[Q] ID High Standard Sport King?
Andrew Dutton
I am having a problem IDing my High Standard Sport King.
I am looking to buy some parts from the Gun Parts catologe
and My Sport King does not fall in line with what they have.
They are saying the Sport King had plunger barrels and mine
has the lever type takedown. It mostly resembels a M100 or
M101 which from what I see in the book in a Supermatic model.
And mine deffinately has SPORT KING on the slide. I guess the
model might be close to have the slide not original and the
pistol is old. The only other markings are the High Standard
address and the seriel number 345XXX. Where should I turn?
Books? Gun Shops? High Standard (I know they where out of business
but I thought someone bought the rights to there designes and
might have some information of products sold?)? Any Help is
greatly appreciated.
Thanks
drew
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Craig Watson
adu...@nmo.gtegsc.com (Andrew Dutton) wrote:
#
#I am having a problem IDing my High Standard Sport King.
#I am looking to buy some parts from the Gun Parts catologe
#and My Sport King does not fall in line with what they have.
#They are saying the Sport King had plunger barrels and mine
#has the lever type takedown. It mostly resembels a M100 or
#M101 which from what I see in the book in a Supermatic model.
#And mine deffinately has SPORT KING on the slide. I guess the
#model might be close to have the slide not original and the
#pistol is old. The only other markings are the High Standard
#address and the seriel number 345XXX. Where should I turn?
#Books? Gun Shops? High Standard (I know they where out of business
#but I thought someone bought the rights to there designes and
#might have some information of products sold?)? Any Help is
#greatly appreciated.
#
#Thanks
#drew
Hi,
This is my first attempt at posting anything on a news
group so please forgive any blunders.
#From the serial number and description you have provided,
it appears that the gun you have is a Sport King of the
original Supermatic production series manufactured from
1951 through 1953. Both Charles Petty's _High_Standard_
_Automatic_Pistols_1932-1950_ and Tom Dance's _High_
_Standard,_A_Collector's_Guide_to_the_Hamden_&_Hartford_
_Target_Pistols give information which bears this out.
This series did have your lever takedown. Count yourself
lucky, IMO the lever takedown is the nicest.
The M-101 series you mention came after the model you have.
I don't know if there was a real M-100 series. Maybe
someone else does? James Spacek Jr. in _Hi-Standard_
_Autoloading_Pistols_-_1951_to_1984_ says there weren't
any real changes made between the Supermatic series and
the M-100 except the model numbering. Contrary to this,
the High Standard exploded parts diagram shows a push
button instead of a lever for the M-100 and M-101. You're
not the only one confused.
Mr. Spacek's data indicates your gun was made in 1950. Mr.
Dance says 1951. I think Mr. Petty would also say 1951. I
don't know. All this was before I was born.
Charles Petty and Tom Dance did the smart thing. They
don't even mention a M-100 series. Petty's book is really
about the earlier HS but he has a short blurb about the
original Supermatic series and the M-101 changes and
numbering.
If you want to get some books on High Standard the ISBN
numbers for two of the three I mentioned above are:
Petty ISBN 0-88227-029-X The Gun Room Press
Dance ISBN 0-917218-47-7 Andrew Mobray Inc. Publishers
Spacek no ISBN Spacek is Author and Publisher
By all means try to get your gun fixed. The Sport King
was the highest volume model produced so it isn't very
collectable (i.e. you don't have to feel guilty about
shooting it). All the High Standard pistols I've shot
are better (IMHO) than anything but the high end target
pistols that sell for > $600.00. I'm sure you'll be
pleased.
Good Luck,
craig
ED GASS
Craig,
I have an interesting High Standard (which I have never taken the time to
ID) whose configuration may shed some light on what Andrew Dutton is
seeing. Mine is a model S-101 Supermatic (serial 750XYZ) with bull
barrel, Cutts compensation, and micro adjusting rear sight engraved with
"PAT. NO. 2438601." I got it through the DCM in 1966 (for $22.50, eat
your heart out!). The slide is made of steel, and has the serial number
and "S-101" engraved on the right hand side. The left hand side of the
slide has "HI-STANDARD" engraved between two "lightning bolts." The left
side of the barrel is engraved "SUPERMATIC." The serial number is on both
the slide and the frame. The serial number is not on the 6.75" barrel.
The underside of the barrel is grooved for attaching weights, and the side
is marked "HIGH STANDARD MFG. CORP. HAMDEN, CONN. U.S.A. .22 L.R." The
frame is stamped U.S.M.C. It has the "plunger" take down. Underneath the
barrel on the front part of the locking lug there is the letter "s"
stamped.
I received an additional barrel, slide, magazine, and four weights in a
box marked "CONVERSION KIT -#9151 .22 SHORT (OLYMPIC) 6 3/4 " STABILIZER
BARREL FOR SUPERMATIC and FIELD KING" The box contains a 6.75 inch barrel
with "OLYMPIC" engraved on the left side and "HIGH STANDARD MFG. CORP.
HAMDEN, CONN. U.S.A. .22 SHORT" engraved on the right side. There is no
serial number, but underneath the barrel on the front part of the locking
lug there is the letter "o" stamped.
The slide is made of aluminum, with a shiny black finish on the sides and
a dull black on the top. The right hand side is engraved "O-101" and the
left side has the same "HI-STANDARD" engraved between two "lightning
bolts" as the other one. Same sights, same patent number, but no serial
number. On the underside of the slide someone has hand stamped "XYZ"
before the black finish was applied. (Last 3 of the serial?)
It shoots quite a bit better than I can hold it. It has plastic contoured
grips for a right hand shooter. I have no idea what the history is, nor
how many rounds were put through it before I got it. It shows some wear,
and was obviously used, but was in very good condition when I got it. If
you have any insight into date of manufacture, etc. I would appreciate it.
AFTER ALL OF THAT, my point was that apparently additional barrels and
slides were readily available for these pistols. With a different barrel
and slide it would be very hard to ID exactly which "model" you were
really talking about. A SUPERMATIC with a SPORT KING barrel and slide
might present a confusing picture but still be within what H-S was calling
normal production.
Regards,
Ed Gass
edg...@aol.com
Houston, TX