High Standard Victor 10X

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Anyone have any experience with the High Standard Victor regular model and/or the 10X version, made by either Hambden CT. back in the day or the modern Houston TX. production. Comments on quality, accuracy, and longevity? Appreciate your comments. LLS

[27judge]

I had the old model I bought it for use while running a trap line , this was around 1975-1978. Avery accurate 22 I put many a fox and coon to sleep with a 22 short shot single shot style . As always one of the many guns I wish I had never sold . tks KEN

[Grendl]

Those built in the early days of High Standard were built by a select crew of gun smiths the most well known is Bob Shea, we're are a joy to shoot. Bob was instrumental in starting the newer Ten-X models as well building quite a few for the current High Standard co. Some of the best triggers in the business for bullseye work..or anything else you wish. I was part of the restart in Houston and built a few, if you look under the grip panel the initials of the builder should be there. Bob Shea's initials are RNS , mine are RJL , not sure who has been signing them since 1996.

[johnson1942]

years ago i had all kinds of original highstandards and a victor was one of them. it was still in very good shape and had been shot so much that the lands were wore down some. it didnt make any diff. it was as accurate and reliable as a gun like that can poss. be. my favorite by far was the supermatic trophy with the 5 inch bull barrel. what a gun. you couldnt get a hand gun more reliable and accurate. i sold them all years ago to buy other thing but i didnt know i was going to have a late in life son. he is now 14 and i really wish i had one of those target pistols. i had brownings, smith and wessons, and several high standards and the only one i kept was my model 17 target smith revolver. yes the boy loves to shoot that. if you can find any old highstandard target in the style you like go for it. it will be a pleasure to shoot. the only dealing ive had with the new texas highstandard co. was rebuilding the very first highstand .22 auto made. i got it in a trade a year ago for a muzzleloader and had it rebuilt in texas. they did a good job. i didnt keep it because it wasnt designed to stay open on the last shot. i have a very close friend who collects very old original guns like that and he wanted it so i sold it to him. if i had the money i would get another highstandard supermatic trophy but a victor would be a pleasure to own. i liked them a lot better than the browning and smith and wesson auto that were of that time. they can be the best of the best.

[shtur]

I shot a Hamden Victor, then a Houston Victor. They were both very accurate and reliable while I had them. The current Houston guns can either be good or need a lot of work done on them. The company has lots of outside problems affecting their current manufacture of pistols. If buying an older Hamden or E. Hartford gun, check for a cracked frame, their only real concern.

[snowwolfe]

The 10X guns were what I called a "no excuse gun". Meaning if you missed it was your fault and not the pistol. I used to own one back in the early or mid 80's and stupidly sold it. IMO the 10X pistols are even more accurate than the S&W 41's.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I'll pile on here with my tale of woe also.

I had a Supermatic Trophy which I believe was the first one to have the rear sight mounted on the frame. I paid $100ish for it in 1970 and traded it for a 10/22 in 1975 that I couldn't hit anything with, and sold for $100.

These are $1200 to $1500 guns now. Definitely one of the ones I wished I had back.

I have about 5 guns that I sold during my life that I wish I had back. Sometimes hindsight is 20/20. Other times it's just looking at your ****.

I just saw a couple of guns today that were built to mimic the Luger Pistol Carbines of the early 20th Century. They were both made from Hi-Standard Victors with very high grade wood.

Pretty neat guns. One sold for $3200. The other still lives at my friend's house who built them. The way the barrel attaches to the frame of those guns makes fitting an extended barrel pretty easy work.

Randy

[Grendl]

The cracked frame phenomenon has intrigued me for ever. You would think if it was design flaw, all would crack at some point in time. But not so, the percentage of cracked frames on the older guns is relatively small compared to the number of guns still in use from that era. The frames them selves were a plain mid range carbon steel with virtually no heat treating to strengthen the steel. But the ones that broke always cracked in the same spot. The area of the inserted ejector. I always wished I had the time and money to have a metallurgical analysis done comparing the good with the bad.
My Victor is my best pistol for making small groups.
Rick

[wv109323]

