How to clean trigger of High Standard pistol

W

WVBrady

Guest
I have a very nice High Standard .22 pistol which I have had for about 40 years. I just target practice with it once in a while. Usually I just wipe it down with a rag with some type of gun oil and occasionally clean it around the extractor with a toothbrush.

The last time I took it to a range it wouldn't cock and the trigger felt gummy. I dribbled a little Break Free down in around the trigger and worked the trigger back and forth and it loosened up a little, but it still won't cock. I don't know any gunsmiths around here that I would trust with it and I don't want to take the chance of messing it up by working on it myself.

I was wondering what I might try. I have thought about taking the grips off and soaking it in a container of kerosene and have also thought about getting an ultrasonic cleaner such as this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=3305

Might either of these methods take off the gold colored lettering or cause any other damage?

One thought is that I could take a 2 hour drive to Parkersburg, WV and take it to Novak's.

Any thoughts?

TIA,
Brady
 
Hi Std trigger

WVBrady: Might be a simple fix. Remove the left grip panel & check the screw that holds the piece of sheet metal down tight against the frame. In addition to maintaining pressure against the thumb safety, ( and the 2 pivot points/dimples), it also keeps pressure on the sear. If the plate is not tight against the frame, the sear will not engage the hammer notch. I've had this happen a few times over many years.
 
Too small

The Cleaner shown, would be too small for the complete pistol. Looks like it would be great for complete bolts and triggers.
 
Thanks for the responses!

F. D. : I had that screw come loose not too long after I got the pistol, but this time it was tight. However, while I had the grip off, I moved the safety up and down several times and now the trigger cocks and releases properly. I don't know if it loosened up overnight from the Break Free or what happened. I read that I should only lubricate the trigger assembly of my Remington 700 with lighter fluid; what would you recommend for this trigger?

Fred: I thought that it might be large enough with the barrel off. For this model it is easy to remove the barrel for cleaning. I may get it anyway for your suggested usage of cleaning of bolts. I have several old military rifles on which I have just done a superficial cleaning of the bolts and never fired. If I could get the frame of the pistol in the cleaner, do you think that it might damage the lettering?

Thanks again,
Brady
 
Hi Std trigger

WVBrady: With the Hi Std, I would remove the sheet metal plate, carefully & clean all exposed parts using a cotton Q-Tip moistened with Hoppes, Zep degreaser, or any type cleaner. Then would very lightly lube all moving parts and pivot points, using CLP Breakfree or any good lube. I do not apply any lube to the sear/hammer contact areas, but keep them dry, as advised by Neil Jones. In his opinion, and based on his re-building of Rem 700 triggers, he advises against lubricating triggers: says they then will attract & hold dirt. I follow his recommendations. Works for me. As far as a complete dunking/soaking in some type of solvent, I normally would not do that, unless I stripped the frame down and soaked/cleaned each individual part.
 
Check with Jeweler

Brady:
I can help you with that question. You migh check with a Jeweler to see if thhe type of cleaner you plan on using might damage the Gold Inlay. I also noticed, they have some larger units avilable that may take the complete pistol. Good luck.
 
Bad news! I took the left grip off and removed the metal plate and safety lever and was gently cleaning with a q-tip when I felt something very small fly out and hit my neck. I searched on the floor on my hands and knees and used a large magnet, but couldn't find anything. Now the trigger again will not cock. It seems as if there is no spring action to reset the trigger. Maybe what hit me was a piece of the trigger reset spring?

I am thinking that the best place to send it is to the manufacturer. There is a company that is again manufacturing the High Standard Supermatic Trophy, which is what I have. On their site they indicate that they are swamped with orders, so they may take some time to respond to emails.

I am not up on who will handle pistols through the mail. Whom do you suggest?

Edit: I just looked on the High Standard site and they list Fed-Ex, UPS, and US Mail (3-day priority)

Thanks,
Brady
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Brady: The spring that popped out is the "V" shaped with the rounded point, and yes, it does maintain "up" pressure on the trigger bar and is held in place by the flat sheet metal. It's official name is: "sear bar spring". During my active years of bullseye match pistol competition, an excellent source for parts was: Bob Shea, 381 Quinnipiac Ave. North Haven CT 06473 Tel ( 203) 239-1012. It's been a few years, not sure he's still in business, but if he is, he will be sure to have the spring, and should be able to send via parcel post, it being so small. I would also get a spare for the spring that is located in the slide hold open lever. It is an extremely small bent coil sping, held inside a hole on the hold open lever, remove the right grip panel to get to that one. These very small springs are a common item "lost", so it's always good to have a spare for each. I also believe Brownells lists these same springs in their catalog, and again USPS mailing would save a lot of $$$. That's what I meant when I said "carefully", when I spoke of removing the sheet metal plate. I feel some guilt now for your added problems-- sorry.:(
 
Brady: Just checked my Brownell catalog #61, complete parts inventory for Hi Std. pistols, page 474. Sear bar spring, factory# HD42H, $5.15. Slide lock spring factory#HD55, also $5.15. Firing pins ( I had a few that broke over the years), extractor, (broke a few of those also, although pistol continued to function since it's a "blowback"), any part you could possibly need is available.
 
Good news!

Thanks to your excellent description, I searched anew with a different magnet on a stick, heard a little click, and found the little rascal on the other side of the room. It wasn't much trouble to put back in and now the gun appears to function properly. I still don't know why it didn't work originally; I didn't really see much dirt or gunk.

Thanks for looking up the part nos. I plan to do as you suggested and order some extras.

My brother and I get a lot of enjoyment out of this pistol. When the wind is not blowing, we can hit enough clay pigeons at 100 yds.(stuck in the backstop) to impress the other shooters, shooting from a good rest. I am not steady enough to compete; I just enjoy plinking. I was lucky to get it the way I did. Herter's had a sale (going out of business, but I didn't know it) and, being short on funds, ordered a cheaper model. Because they ran out of that model, they sent me the higher priced one.

Edit: BTW, the price on the springs has gone up a little. I have the original parts list that came with the gun. On it they are listed for $0.30! :eek:
Thanks again, and good shooting!
Brady
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I recently bought an old high standard. Beautiful trigger. I was wondering how to remove the trigger bar. It looks pretty ratty and in need of replacement. It's the one piece that looks like it needs to be replaced. I don't want to take it to a gunsmith because of the price and I also want to learn about this particular pistol.
 
High Standard information resource

As a High-Standard pistol owner and shooter for many years, the best source of High-Standard Information I have found is John Stimson's http://www.histandard.info/ web site. Here you will find all sorts of information including many of the different model manuals. John is a foremost authority on High-Standards and if you can't find what you need for information, John is "SGVictor" on RimfireCentral.com and if you post questions in the RimfireCentral 'High Standard' thread, John is often one to answer...

Happy Shooting,
Mitch & Shadow...
 
i was just wondering how to remove the trigger bar. I've looked everywhere and still can't find out how to.
 
Soak the receiver in Mineral Spirits----paint thinner. The only reason to remove a High Standard trigger is, if it needs tuned up. After you soak the receiver, just blow it out with air and lube. I have a few Victors that are never torn down past the barrel, slide and receiver. anything more than that is wasted effort.

Soaking a 1911 is also the preferred method over complete disassembly.

Don't be skimpy with the oil, unless your in the desert, it is impossible to over lube a pistol.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top