Old school High Standard Gunsmith needed

Eviljagtech · Jan 27, 2011

As the title says i'm on the lookout for a gunsmith that has experience with the High Standard target pistols as mine is very old with a small issue and in need of a check up. The pistol in question is a Supermatic Trophy Military Model 106. I have checked two gunsmiths MD, first i can't remember but the second I dropped the gun of at Atlantic Guns and their smith would not work on it for reasons I was not told

. The issue is a high rate of FTF's. I do know that 22lr's FTF here and there, but after trying several type of standard target ammo it still fails about every 3 shots.

Little history on the gun. My grandfather bought it in 1966 new in the box which I still have. It was passed onto my father 3 years ago when when gramps kicked the bucket but sense he had a model 107 Supermatic Trophy I got it for low price of the transfer fee's from NY(not fun).The check up is needed as I found Gramps thought cleaning a gun hurt accuracy!!! So yeah its never been really cleaned at all in 45 years. Looks great on the outside, not so much on the inside. I think this may have something to do with my FTF's but sense the gun has so many small part i thought a pro should do the work.

I will drive with in 200 miles to drop this off if need be, this firearms personal value is just far to high to mess around.

Hope this is the right place for this post :sign01:

hairba111 · Jan 27, 2011

Hafer's Gunsmithing & Archery Services
Trained, knowledgeable & experience you can trust!
8638 Downsville Pike
Williamsport, MD. 21795
301-223-1190

Talk to Tim Hafer, he's an excellent gunsmith. He very experienced with old weapons.

Polecat · Jan 27, 2011

Miller's Gun Services. He is in California MD. I have known him for about 20 or more years. We shot bullseye back in the days. PM me for info. I can call him and ask before you make the trip as he is only a few miles from me.

Eviljagtech · Jan 27, 2011

PM sent Polecat, thanks hairba111 i didn't even think of them even though I have been there many time before. If Miller's doesn't pan out I'll just drive up to the shop to talk to them as im in and around that area on the weekends anyway's. Never hurt's to have an excuse to look at more guns

Mud Turtle · Jan 27, 2011

Al Marvel used to work exclusively on model 1911's and Hi Standards. I would use Al, but I don't know if he's still pistol smithing. He's got to be up there in age. It would be worth calling him.
Al Marvel.
3922 Madonna Rd, Jarrettsville, MD 21084
410-557-7270

BeltBuckle · Jan 27, 2011

1966 is very old?

One thing that would be easy to check (not so easy to fix, but fixable). If the pistol has been dry fired even a little bit, the chamber face impacted by the firing pin can become indented and deformed. This can make it more difficult to compress the primer compound in a rimfire cartridge enough to detonate the round. If this is what you're dealing with it can be fixed, but you do want a good pistolsmith.

Don't ask me how I know this... :sad20:

but I saw this in a middle aged (~1943) Hi-Standard semi auto pistol when I was a kid, about the time yours was manufactured...

4g64loser · Jan 27, 2011

+1 for hafer. I got a 107 supermatic that was re-imported from Sweden recently. She needed love. I had to clean up the chamber (someone with very few brain cells dry fired the $hit out of it so it would not even feed rounds) due to a big nasty burr on the chamber mouth. Also needed the slide and firing pin area cleaned and polished out. mostly just nasty, but a bit of rust that was hanging the firing pin up needed to be taken care of. she sure shoots sweet now. (I do all my own work but as a young guy i'm not a qualified gunsmith. I recommend Hafer based on the reviews of other shooters).

Enjoy your high standard! one of the best pistols ever made. smooth as glass and boy do mine all SHOOT.

clandestine · Jan 27, 2011

I have worked on counless Hi Standards at Scotts Gunsmithing, we do them all the time.

Any Hi Standard can be fixed but a majority of the problems are the mags. If its not an original mag with a good spring or a good new spring it wont work.

Depending on the condition of the barrel, and th internals it can get pricey to fix them if its needs parts beyond springs. Im thinking something was off if the Smith at Atlantic rejected it.

