High Standard Pistols

First topic message reminder :

Hello all,
 High Standard Inc. is in business in Montana. I, Bob Snider and my brother in-law, Russ Gray are building High Standards. We have a complete line of fine pistols, from the 10X to the Sport King. We are building parts and accessories, along with the pistols. Let us know if we can help you in any way.
 Thank-you,
 Bob Snider

alaronstein wrote:NO- there are NOT two High Standards !!!!! Thank you for supporting the facts of Confusion and Dilution in the Market Place.- Alan Aronstein

FOR CONFIRMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE 

https://highstandardfirearmsusa.com/

please tell me how I supported the C&D in the market place, where there are clearly 2 companies selling High Standard pistols,,,

Apparently, building HS pistols.

…if they both have high standards, it’s good for the consumer!!

Who will be the first to buy one of the same pistol from each manufacturer, and compare group size?
I can see the question on the line already- "Is that a Montana High Standard or a Texas High Standard?" (Or Connecticut)

High Standard Mt.
Do you make your frames and other parts?  Do you subcontract them?  New old Houston stock?  Please tell us.

High Standard Victor 10X review

So an opportunity arose in December 2020 for me to put an order in at High Standard Inc. for a Bob Shea Victor 10X Commemorative. It all started with a simple parts order in an email, sent to High Standard in early November 2020, after I discovered their website on the trusty inter web. It didn’t take long for me to assess that this revamped version of High Standard was not a giant factory in an urban big city, but rather a family with a dream in rural Montana. Bob Snider through email conversations enlightened my inquisitive mind of the Rebirth of the brand, and how they wanted to put behind them the problems that plagued the Texas plant. He went on to tell me about not wanting to mass produce, but to machine new pistols in smaller quantities with the specifications from the Connecticut High Standard plant, The unfortunate passing of his father-in-law Jim Gray, and the willingness for himself and brother-in-law Russ Gray to carry on with Jim’s dream of rebuilding the brand.
I’ve been shooting my entire life and have shot competitively in centerfire matches, with okay results in both hand gun and long gun formats. By doing so I acquired an appreciation for well built firearms. My interest in the rimfire handguns has always been high and I have had the opportunity to acquire a few different models. Many moons ago I was at a local Gun show and a High Standard Sport King caught my eye, I picked it up and asked my friend Jamie. What in hell is a High Standard? He chuckled and said that if I didn’t buy it he would and he proceeded to tell me a brief snippet about the brand. Well I bought it, shot it, shot it some more, kept shooting it, and still shoot it. Since that day I’ve been on the look out at local gun shops and shows for the elusive High Standard. Yes I’ve found a few since, and my eldest son even purchased an Olympic for Father’s Day for me.
I guess that I’ve digressed just a little and maybe I’ve been a tad long winded so I’ll get back to the Victor 10 X Commemorative.
Let’s face it, anyone that has had or even fired, a Bob Shay built pistol will never regret the opportunity, And the Victor 10X Commemorative has some big shoes to fill. My expectations were high, as was my skepticism, I like to try on a pair of shoes before I buy them. That’s hard to do when purchasing a pistol on the other side of the country. Let alone from a startup company in the middle of nowhere Montana.
Bob assured me of their experience as gunsmiths and machinists between Russ and himself, and that I will be happy with the finished product.
Alright shut up and take my money. On December 31 2020 I sent a confirmation email to order the Victor 10X. Bob would send photo updates on the pistol’s progress and even posted a few pictures on the High Standard Inc. FB page, what a tease, my anxiety heightened and I was getting giddy like a kid just before Christmas. Might I remind that I have a few early models of High Standards and decided to run some trigger pull tests on them. All are very crisp and light sear breaks, the lightest being the Olympic at 26 oz., even the Sport King broke at 36 oz. The Victor 10X is advertised as a 2-1/2 pound trigger pull, 40oz, which is spectacular in itself, but I was feeling bold and shot out another email to Bob asking if there is a way to lighten the trigger pull on my new gun, since of course it was still in the build process and not difficult to alter.
Fast forward to January 29 only a month after the order, and several emails back and forth, shipping day arrives. Now I’m checking the tracking number for daily updates and time is standing still. Delivery day arrives during a winter storm with 10-18” of snow in the forecast and 30+ MPH winds. Well I guess I have to wait one more day. Just my luck.
My phone rings and it’s my FFL dealer telling me that my package has arrived. That’s a relief.
I’m no gun smith but I’ve seen a few guns in my day, and after unboxing my new Victor, clearing and checking the slide, flipping it over several times, feeling the grips, my anxiety subsides and a calming feeling takes over. The fit, feel, and tolerances appears to be spot on. Yes the springs are stiff but but it’s new not 50 years old like some of my other High Standards, all the actions are smooth. After a field strip and light oiling, I reassemble and load a mag with some Standard Velocity 22lr. The first shot ( without any sight adjustment ) grazes the right side of the target’s center, a wide 10X. The trigger is crisp 33oz break with no hint of creep, the rest of the mag finishes with 2-1/2” group just a shade high and right, I guess I should have expected that from a pistol built by a lefty. This pistol will out shoot most shooters capabilities, including mine.
I’m a fan of traditional gun bluing but to keep the tradition of a mat finish on these models High Standard chose a Duracoat finish. It appears to be a decent choice and looks great, the gold highlights on the trigger. Mag release, slide catch, and safety really pop out at you.
It’s a mid summer’s night, the crowd is on the edge of their seats, It’s the bottom of the 9th you’re down by 3, with 2 outs and the bases are loaded. The team has been beat up in the previous years but has a good past and hearty new players. With High Standard putting in their pinch hitter, Bob knocks it outta park for a grand slam.
This Victor 10X has met my expectations and functions like a dream.
High Standard’s commitment to producing quality firearms and providing outstanding customer support on this build has been more than I expected. I truly believe that Bob and Russ are striving to build to a higher standard, and I perceive that there will be more boxes from Montana headed my way in the foreseeable future. It’s going to be an unfair comparison when you start out with the cream of the crop but I’m up for the challenge.

