There are far more experienced Hi-Standard shooters here than I am. But I was looking for The Victor, made in Hamden, CT or a Supermatic Citation from the same. Good advice here at RFC pointed me in the direction of East Hartford made pistols and saved me some serious coin. I like to shoot pistols, not collect them, so for me this RFC advice was good as gold. The pistol shoots very, very well too.

So "desirable" may mean different things to different folks. A pistol that makes me look like I can shoot accurately is, for me, the most desirable.

The collectors may give you different information, though.

 

The top choices were Trophy, Citation, and Victor. I like the Victor and had four.

The one experienced bullseye shooters seek out are the custom made High Standards made by Jim Clark Sr.

 

There were several choices of "High Standard" manufacturing sources: Hamden, East Hartford, Houston Texas.

Hamden guns are the originals that collectors love. These are the guns that made Hi Std famous for accuracy. The Supermatic series started in the 1950's, progressed through at least 10 versions over time. The star models were Trophy and Victor.

East Hartford was the site of Hi Std when they moved in an attempt to down size. Collectors don't like them but they shoot as well as Hamden guns, have a bit lesser shine, but are lower priced on the used market. The bargain from this factory site is the ML series in either the Trophy or Victor designs. They also sold a premier version, the 10-X, which is famous for its shooting ability.

Houston Texas was the official re-birth of Hi Std name in the 1980's. There was some stumbling initially but they eventually got them sorted out such that they shoot as well as Hamden guns. They too had their stars as the Trophy and Victor. The late ones were stainless steel frames and are the best of this bunch. Their super star is the re-birth of the 10-X model, a hand built gun of select parts. This model was also available from the last days of East Hartford Hi Std. They closed their doors in bankruptcy recently.

The former head of Houston Texas Hi Std now owns Interarms Texas and provides service and parts for the guns. That is Alan Aronstein. He is involved in an effort to provide the design in a different named gun. I don't know where he is at in that endeavor at this point in time but a inquiry to interarmstx.com could possibly get an update from Alan.

Finally there were two un-official clones of the Hi Std guns: Stoegers and Mitchell. A lawsuit removed them from the market place many years ago. I hear good and mostly bad about them and they loose their value quickly because they are just copies.

This is just a brief overview from my perspective. Others here might fill in more details.

LDBennett

 

Regret selling my old Olympic High Standard! :shakehead
Had a lot of malfunctions with it but still wish I'd kept it.

 

In my area the Olympic is much harder to find than the Victor. I'm not sure if I have even seen a 10-X, is that built off the Victor chassis?

 

I must say the most desirable hi standard for me would be the Hamden hi standard trophy with the deep glossy blue finish I saw one at the kansas city collector show in a show display at the end of july and I have been smitten by it. It is on my short list on the bucket list. Also a Hamden Victor with solid rib.

 

The show in Kansas City that is on the last full weekend in July is put on by the Missouri Valley Arms Collectors (MVACA) there are several High Standard displayers present

 

I agree on an early Hamden Trophy with the high polish. When I was in college some 55 years ago my buddy had just bought a new one. It was beautiful. I never got to shoot it but did handle it some. In later years his drug addled step son stole it and sold it. What a shame!

LDBennett

 

I do have an early Hamden Trophy with the high polish and wood case. I did not want to call this the best and held back on posting. I will jump on the band wagon with a vote for favorite.

A gun I do not have and had my eye open for years is a very clean, good example, of a Hartford. I have seen everything else talked about here. And several beater grade Hartfords. Never a really nice one. I bet mint in box, that would be serious money. And a nice to have piece of HS history.

 

My favorite would be a 103-104 with a space barrel attached. With wood thumbrest grips.

Here's the wood grips

Here's the space barrel

 

Can I play , too ?

Beauty is in the eye of the lucky sod who has a short barrel'd G-E !

 

JV - I have a 4.5" barrel G-E in very good condition. I am in Ohio, any interest?

-Z

 

Here is a favorite of mine

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ML series trophy

 

Each to his own. My most desired High Standard would be a Slant Grip Victor! Pretty sure at least one other member on this board would agree.

 

I have to vote for the Trophy with the high polish. I lucked into one at the Dallas gun show years ago. A kid had just traded it for a Ruger MKII. The kid didn't know what he had. The vendor had it less than 10 minutes and sold it to me. I don't think the vendor knew much about High Standards either.

 

For me it would be the Victor. I had a Citation that I bought new in around 1974 or so, but sorry to say I no longer own it. I had it for 25 years or so before I sold it. Back then I didn't understand the need to shoot standard velocity ammo and I had shot it a ton using high velocity bulk ammo. It still looked like new when I sold it and to my knowledge didn't have a cracked frame, but at the time I sold it I wasn't even aware of such a thing.