___________________________
Chad Albrecht
Gunsmith
Scott's Gunsmithing Service
231 Thelma Avenue
Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061
(Phone) 410-761-9815
(Fax) 410-761-7221
Hours of Operation:
Sunday & Monday - CLOSED
Tuesday - Friday 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.
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4g64loser · Jan 27, 2011

Clandestine, OP says he'd drive 200 miles and the gun is sentimental. You may well be right about the Atlantic smith rejecting it due to some major issue but wouldn't he have at least advised the customer that there was something unsafe or not repairable? Policy where I volunteer is that rejections are always given a reason (to clarify, I'm not a smith, i'm just a monkey) by the boss. I will always defer to your experience on technical matters and gunsmithing, but when sentimental value is involved, I've seen people pay twice or more what a weapon is worth to repair it just because it holds a value to them far greater than the Blue Book.

+1 on the High Standard mags.....Always buy original if available. I found this out the hard way.....

clandestine · Jan 27, 2011

4g64loser said:
Clandestine, OP says he'd drive 200 miles and the gun is sentimental. You may well be right about the Atlantic smith rejecting it due to some major issue but wouldn't he have at least advised the customer that there was something unsafe or not repairable? Policy where I volunteer is that rejections are always given a reason (to clarify, I'm not a smith, i'm just a monkey) by the boss. I will always defer to your experience on technical matters and gunsmithing, but when sentimental value is involved, I've seen people pay twice or more what a weapon is worth to repair it just because it holds a value to them far greater than the Blue Book.

+1 on the High Standard mags.....Always buy original if available. I found this out the hard way.....

I agree its in bad form not to explain why a gun is turned away. It should always be explained, wether it be difficulty finding parts, length of the labor on the job, cost restrictions by the customer, safety reasons, ect..........

I find some people who have sentimental guns really dont want to pay to get the job done right, just quick and sloppy. We dont do work like that and we turn alot of jobs away simply because people ar not willing to pay for good work. We will only do good work, we do not compromise.

I really enjoy restoring a gun that means something to the owner, but that TLC takes time and attention to detail, which unfortunately is not what some will pay or can afford.

Hi Standards are amazing little guns.

mbz300sdl · Jan 27, 2011

So Chad when did u un-retire?

Tim is a great gun smith as well I work for him.

Eviljagtech · Jan 27, 2011

clandestine said:
I have worked on counless Hi Standards at Scotts Gunsmithing, we do them all the time.

Any Hi Standard can be fixed but a majority of the problems are the mags. If its not an original mag with a good spring or a good new spring it wont work.

Depending on the condition of the barrel, and th internals it can get pricey to fix them if its needs parts beyond springs. Im thinking something was off if the Smith at Atlantic rejected it.

Feeding is not an issue, i have 2 new stainless mag's in got at a gun shot and know they will need a brake in time. I also have the 2 mag's to gun can with and they feed fine. The issue is fail to fire's and that is the only issue I have really. Im not sure what could be wrong with the barrel though? It's not shot out as i can hit a 6" plate at 100 yards on the bench. The slide also locks with no issue's once I found the type of ammo it liked. The barrel also sits tight when installed as well.
The only thing I notice is that the rims don't have a nice deep dimple like i get from my M&P15-22. Plus the back of the firing pin(which float freely) has 2mm flat spot, but i thought in normal. I'm just super anal about my firearms and little thing bug me alot.

BTW 1966 is old for me as that was when High Standard built high quality firearms

clandestine · Jan 27, 2011

mbz300sdl said:
So Chad when did u un-retire?

Tim is a great gun smith as well I work for him.

I came back last week. It will be limited to custom work for the most part, but Im back for now.

clandestine · Jan 27, 2011

Eviljagtech said:
Feeding is not an issue, i have 2 new stainless mag's in got at a gun shot and know they will need a brake in time. I also have the 2 mag's to gun can with and they feed fine. The issue is fail to fire's and that is the only issue I have really. Im not sure what could be wrong with the barrel though? It's not shot out as i can hit a 6" plate at 100 yards on the bench. The slide also locks with no issue's once I found the type of ammo it liked. The barrel also sits tight when installed as well.
The only thing I notice is that the rims don't have a nice deep dimple like i get from my M&P15-22. Plus the back of the firing pin(which float freely) has 2mm flat spot, but i thought in normal. I'm just super anal about my firearms and little thing bug me alot.

