Cody Museum

When I went to Great Falls Montana for our HSCA meeting, I got a chance to drive down to Cody Wyoming and visit the Cody Museum.  I am not a museum person, but this one has something for everyone.  When I got to gun wing, I finally found the High Standard display all from the Franklin A. & Barbara G. Bereny Foundation.  I thought it was a great display, but when I got back to Great Falls, the guys were telling me all of the good stuff was in the basement, which was closed off the day I was there.  I guess I didn't get to see the good stuff, but I enjoyed the museum none the less.  The guards at the entrance are very informative and helpful, so if you visit, make sure you ask to get into the basement.

Do It Yourself Magazine 'Lipper'

The question came up in the HS Forum regarding magazine lip bending tools. I make my own at a cost of approximately 25 cents each, depending on the cost of a worn out screwdriver at a garage sale!

I wrote up a full article with pictures at my gun blog Mr. Completely. If you are interested, go have a look!

Happy Lipping!

Slant grip Victor replica/fake listed on GunBroker

There is a pistol listed on GunBroker initially advertised as a slant grip Victor (Auction # 519950291).  After getting information from John Stimson concerning the gun, the seller (to his credit) added a note stating the pistol originally shipped as a Sharpshooter.  The pistol exhibits several characteristics that show it is not an original slant grip Victor (SGV).  I have attached photos of the gun, and a photo of an original SGV (bottom one) for comparison.  The following are things that are inconsistent with the characteristics of a SGV:

 

1.  The serial number is outside of the range of numbers for slant grip Victors.  This pistol's serial number is 2,499,151.  Thanks to John Stimson, we know the serial number range for SGVs is 2,401,860 to about 2,460,614.  John looked up the serial number and found that it shipped as a Sharpshooter.

2.  The frame has non-factory stippling on the front and rear grip straps instead of longitudinal serrations like slant grip Citations and Trophys of the time. 

3.  The slide is from a series 107 Victor. The rear of the slide has been reshaped in an attempt to blend the slide to the slant grip frame.  However, it still does not fully mate to the frame like an original slide would, and is not the same contour as a slant grip gun.  The appearance  of the slide with the incorrect serration pattern is probably the most notable inconsistency at first glance that indicates the gun is not an original SGV.

4.  The barrel and rib are likely from a series 107 Victor.  The rear of the rib has had the extension under the sight blade ground off to more closely resemble the way the SGV ribs were made.  The grinding job left a small notch at the rear of the rib that indicates it was ground down instead of being factory produced. 

5.  The trigger and slide release are not correct for a SGV (non-gold plated trigger with overtravel screw, and blued safety).

6.  There is no trigger pull weight adjustment screw in the rear of the frame.

 

I have also attached a photo of an original SGV for comparison (bottom photo).

 

The current bid price is a bit over $1000, which seems high to me for a SGV clone/fake.  The condition of the pistol is less than 95%.

 

This gun is a pretty good example of how a person who is not very knowledgeable concerning SGVs could end up paying quite a bit more for a replica/fake gun than warranted.

 

 

 



Authentic Slant Grip Victor



Rack of Pistols

Just for fun, here is a rack of High Standard pistols that I photographed some time back.  They are mostly series 106 and 107 pistols.   Note the John Giles Citation on top row, 2nd from left.

 

Taking photos of stainless steel or nickel plated guns

I was taking some photos today of a couple of stainless steel pistols, and I need some advice on how to obtain good photos without glaring hot spots on the metal. 

Where's the 22 Ammo?

Please feed me!

Most of us collect High Standard .22s.  What I want to know, after several years of ammo shortages, why can't I get standard velocity .22 cartridges?  I can understand that the manufactures may have not been able to keep up with the hording at first, but years have gone by and I still have trouble finding standard velocity cartridges.  What is the problem?

Burned Citation

I am attaching a photo of the Citation that I rebuilt after it was burned in our vacation home.  This is from the article I wrote for the last HSCA newsletter.  I think the color photo is pretty interesting, so I hope you like seeing it.  I have also added a photo of the pistol after rebuilding it. 

High Standard Fakes

I am planning to write an article concerning faking of the more expensive High Standard pistols (i.e., slant grip Victor, and 10-X pistols).  If you have any information or tips on things to look for when inspecting potential purchases, please comment.  I will collect these and see if I can write the article so that it may be of help to purchasers.
Thanks,
Wayne

.22 standard velocity ammo

Hi Tom,
In order to comment on the post you drafted today, the post needs to be published using the publish button on the top right side of the page.  I am not sure if you were still planning to add more information.

In any case, Palmetto State Armory has CCI SV .22 for $45 per brick with no limit.  Shipping is about $15 for 4 bricks.  This is more expensive than a few years ago before the shortage, but it is available.  Natchez Shooters Supply has 50 rd. boxes for a little less, but a limit of 10 boxes per day, so the shipping will probably exceed the price/ round from Palmetto State.

Sport King

Here is a photo of the Sport King pistol I obtained this week.  It is an electroless nickel model.  These were made in the last years of High Standard production. 

The pistol was shipped in a plain white box with a Sport King specific label.  The packer wrote EN for electroless nickel on the label and marked the model number in ink. 

Included in the box was a hang tag, instruction sheet, and warranty sheet. 

My First Hi Standard, a Model B

Here's a picture of my first Hi Standard, a Model B. I bought it with a number of parts missing, including the grips. I made the grips on it out of some nice walnut I had on hand.

For my gun blog review of this gun on the Mr. Completely gun blog, Click HERE.

(Note: This is an example of how we can put links to other articles here on the HSCA blog. If you are unfamiliar with blogging and blog comments, have a look at all of the comments following the blog post on the Model B.) 

By the way, I still have this Model B, and it's STILL not for sale!

"Comments" Section Adjustment

There was a small problem with the comment part of the blog that I fixed. It was asking for too much verification and sometimes blocking the comment before it would allow your comment. It seems to be working now as it should.

HSCA's 2015 Annual Convention in Great Falls, MT

Just got back from the High Standard Collector's Associations annual convention that was held in conjunction with the Great Falls Gun Show, which is a pretty good sized show of approximately 600 tables.

Here's a few pics from the show, and a link to a video at the bottom of the post. You can click on any of the pictures to make it bigger.

 The local TV stations were there too and  we got some nice media exposure on their local news.

Here's a direct link to the KPAX TV website for the video:

http://www.kpax.com/story/30127243/high-standard-collectors-association-new-vendor-featured-at-great-falls-gun-show