We are a pretty sophisticated bunch and not interested in the kinds of articles found in gun rags regarding pistols suitable for our sport. To be blunt, folks on here are interested in 50 yard group sizes. Usually 10 shot groups will suffice. We are also interested in the quality of the sights, i.e. if they are repeatable and have positive clicks, as well as, the ease of mounting an optics rail and if those are available from the manufacturer. We want to know how reliable the pistol is with different kinds of ammo. We want to know to what extent, if any, the weight of the trigger can be adjusted. Of course price is a consideration.

So I assume the HS design patents have expired so anyone can rightfully make HS pistols similar to 1911's?

.

While it's nice to think that having 2 of a good thing is better, sometimes having 2 people competing for the oxygen in a small market can leave both dead.

Alan has filed a lawsuit in Texas against High Standard of Montana and I think it is seeking a million dollars in damages.

Nothing is worse for the gun industry in a small target pistol market than accelerating the consumption of all the oxygen with infighting and lawsuits.

The short answer is that I(Alan Aronstein), the bank that had its' secured assets taken, and some of the remaining Shareholders of HS that had their Companys' assets taken have  filed  lawsuits against the entire Gray Crime Family. Bob Snider has admitted all of this on another forum and implicated ALL of the actors involved !!! Bob Snider has also admitted this in his answers in the banks discovery papers !! I (repeat I) beleive that all of these firearms and parts that they are selling are from the above admitted acts. I am sure that we will get ALL  of the answers as this progresses  thru the State and Federal District Courts here in Houston, TX. Anyone can check this out by searching the Harris County TX court filings against High Standard Inc (MT). - Alan Aronstein

So are there patents still active on the HS designed pistols? Is the name and logo trademarked still?

Alan,

Can you explain why you have an interest in the assets that you say were the property of the bank or shareholders and why it's you and not the bank/shareholders that are seeking remedy in court?

Is the million dollars sought in the lawsuit damages incurred by you, or the bank/shareholders?

When Jim Gray filed the Company into Chapter 11 in July 2015, he listed 4.5 million dollars in inventory plus other assets. A plan was approved under Chapter 11 in 2016 that would have saved the company but, the plan was NOT carried out.  When the Federal Court converted the case to Chapter 7 in April 2018 and turned it over to a US Trustee the inventory and assets  were  basically GONE !!!! Bob Snider provided an admission on a Public Forum as to what happened to the Inventory and Assets. The bank filed its' own Lawsuit. I and the  shareholders hired an attorney and learned that the admitted actions by the Gray Crime Family made it impossible for  the HS Company  to re- organize under Chapter 11. We were ALL damaged in excess of one million dollars. That does not include the Banks' damages.- Alan Aronstein

Ever since the High Standard company went under in 1986, there have been questionable quality issues and business practices. There were a lot of complaints about 10X pistols paid for but not being delivered on the old e-mail Bullseye-L. I think it is time to let the litigants figure this out on their own and not trouble this list with their "advertising" and legal bickering.

+1
And I don't see either listed as Supporters on the Homepage.

I was only replying to requests for information on this thread. I am NOT aware of any Firearm or Part or anything that has not been delivered by High Standard FA USA/ OFM Corp. We have issued Credits for lost or damaged shipments if you want to include that in the discussion. We DO NOT Take deposits or advanced payment for anything!!!! If ANYONE has such a complaint, I would like to address that issue. I will be MORE than happy to become an advertiser on Bullseye-L. Please send me the phone number to call to sign up. - Alan Aronstein

I don't think I'm willing to take sides on this by placing an ad for either side until the legal questions are settled by the courts.

I don't think the airing of grievances here does anything good for the High Standard brand.

This is very confusing

Looking forward to do business with you..

As for me, there will be no MT nor TX High Standards in my future for a while. Prior to all of this, either could have been a candidate. Who knows, maybe both. Not now.

This does nothing for any of us. 

Allgoodhits wrote:As for me, there will be no MT nor TX High Standards in my future for a while. Prior to all of this, either could have been a candidate. Who knows, maybe both. Not now.

This does nothing for any of us. 

+1

More so, I communicated message of the same nature directly to Bob of HS MT! 

And I think this tread exceeded its usefulness.

Calling on Admin to lock it!

AP