BTW 1966 is old for me as that was when High Standard built high quality firearms

As beltbuckle mentioned the breach face can be peened. Then this happens theres not sufficient support for the firing pin to crush the rim and detonate the round. Dry firing can cause this.

If this has hapened its new barrel time if it cant be ironed out. Otherwise if thats ok the bolt is not going into battery or the Firing Pin is Bent, Brokem or the Hammer Spring or Hammer is having issues.

Eviljagtech · Jan 27, 2011

clandestine said:
I agree its in bad form not to explain why a gun is turned away. It should always be explained, wether it be difficulty finding parts, length of the labor on the job, cost restrictions by the customer, safety reasons, ect..........

I find some people who have sentimental guns really dont want to pay to get the job done right, just quick and sloppy. We dont do work like that and we turn alot of jobs away simply because people ar not willing to pay for good work. We will only do good work, we do not compromise.

I really enjoy restoring a gun that means something to the owner, but that TLC takes time and attention to detail, which unfortunately is not what some will pay or can afford.

Hi Standards are amazing little guns.

Put it this way, money is something I can work hard to get but a well keep firearm will last a lifetime if properly kept. I have 1200 tide up in a Rem 870 because its the first Gun i ever got when I was 13(technically it was mine at 18) because i want a 34" barrel with exchangeable chokes and a fully adjustable stock. Sounds dumb but no one else has one and its what I liked. If the cost is to much at first ill just come back after saving the money.

4g64loser · Jan 27, 2011

Clandestine,

I agree that many want it fast & nasty. It is a real pleasure to properly restore a weapon for a collector. Many, as you say, can't or won't pay for the kind of work required. In this case, though, it sounds as if our OP really would (gas to go 200 miles ain't cheap either!). I wish him the best in restoring a classic, with class!

clandestine · Jan 27, 2011

Eviljagtech said:
Put it this way, money is something I can work hard to get but a well keep firearm will last a lifetime if properly kept. I have 1200 tide up in a Rem 870 because its the first Gun i ever got when I was 13(technically it was mine at 18) because i want a 34" barrel with exchangeable chokes and a fully adjustable stock. Sounds dumb but no one else has one and its what I liked. If the cost is to much at first ill just come back after saving the money.

Gun owners like you are the ones I love doing work for. :thumbsup:

Eviljagtech · Jan 27, 2011

WOW, thanks guy's. so many places to chose from. Hmmm where should I go to talk firearms? Damn I wish all of life's chooses where like this. I'll stop by hafer's as i'll be in the area picking up other stuff I can get afterwords. I'll drive on over to Scott's to to talk and look around though as I am interested in a Suppressor for my Rem 700 SPS Varmint in .223 although the barrel would need to be threaded, it could also be used on a future AR build.

clandestine · Jan 27, 2011

Eviljagtech said:
WOW, thanks guy's. so many places to chose from. Hmmm where should I go to talk firearms? Damn I wish all of life's chooses where like this. I'll stop by hafer's as i'll be in the area picking up other stuff I can get afterwords. I'll drive on over to Scott's to to talk and look around though as I am interested in a Suppressor for my Rem 700 SPS Varmint in .223 although the barrel would need to be threaded, it could also be used on a future AR build.

Glad to help, even if you dont chose Scotts. We can handle the Rem threading if you want to have us do it. I would advise you get a .308 YHM suppressor and you can use it on everything .311 bore diameter and smaller, with the YHM Q.D. Flash Hiders. The .308 suppressors are just as quiet as .223 ones, only downside is size and weight. You can get one can to use on a plethora of calibers and rifles.

Eviljagtech · Jan 27, 2011

clandestine said:
Glad to help, even if you dont chose Scotts. We can handle the Rem threading if you want to have us do it. I would advise you get a .308 YHM suppressor and you can use it on everything .311 bore diameter and smaller, with the YHM Q.D. Flash Hiders. The .308 suppressors are just as quiet as .223 ones, only downside is size and weight. You can get one can to use on a plethora of calibers and rifles.

For the price they have it on the website can you at least take it apart to clean it? To bad that the bore is just to small for my 7.62x54r firearms. A well, i'll have a ton of questions when I stop by, that I know. Thanks for all the info, you rock :party29:

EDIT: never mind the price comment, they are better priced now that I look around

Old school High Standard Gunsmith needed

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