High Standard Supermatic opinions

[roysha]

What is your opinion of the High Standard Supermatic?

These guns point so well for me, better that anything else out there, that they are very easy for me to shoot accurately. However, it seems that if the magazine is not nearly perfect, there will be feeding problems since there is no ramp or other ammo guide. Given the extremely high price of OEM magazines and the "on again, off again" quality/reliability of the after market magazines I am having some question as to whether I want to keep mine or sell it and try to find something that is not quite so magazine sensitive. I really don't want to sell but if I'm constantly wondering if I'm going to have a jam, it certainly takes away the pleasure of shooting. Yes, I know all about the magazine adjustment and the tool designed for that, but do I really want to deal with that if I have to "fix" my magazine everyother time I want to shoot.

I haven't had any real issues, although I have one magazine that is a bit iffy (a jam every 15-20 rounds), but it is in the back of my mind and I guess what I want is to know if my concerns are valid or if it is just some internet fear mongering. Since High Standard went out of business it makes me wonder if this was part of the cause or was it just changing times and poor management.

So your thoughts please.

[35remington]

Actually the magazine well is the feed ramp, so it does in fact have a feed ramp. Since these are pretty much target pistols, standard ammo profiles like 40 grain RN are the type to use. Anything else and the gun may choke.

[roysha]

Do you mean just the standard bullet profile or do you mean STD velocity or both?

[CastingFool]

I used one of these while participating in a shooting league. 50ft indoors. I calculated I fired 1k rounds through it, including practice and matches. No FTF's, FTE's, in all that time, but I only had one magazine. We were using Remington target ammo.

[Blackwater]

Roysha, it's been a long, long time since I had one, and it was "feediing challenged," too. I got it cheap because someone had apparently played with the magazine feed lips, and it would feed only occasionally. I didn't know how to fix (or at elast play with?) the feed lips, and let it go, but many friends have had them on and off for a long time. Factory new or like new mags will likely feed, but they're made of unobtanium now, and I know of no mags currently being made for them that have a vry good reputation for feeding. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's all I have to offer here on this end. Could some current replacement mags be diddled with to get them to feed? Very possibly, but nobody seems to have much of an appetite for that, so I can't say one way or the other on that one.

They're surely great old guns, and their triggers are usually conducive to good shooting, and if you're a tinkerer, I'd get a couple of current magazines and just play with them and chalk i tall up to experience if it didn't pan out. It's really sad that someone (Mec-Gar maybe?) doesn't turn out a run of mags for these very fine and worthy old guns. There are still a good many of them out there, though many have been scrapped along the way. High Standard was an interesting company.

Oh! And if you're getting parts for yours, IIRC, there's a little spring that tends to get lost a lot. Might want to order one in, just in case, if you can find one. Wish I could cite part # but the memory's too far gone for that much detail. Wish I could help more.

[shtur]

I had two, and they both feed reliably with the HS magazines I had. The problem they have worse than feeding is they are prone to crack on the right side of the frame at the top of the magazine slot if feed a frequent dose of high velocity ammo. I only used standard velocity ammo and never had a feeding problem.
I do have one factory HS magazine with the red buttplate stamped high standard, if you're interested.

[gnostic]

I have a 107 that I've shot since the late 60's. High Standard says, 'standard velocity 22LR only.' I think it's the best thing since sliced bread...

[M-Tecs]

I have a 107 that I've shot since the late 60's. High Standard says, 'standard velocity 22LR only.' I think it's the best thing since sliced bread...

Early 70's for me but the are my favorite.

[contender1]

I own about 8 High Standard 22 pistols. Never had any issues,,, and I have several mags. Great guns,,, accurate too.

[Artful]

Not a Supermatic user, but I have a HS Victor - lots of friends/competitors used the Supermatic's with good effect - I use stardard velocity target loads in mine it does fine.
One thing you may want to do is try a variety of ammo as rimfire's can display a definate preference as to function and accuracy by brand.

[Drm50]

There is still a lot of magazines floating around at shows. I have a HD-Mil that I found in the bottom of my duffle bag 46yr ago, thounds of rounds through it with no problems. I have had a dozen assorted HIs and found them to be accurate and dependable. You won't get a better gun
without spending a lot of cash. I have herd that Sears sued Hi-ST over some contract dispute
and put them out of business.

[imashooter2]

Buying a new gun to defray the cost of good magazines is like buying a new truck because it gets 5 more miles to the gallon. You'll never recover even half the up front cost with the "savings."

[wurgerburger]

Avoid triple-k magazines. The steel ones made by "new" high standard can be made to work with 6-8 rounds by shortening the spring.

I bought 3 cheaper-than-dirt high standard pistols for spare parts and their magazines.

The High Standard .22short guns don't have nearly as much feeding lip problems... but .22short costs way more and is usually unavailable here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wv109323]

I have heard good things about the current Texas Magazines from HS. There is no reason that you should not get a HS to be reliable. I currently have three (2 Victors and a Trophy). They are super reliable. I can't remember when I last had a failure. I use CCI Std. Velocity.
Where was your pistol made?
The Texas HS had some casting problems of the frame that did not allow the magazine to barrel angle to be correct after machining. People used set screws in the frame to hold the magazine at the correct angle.

[Green Frog]

I collected pre-War High Standards and competed with 102s, 103s and a 106. Unless unspeakably filthy or damaged (sometimes by "gunsmith improvements") they were all boringly reliable. Just my personal experience, YMMV.

Froggie

[daniel lawecki]

I know this shouldn't matter but my High Standard Sport King will shoot anything. The feed system for these guns are the same. As for magazines same one since 1983. Ammo right now Remington Bulk hollow points. These pistols are crazy accurate you have a keeper shoot and enjoy.:smile:

[Green Frog]

I know this shouldn't matter but my High Standard Sport King will shoot anything. The feed system for these guns are the same. As for magazines same one since 1983. Ammo right now Remington Bulk hollow points. These pistols are crazy accurate you have a keeper shoot and enjoy.:smile:

A Sport King is a Supermatic without adjustable sights and a few little refinements to the trigger... otherwise the same gun. My competition M 106 started life as a Sport King prior to tuning, barrel replacement, optical sight, etc. It's still a Sport King at heart, though.

Froggie