22 cal bullet question

[Jerry1]

Hello!

I'm a new member here. I have a question about ammunition.

I have inherited my dad's Hi-Standard LR automatic. I was with him when he bought it in 55 or 56. I know I'm dating myself.

Have they changed the 22 bullet since, say 1965? The reason I'm asking is that the rear of a new 22 bullet gets stuck in the clip and the spring won't push it up to be taken into the chamber.

I hate to ask such a dumb question, but this seems to be my last resort as to what the problem is. I'm not just talking about while in the pistol, but even when the clips out of the gun and just removing the top bullet from the clip.

Thank you for any assistance you can give me.

Jerry

 

[Minnesota Wild]

The answer to your question is mostly a no...the standard specs for a 22 haven't changed for a 100 years. I think the answer to your problem is actually about the bullets.

Bullet design has changed since the 60s, especially with the different HP bullets (though not necessarily with round nosers). As long as you're shooting 40 Gr. solid bullets though, I bet the problem is with overly-lubed bullets. My High Standard Victor frequently has feeding issues due to bullets with excessive lube on the bullet. If you haven't tried CCI Standard Velocity, give it a shot and see what happens. If you have tried CCI stuff, I don't have any clue. I do know that there are several places online that sell new mags, you could try that.

 

[Jerry1]

Thank you for the quick reply.

I had never herd of CCI and had to do a quick search to find out it is a Mfg. name.

I realized that the bullets I have are not that new. They are Wards boxes that I purchased about 30 years ago! They are lubricated, but the boxes don't list the grains. Have to assume they are 40.

I may have to try a new mag if the CCI's don't do the trick.

Regards,
Jerry

 

[bigfatdave]

Try cleaning out the old mag, make sure the gun is marked ".22LR" just to be sure (did HS ever make anything in .22long?)

Try a selection of ammo, I'd start with CCI "standard velocity" or "match" and maybe round-nose "mini-mags" (not to be confused with MAXI-mags, which are .22wmr, and will not fit your pistol!) ... if you can't find CCI try Federal out.

The external lube on .22lr ammo can gunk up magazines pretty well if it accumulates for long enough, it might just be that the mag/gun is full of the waxy rimfire lube.

 

[Jerry1]

Yep, I'm positive it is a LR. See attached picture. I did a little research last night on line and found out it was shipped from the factory in the latter part of 1955. My guess that it was shipped in October (depending on how many were produced in a month) of 1955. the retail price of the gun was $37.50. How inflation has driven up the price of things!

I'm going to clean out the magazine today. I don't think my dad had shot it since the early '60's. He did not even have any bullets for it in the box, so I don't know if the bullets back then were lubricated. I just cannot remember what brand of bullets he bought when he bought the gun. Anyway, cleaning out the magazine sure won't hurt anything.

Jerry

 

[Jerry1]

I'll try again to post the picture. I don' know if the pic will show up this time, but it says, High Standard Mfg. Corp., Hawden, Conn. U.S.A. , .22LR.

 

[Furncliff]

The maker and type of ammo can affect feed on the Hi Standard to some extent. But most Hi Standard magazines need to be adjusted from time to time. It has more to do with the age and quality of the magazines. And since these pistols don't have a feed ramp, the mags are very important to good feeding. Below is a link to some info on how to make the adjustments. Take the time to make the small tool that they demonstrate. It will keep you from boogering the lips.

http://home.roadrunner.com/~jbarta/hsclip.pdf


Rim Fire Central is a great source for .22 info and there is a special section for Hi-Standard.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php





My dad left me a Hi Standard Supermatic that he bought in the late 50's. It's our famly's favorite fire arm.

P.S. these pistols were designed before the advent of Hyper velocity .22 rimfire ammo. Using it can cause cracks in the frame. I stick to standard velocity in mine. Don't use that old ammo. My dad left me a brick of old ammo and it misfired, cussed sparks to shoot out the barrel and stuck the spent cases in the chamber. New stuff is cheap....splurge a little the pistol is worth it.

 

[bigfatdave]

Jerry1, I was pretty sure it would be .22LR, while you're taking the mags apart make sure you note the position of the spring and any other internals, scrub out the crud, wipe out with solvent, and leave it bone dry. No lube or a dry lube if you feel you must lube inside, or if it still hangs up.

Now that I think of it, if the mag spring were in backwards it might torque the follower and rounds to stick, isn't the HS mag heavily raked back? If it doesn't look right when removing or replacing, try flipping the spring, it only goes in 4 ways, and only one (sometimes two) of those ways is right.

 

[ulflyer]

Jerry, +1 on Furncliff's advice. CCI makes a Standard Velocity LR that works fine.
Chances are, if its not just crud in the mag, the mag is somehow bent, or the lips are. You may have to buy a new one from the High Standard Co now in TX. They ain't cheap either..around $45 or more. From what I've read lately (because I recently got a Sport King and have read everything I can find about them) the cheaper mags often don't work, and even the ones from Tx often require adjusting of the lips. Luckily the one mag that came with mine works! Go over to: http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php and read bout High Standards.

 

[BCRider]

I recently went through a lot of issues with an Iver Johnson pistol which is a clone of the Hi Standard which you have. Turned out that it was all about the magazine. The lips were a little worn and had burrs on them from some cause. I had to tweak the lips and polish them smooth and rounded with some 1000 grit super fine wetordry sandpaper lubed with a bit of oil. It may be that your mag needs some tweaking as well. For example the rim should not be able to snap up behind the ends of the lips and get lodged. If they are then that suggests to me that the lips of the magazine at the rear are badly worn from the years of use. If this is the case then no amount of tweaking will fix it... other than perhaps forcing a slight "dimple" into the upper rear face edge that forces the round slightly forward so the rim can't hook in behind the back of the lips. But that will make the magazine more narrow there. Sooooooo.... you may just need to bite the bullet and find a new(er) magazine in better shape. A WTB in the used equipment section may well get you a good used magazine or two for much less than the new price. But if you suck it up and buy new at least you'll know that it's right when it arrives. There's something to be said for that. And with ONE new one you can use it as a guide for tweaking the other one and any other used ones you get. The protrusion and leveling of the top bullet needs to be "just so" and tweaking the lips to get that is a pretty normal chore. But what is "right" is often open to guesswork. Having a good NEW magazine to measure and compare can make a heap of a good difference to how iffy the whole deal is.

 

[Jerry1]

Guys, thanks for the great info and links. I did soak the mag in acetone for a couple of hours and it was not better . . . a whole lot cleaner, however!

I'm just gonna get a new magazine for it and then the firearm should be great to go.

Jerry