Prefacing response: Buy too much pistol with too much money; in the long run, you'll have more time to enjoy it and less time apologizing for your poor purchase and lost trade value when you finally upgrade!
1. HS Victor or its sister, Trophy. But get Nill grips and NOT Herretts.
-this is a Heavyweight and you can add counterweights on the Trophy. "Glass rod" sensation at break. Aftermarket mags = headaches.
2. Trailside 6", only if you add the 180 gm counterweight, Rink grips and Larry's trigger job. Magazines are plastic & flawless if generation 3. Use SV ammo.
3. S&W M-41 is improved with Nill grips, but late model iron sights are not snappy. 2 barrel lengths and scopable. Overall weight is high as is a steel gun. Trigger is mushy.
4. Never owned a comp grade Ruger, but the Clark trigger made my MkI much better
5. Buckmark is highly accurate, but its Woodsman's profile leaves you with low barrel mass: go target weight barrel and look into weights and grips.
6. The Smith 22A is marginal, but the Walther (Smith) product that is tricked out, seems appealing, but I have no experience.
7. Walther P22 cannot be considered.
Good luck in your search. I bought a used Pardini SP22 and my other autos all took a place in the safe, except for the S&W M-17 8 3/8" with Nill grips.
22 bullseye starter guns
Moderators: pilkguns, m1963, Isabel1130
Hi-Standard magazines, 'ceptin them that has been squashed in a vise in anger, can all be adjusted to function fantastically. I have a few that I bought from Cheaper Than Dirt and adjusted them all to handle anything I shoot. I think I have taught all the Hi-S owners in my club how to make a tool to help adjust their mags. Quite in fact many other mags of different Pistols are adjustable in a similar fashion. "Doc" the Crotchety Ole Coach.
I even have two stainless steel magazines that work for me. I took an original highstandard magazine and measured all of the particulars in the feeding area. I then little by little opened the front lips until the gun would alibi. I put it back to original and little by little closed it until I got the same condition. After this I did the same thing with the rear of the magazine until I knew where the middle was. After putting the lips in the middle, I did the same thing with the rear. I measured the height of the rear lips also and took my aftermarket magazines and tried to make them the same. The height of the aftermarket magazines were a bit different but it didn't seem to matter and when the lips were the same distance apart they worked. I only had to adjust one other magazine to get it to work and that was because I dropped it on the concrete. The adjustment didn't seem to be too particular and there was a fair amount of leeway in the adjustments I just took a 3/8 bolt and cut a notch in it with a hack saw. I flattended the wave in the front of the hacksaw blade with a hammer so it wouldn't make too wide of a cut in the end of the bolt. I did this so long ago, I don't remember what I did with the measurements or the bolt and all the magazines still work fine after all these years. -- Bill --
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Amanda4461
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Sat May 14, 2011 7:56 pm
- Location: Beaumont, Texas 77707
High Standard Recommendation
I know the horror stories. Probably why I own 6 of the Hamden models. The Trophy's normally get the nod, since they seem to have the best triggers and no ejection issues since they do not have the Victor's vent rib. Contrary to popular myth, the "new" Texas High Standard produces some fabulous pistols and spare parts. I use 6 of their new mags, and none needed to be tweeked by the mag-lip adjustment tool, although I do own the tool. I also have one of their new blued barrels on a Trophy frame, and it is as accurate if not more so than any of my Hamden barrels. However, you MUST buy the magazines from new stock. The mags from the first 3 years the factory was opened did have weak metallurgy, long since corrected. Even a NIB Trophy is affordable, and considering I shoot a Pardini SP-22 only because it has a red dot, the Trophy gives up nothing to a S&W 41 or Ruger. I had 3 41's at one time, none were ever selected to compete with, after I sighted in the Trophy. Be alert though, in all fairness aint nothing wrong with the Ruger or 41, it is just personal "feel". Furthermore, if you buy an old original HS, check the frame under the grips for frame cracks first. They Cannot be used with HV ammo, and you do need to replace the recoil spring every 3-5k rounds.
Best of luck on a tough choice!
Amanda
Best of luck on a tough choice!
