TargetTalk

I have owned several High Standards over the years and this one is got me puzzled!
It is a High Standard Citation 107 (Hampden Ct) that the trigger will not pull to release the hammer. The pistol looks like it has had very little use. But acts like it is on safety regardless of the position of actual safety. The hammer is in the cocked position.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I have not taken it apart yet.

Thanks

Mac

This can happen if the trigger/sear transfer bar either isn't fitted correctly, or the hook that pulls on the sear has cracked. I've had two fail like that over the years. There is also a small spring that holds the bar up to engage the sear. If that went missing, I don't think it will function.

I have a pair of Victors that I set up eons ago with "matching" triggers (as best I could). There is a fairly sharp corner in the notch that pulls on the sear, and that forms a stress concentrator. I now have only one working Victor, while the other waits for me to fit a new sear bar. It needs to be done carefully, because it functions to prevent firing as both the disconnector, and when the safety is engaged.

Thank you, sounds like the problem. Guess I will have to order one and add to the parts list.

thanks again

Unless you have an FFL, the sear bar may be tricky. It's a restricted part:

https://www.highstandard.com/sear-assembly-p-1416.html

It's been a while since I was inside one. If the trigger returns forward OK, the spring is probably good, in which case my best guess is the sear bar.

Am a FFL, so no problem there! Thanks again. I will let you know what I find when I take it apart.. Very
odd, but always something.

Try backing off the overtravel screw .

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tried backing it out, but no luck on that. Thanks for the post though. Parts are ordered along with a new spring kit. Just is very odd that it is not an obvious problem. Maybe I am only person who ever had this problem? I will keep you posted as to progress and what the problem was.

Mac

If you take off the left grip, the operating mechanism is pretty visible, and a little study should reveal how it works (or doesn't). You probably don't even have to remove the side plate.

When you pull on the trigger, a pin on the front of the sear bar is pulled forward. There is a small notch at the back end of the sear bar that pulls forward on an "ear" that sticks out on the top left of the sear. The bottom of the sear rotates backward, which releases the hammer. There's a big hole in the frame below the hook where you can observe the relationship of the sear & the hammer. The sear bar to sear connection is visible on the left side, but to see exactly what is going on there, you may have to remove the slide. Just keep your thumb on the hammer so it can't slam into the frame if it releases.

Not that it affects the basic firing process, but when the slide moves to the rear, it pushed the bump on top of the sear bar down so it can't pull on the sear. This serves as the disconnector. There is a notch in the bottom of the slide that allows the sear bar to pop back up into position once the slide is closed. When you engage the safety, this also pushes the sear bar down, disconnecting it from the sear.

If the hammer isn't getting released, the sear bar isn't pulling on the sear or something is jammed. The hook on the sear bar could be broken, or the ear on the sear may have snapped off.

It's a pretty simple mechanism once you study it a bit. It's highly unlikely anything subtle is going on. Here's a picture that shows the sear bar & sear with the side plate off:

Most likely its the issues that have been mentioned, but I've had one other unusual issue that can cause this problem. Take the slide off and look directly behind the hammer. Sometimes the sear spring can become displaced from the adjustment screw that protrudes from the rear of the frame. If the legs of the sear spring come off the end of adjustment screw end piece, it can become wedged in and trap the sear, provide only minimal spring pressure, etc.

I been looking inside for some of the problems discussed. Everything looks correct. However, I noticed the sear bar and the trigger appear to be locked together. Shouldn't the sear bar pin rotate in the trigger? It appears they are frozen together. I would think the pen should rotate within the trigger??

Thanks Again Y'all

They should definitely rotate. I'd put a drop of Kroil on it & let it sit. If they've gotten hopelessly corroded together, try to salvage the sear bar. A replacement trigger (while not cheap) is a drop in part, with no fitting required.

The typical trigger is plated, and the plating may have failed & a flake has gotten jammed in the hole. Trying to pry the sear bar out without bending it can be tricky. The photo I found is from a series that shows how to run a loop of dental floss under the sear bar so you can lift it right at the pin:

http://hscollectorsblog.blogspot.com/20 ... stuck.html

Thanks for the reply,

Got it soaking! I would venture a guess as this is what the issue has been all along. I am always looking for a broken part. Will try the dental floss trick later and let you know.

Hopefully it's just frozen with fossilized grease. If the sear bar pin & trigger hole have gotten badly corroded, it may be difficult to get them smoothed back to the point where your trigger pull will be up to the usual "High Standards".

Hope it will be ok! But with my luck???

Thanks for all your help. Great group of guys here.
It is working!!! Whoo Hoo! The sear bar was frozen in the trigger. Therefore it wouldn't engage the sear. Lots of Break Free! Also I removed the trigger pen allowing me to tip the sear bar out a little bit to move it back and forth about a MILLION times until it would rotate smoothly. Have to be careful not to bend the sear bar. Works great now nice 2lb pull.

Thanks again,

Mac

Thanks for reporting back. Glad it was something simple that didn't require fitting any parts.

That's an odd spot for corrosion to set in, unless it was cleaned by dunking in solvent or left dry by the factory. Depending on the vintage, HS went through some periods of atrocious quality control.