 

I never knew to shoot standard velocity ammo only thru a hi standard till i became a member here also you are not alone! There for I always have a large supply of CCI standard on hand.

 

10 X

 

Ok, you guys talking about the ammo, what this about what can't be used in what? I also have only shot bulk stuff through mine as it's a 22LR after all. Is there warnings in the manual or is this per model? I have a few of them and I never ran them hard but did run them for couple hundred rds or so.

 

Baby Automag:

ONLY shoot Standard Velocity ammo (about 1050 FPS marked on the box) through the Supermatic series Hi Std guns (100-107, ML, and SH) or risk a frame crack.

There is a stress riser in the design of the Hi Std Supermatic frames. The beating from High or Hyper Vel ammo can eventually causes a fatigue fracture from the magazine well on the top right side down to the cutout for the slide latch on the right side of the frame. Every cartridge more powerful than Std Vel beats on the frame as the excess energy has to be absorbed by the gun frame. The type of fracture is a fatigue fracture which is a cumulative metal grain micro crack that may eventually connect and surfaces. The claim is only a new frame solves the crack. If other owners before you abused the gun with Hi Vel ammo then your next round, even Standard Velocity, may show you the crack.

To possibly assure a long life for the gun, the recoil spring needs regular replacement (every 10 to 15 thousands rounds) and never shoot anything but Standard Velocity ammo in the gun. It was sprung at the factory for that ammo and any ammo with more energy than Std Vel will abuse the gun and may cause a frame crack.This is not a wives tale but is documented here many times with pictures. While not a regular happening, it can happen to you if you abuse the gun with ammo other than Std Vel and fail to regularly replace the recoil spring with the OEM (5.5 pound) spring or the Wolf variable rate (6 pound) spring.

Do a search here on "frame crack" and you may get to see the damage done by such abuse using the wrong ammo in these guns and/or failure to regularly change the recoil spring.


LDBennett

 

Thanks for that info., I haven't shot it in many years but the two or three I have are really nice and I would hate to mess them up. I will look at the pics and such to learn where to check them, like I said I didn't shoot them much(not in 15+yrs now) but it's a crap shot with things like this. No manuals came with these to me from a family friend, does it state this in the manual or found to have issues later? I'll pick up some new springs now that you said that just to cover that base, I doubt 1k of rds have been through these ever!
Has anybody ever made a list of firearms that have these requirements? Just in case i have a few others in the same boat. I figure modern dated ones are ok, but these to me were modern, lol, go figure.
Thanks again

 

Blowback operated guns, like most 22LR guns, have an equation that has to be met for energy if you want to protect the gun from abuse.

The equation is the cartridge recoil energy is balanced against the recoil spring, the energy to cock the hammer, the friction of the moving slide and the inertia of the slide. When the equation is balance the slide will gently kiss the slide stop in recoil. Add a more energetic cartridge and the frame has to absorb the excess energy.

To find the "right" ammo start with the lowest power 22LR ammo you can and see if it reliably locks the slide back on the last shot. The ammo that just reliably does that is the maximum energy ammo you want to use in that gun regardless that the instruction manual may say differently (as does the ones for Hi Std guns).

There are only two springs that require changes in a Hi Std: The recoil spring and the tiny little spring that drives the slide hold open latch. The first is changed because spring lives in a tight cavity in the slide and wears away it sides, reducing it spring force. A 10% reduction in that force is the point at which the spring NEEDS to be replaced. The tiny spring only needs replacement if it get smashed during the installation of the latch and the grips. The tiny spring get kinked or squashed if you are not extremely carful reinstalling the right grip panel. Buy a pack of 5 or 10 as they are easily damaged.

LDBennett

 

I have a 107 Military model with the long fluted barrel, it is the most accurate handgun I have ever owned or shot.
It makes my S&W 41 and Hammerli jealous of the itty bitty groups.

 

Thanks LD,
I just never thought about how the design and lack of strength these had in them. Seen the pics and now understand it has that weak spot. Wouldn't have thought such a highly reguarded pistol was doomed from the start UNLESS it became a safe queen.
Hard to believe that many years go by without a major recall.
Seeing they were shot a lot at competition you would think it would have happened and your right the manual does state hi-speed but after seeing the frame issue i can't see doing what is in the manual.
Thanks again, hope I didn't mess it up already.

 

I honestly don't know what is the most desirable High Standard, but I do have some Hamden models. HD Military, M102 Supermatic Citation, and M103 Supermatic Citation.

 

There is a High Standard section ya know.

 

I agree on an early Hamden Trophy with the high polish. When I was in college some 55 years ago my buddy had just bought a new one. It was beautiful. I never got to shoot it but did handle it some. In later years his drug addled step son stole it and sold it. What a shame! LDBennett

Yea, my drug addicted son (at the time) stole my Colt New Frontier .22 and hocked it...so I know the feeling.