Amanda
Last edited by Amanda4461 on Mon Jun 18, 2012 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When I said that the early Texas models were no good, I was not passing on a rumor, but I said it in light of my personal experience along with many others in our Bullseye group. The barrels from one gun to another weren't even interchangable among themselves much less from an old High Standard to a Texas model. People in the know who were shooting old HS's for years and knew how to work on them finally gave up on the Texas model. If the newest ones are good, it is going to take a long time and a lot of word of mouth before any of us would buy one because even if you have one that works good, we have no confidence that you didn't just get lucky. We wouldn't even buy a late Hartford model because of irregularities and slopiness in their manufacture. -- Bill --
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Amanda4461
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Sat May 14, 2011 7:56 pm
- Location: Beaumont, Texas 77707
High Standard Recommendation
Bill,
I understand the concerns about the early Texas High Standard pistols. The best part for me is the fact that they learned from their early pistol and magazine failures, and fixed the problem. All High Standards are Magazine-dependent, and you can get tired and broke from paying the gunshow magazine prices, and even then you won't know if they are "good" until you try them in your pistol. Anyone who owns an old HS knows that they need to have a goodly supply of excellent mags. Texas HS does indeed make nice mags now. Would I trade one of my Hamden Trophy or Victors for a new Texas HS? No, but only because I like blued pistols, and the new ones are Stainless Steel framed. RIMFIRE CENTRAL has a fairly dedicated bunch of HS fans, many who have tried the new Texas pistols. Again, like the mags, they are best to be purchased if made in the last couple of years only. Now, if they would make an all-Stainless Steel Trophy with a high polish, I would break down and buy one.
Better clean my Trophy. I do have a match this weekend!
Amanda
I understand the concerns about the early Texas High Standard pistols. The best part for me is the fact that they learned from their early pistol and magazine failures, and fixed the problem. All High Standards are Magazine-dependent, and you can get tired and broke from paying the gunshow magazine prices, and even then you won't know if they are "good" until you try them in your pistol. Anyone who owns an old HS knows that they need to have a goodly supply of excellent mags. Texas HS does indeed make nice mags now. Would I trade one of my Hamden Trophy or Victors for a new Texas HS? No, but only because I like blued pistols, and the new ones are Stainless Steel framed. RIMFIRE CENTRAL has a fairly dedicated bunch of HS fans, many who have tried the new Texas pistols. Again, like the mags, they are best to be purchased if made in the last couple of years only. Now, if they would make an all-Stainless Steel Trophy with a high polish, I would break down and buy one.
Better clean my Trophy. I do have a match this weekend!
Amanda
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OP...have set my sites on a buckmark only now....
Trying to find a new 5.5 or 7.25 bull barrel with weaver rib is starting to be a BIG problem.
My local dealers in ETX say that Buckmarks have not been shipped since the Tsunami in Japan!!
There is a gun show in Tyler TX weekend..will hit that and see.
My local dealers in ETX say that Buckmarks have not been shipped since the Tsunami in Japan!!
There is a gun show in Tyler TX weekend..will hit that and see.
One thing I'm not hearing mentioned....and maybe you already know this...but get a pistol that fits you.
My brother is a S&W 41 guy. Good thing as it allowed me to talk him out of his high standard. I just can't shoot the 41 well but I love the high standard. I like that upside down russian izzy too.
There is a lot to be said for the marvel conversion. You are going to be shooting 2/3rd's of your match with a 1911 so might as well get all the practice will one you can:)
Yes a ruger or buckmark will do but you will be upgrading. This isn't to say if you got a S&W 41 you might not earn for some sexy euro gun down the road. But if you did you might return to the 41 also. I don't know too many that move on to better guns and return to rugers of their free will.
My brother is a S&W 41 guy. Good thing as it allowed me to talk him out of his high standard. I just can't shoot the 41 well but I love the high standard. I like that upside down russian izzy too.
There is a lot to be said for the marvel conversion. You are going to be shooting 2/3rd's of your match with a 1911 so might as well get all the practice will one you can:)
Yes a ruger or buckmark will do but you will be upgrading. This isn't to say if you got a S&W 41 you might not earn for some sexy euro gun down the road. But if you did you might return to the 41 also. I don't know too many that move on to better guns and return to rugers of their free will.
Here is the Browning Buckmark I settled on
A good hand fit..so far. Need some more magazines of course and will eventually get a optic sight.
Am pondering making a set of grips to match my Izzy AP in at least the hand hold part. The slide release and safety latch area will have to be exposed as will the mag release.
yeah I could call Fung and for $180 get fitted target set..But a friend can get me some walnut or cherrywood and get it down to a dremel manageable size. I am patient and will take my time.
Might have to consult a rule book or two to be certain that the grips when finally attached will meet specs. If not..alittle more "dremeling" wont hurt.
Am pondering making a set of grips to match my Izzy AP in at least the hand hold part. The slide release and safety latch area will have to be exposed as will the mag release.
yeah I could call Fung and for $180 get fitted target set..But a friend can get me some walnut or cherrywood and get it down to a dremel manageable size. I am patient and will take my time.
Might have to consult a rule book or two to be certain that the grips when finally attached will meet specs. If not..alittle more "dremeling" wont hurt.
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