I have owned five High Standards over the years. I still own two Victors and a Trophy. All the guns are accurate. With CCI std. velocity each gun would shoot 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 inches at 50 yards. A 7 1/4 barrel shot 1 inch. The Texas guns had some problems with frame dimensions that affected function. I don't know if they corrected it or not. 10X pistols were hand built by experts.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I received my Victor 10X. When I ordered it they said it would take 90 days. I waited a year and a half. No explanations. It came with no target shot by a/the gunsmith. no certification that it was in fact a 10 X (it is marked 10X) and no five year written warrantee....these items were included in the flyers and advertising. I am having the dealer correspond with Houston to find out why these things were omitted. As for the pistol itself....it is impeccable. The finish is black parkerizing and the grips are black. The pistol is built like a Swiss bank vault, the parts are incredibly fitted so tight; there is no play/slop anywhere between anything. The slide is so tight that it takes both thumbs (which are now sore) and two hands to cock it against hammer pressure. Does/can it shoot? I loaded both mags with 10 rounds each...Off the bench with a two hand hold, a 12 mph wind gusting to 20 from 3 o'clock, temp at 25 degrees F, me freezing/shaking my tail off and out of practice; all shots went into the 9 and 10 ring at 25 yards. Never changed/moved the sights or trigger pull as it came out of the box. The trigger broke clean and sharp as a glass rod. The ammo I was using was Remington Thunderbolt(Thunderdud); it was all I had. No FTF's, but it isn't the greatest stuff to use in a high grade target pistol. It is drilled and tapped for one counterweight and I could have used one of those from my Supermatic trophy as the holes are the same distance apart, but I didn't bother. Tuning and playing will come later when the weather and wind are not factors. It is an extremely well made and accurate pistol (and pricey), well finished and very solid. The fit and construction is what I expected and hoped for and I am very pleased with it. I am sure that it will tune well and with perhaps a higher grade of ammo (and diligent practice) it will become an excellent shooter worthy of competition. Thank all of you knowledgeable members who helped me with your comments on this thread. LLS

[Grendl]

Do me a favor take the grips off and see if there are initials stamped there, let us know what they are please.
Thanks
Rick

[Grendl]

Oh, congratulations on your new favorite twoty two pistol

[John Allen]

I have a victor and it is my favorite auto pistol. It is a great gun, accurate and feeds about anything.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Grendl, Took both grips off and inspected them (with magnifying glass just in case they were faint) No marks or letters visible on either grip. LLS

[Grendl]

The stamping should be on the frame either on the lower left side or inside mag well on same side

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Grendl, OK, I pulled both grips again. The frame on the left side looking from the rear (butt end) has an oblong box (indented) with A10515 casted into it. Nothing else and nothing in the mag well. Maybe a part number, but definitely not initials. With the right grip pulled (the side with the slide lock) there is the serial number of the gun stamped into the frame AND nearby also the stamped letters HSC....horizontal BUT under the S extending vertically is also a C with a 1 under that. Definitely the number 1-clearly visible with a magnifying glass. HSC could simply be "High Standard Corporation" or else someone's initials. (They are upper case-(capitols). The C under the S is also a capitol and then there is the 1 under that. No other letters or numbers in the well on that side. So reading vertically under the HSC you have SC1. You may be able to decipher whatever all this is, or is supposed to mean, but I have no idea at all. I apologize for the delay initially as I was under the impression that any markings would be on the flat side of the grips so that is where I first looked. I hope that this is the information that you were looking for. Thanks again for your interest and help. LLS

[Grendl]

I am curious, did the pistol come with a target that had been shot to verify accuracy? Maybe they have changed their policy regarding this.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Grendl, No, the gun arrived without what it was supposed to....No certification that it was a 10X, No target from the gunsmith verifying accuracy, and no copy of the 5 year warranty. These items were part of the advertising in the catalog. The dealer from whom I ordered is supposed to be corresponding with Houston on this. I don't know about their policies or why they might/should have changed...or whatever is going on with them, but their website is badly out of date..like over a year and a half with no listing on accessories. Pretty strange for a company of such long standing and reputation. LLS

[bobthenailer]

About 10 years ago a friend bought a Houston 10X 22lr Victor with a optional ss short conversion kit , the gun was not reliable with any ammo except Eley 10 X ammo we also tried a few of my mags that work excellent in my pistols , after a few trips back to Houston for repair he gave up and sold it and bought a Hammerli !