?
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Old July 6, 2018, 02:12 PM   #7
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Very nice pistol with some personal memories attached. That is something to treasure - congrats.
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Old July 6, 2018, 02:42 PM   #8
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I had a pair of those when I started shooting NRA bullseye matches way back when....moved to S&W 41’s, then Pardini’s. Then I found the Walter GSP’s and still shoot those. The High Standards are great pistols if you have magazines that function 100%. Good luck with yours!!
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Old July 6, 2018, 05:58 PM   #9
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Classic American Bullseye pistol; shared in an elite company of quality, high grade target pistols with the likes of Colt, Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Browning over the past several decades. Take good care of the magazine(s) as the followers on them serve as the feed ramp on High Standard pistols.
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Old July 6, 2018, 10:29 PM   #10
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I love this forum.... all great information

jb
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Old July 7, 2018, 02:23 AM   #11
dakota.potts
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Quote:
I guess I'm old school. What's a digital range?
The range is a high-tech indoor range which displays a video screen over a cement backstop. This records your bullet hits, displays them on the target, and has interactive modes such as games and moving targets. It's a fun experience.
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Old July 7, 2018, 02:27 AM   #12
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Thanks for the replies, everybody. I did a little research before shooting so I have stayed away from high velocity ammo. It did much better with the CCI standard at 1070 FPS. Ejection was flawless as well with the Aguila subsonic. I enjoy shooting the lower velocity ammo in a semi auto, especially since it tends to shoot well in my CZ 452. The issue is definitely with the feed angle as the rounds tended to feed high (Aguila subsonic) or stick going into the chamber. That's why I think the CCI standards will probably feed with the chamber cleaned, but the Aguila subsonics will likely need the magazine adjustment. It will need a little tuning but it will make a good project.

I've also avoided dry fire even though it meant waiting on trying out the trigger. All in all I'm very happy.
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Old July 7, 2018, 08:32 AM   #13
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I own two. 70s manufacture. I have bought two more as spare parts. The best rimfires. The magazines are its weak point. I have also had broken springs, broken pins and worn sears. Natural for 40 year old heavily used pistols...


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Old July 7, 2018, 08:39 AM   #14
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Nice looking pistol, it looks to have been well taken care of.
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Old July 7, 2018, 01:17 PM   #15
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I'm guessing the barrel is 5.5", difficult to say because the picture was taken at an angle. All my HS pistols are/were 5.5" and also available in 3.5", I think.
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Old July 7, 2018, 01:31 PM   #16
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The only one

Only American .22 pistol to win at camp Perry.

I have a very early Supermatic with lever release, it is a keeper.
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Old July 7, 2018, 04:14 PM   #17
dgludwig
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Quote:
Only American .22 pistol to win at camp Perry.
Where did you get that information from?
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Old July 8, 2018, 01:11 AM   #18
Drm50
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High Standards are fine pistols and make today's offerings look like junk. My
1st Hi-Sd was a HD Military 50yrs ago. There has been thousands of rds through
it and still tight and slick as new. I have had several of the more expensive
models but only managed to hold on to the HD Military. I was in 22 target pistol
mode in 70s had Brn Medalist, S&W 41, Colt Woodsman Match, Citation. Got in
M70 pre 64 mode and traded some off. I regret that. The last 2 I bought was
a Victor and Sharp Shooter in 80s. While nice pistols they weren't as slick as
ones. I just bought another HD Mil with 7" barrel haven't had time to shoot it
yet.
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Old July 8, 2018, 12:53 PM   #19
Mike38
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That appears to be a SH series, or some people call it 108 series. Lack of push button take down, or at least I don't see one. As I understand it, First year SH were great pistols. Second year, very good. Third year were hit and miss. If there is a V suffix, well, good luck.

I had a first year High Standard Citation "SH" pistol. Amazingly accurate. Balanced well. I just could not work that trigger. I prefer a roll trigger in target pistols.

Last edited by Mike38; July 8, 2018 at 01:03 PM.
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Old July 8, 2018, 01:08 PM   #20
Mike38
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Quote:
Only American .22 pistol to win at camp Perry.
You may mean only American .22 pistol to win the Olympics?
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Old July 8, 2018, 02:48 PM   #21
dgludwig
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Quote:
Quote:
Only American .22 pistol to win at camp Perry.
You may mean only American .22 pistol to win the Olympics?
That makes more sense, Mike38, and that might well be true. There were a ton of .22 autos besides High Standard that won matches at Camp Perry, including a Ruger. In 1953, James E. Clark broke seven National Records and won the National .22 caliber Championship @ Camp Perry using a Mark I Ruger pistol.
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Last edited by dgludwig; July 8, 2018 at 02:57 PM.
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Old July 8, 2018, 05:35 PM   #22
Drm50
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I remember in late 50s, HS built a gun with an electric trigger. Was legal for the
Olympics. I have never seen one except pictures.
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Old June 27, 2020, 01:10 PM   #23
John Stimson
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The High Standard Electric Free Pistol was made under Army contract for the AMU only one was retained by the factory and is now in private hands. There was a patent associated with this pistol in the name of Gary Wilhelm and because it was a government contract the patent was assigned to the Army.
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Old June 27, 2020, 01:15 PM   #24
John Stimson
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The story about High Standard being the only pistol to win an Olympic gold medal is a claim made by High Standard but is not true. Colt and Smith and Wesson revolvers or pistols won Olympic gold well before High Standard. A factory Colt revolver was first in the early 1900's. That revolver is in the NRA Museum. A S&W single shot pistol won gold in 1920. A Woodsman won the rapid fire Olympic event in 1932.
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Old June 27, 2020, 02:15 PM   #25
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as many may know, john and I are avid HS shooters, owners, and collectors.
welcome to the fold!
looks like you have a Hartford allen head 5.5" bull trophy.
look in front of your trigger guard. should be an allen headscrew holding your bbl in. make sure its always tight.
that model with the sight bridge has a notorious habit of shaving fingers if you push the slide back and your hand slips or its grabbing too far back when you clear a jam or open the slide. beware.
the Hartford guns bagan having quality issues as HS began going down the tubes. jams? check the mag first.
if its a bbl to frame misalignment, itll be a fatal flaw.
in all my years of shooting HS, cci green tags have never let me down. try them.
watch the gold plated trigger finish. when it starts to recompose, it can interfere with trigger pull. all trophies had that issue.
your gun is missing the external compensator and a weight. if it had one, the filler screws will be missing under the bbl. if they are there, then it was sold without it. these extras most likely got misplaced in your relatives things.
get those parts, and your gun will perform even better.
good luck and enjoy! call us anytime with questions about....(the finest 22 ever made)
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