Hamden Conn. Supermatic Military Trophy ammo.

[John Stimson]

I just purchased a Hamden supermatic military trophy made in 1969. The gun is 100% it's still tight and breaking in. The original owner fired 50 rounds thru it, put it in his safe and passed away. I have always marveled that owners seem to know exactly how many rounds they have shot a gun but give little consideration as to the number of rounds shot with the gun at the factory in function testing, proofing and sight adjustment.
My question is: I've read about some Hi Standard .22's having the frames crack from shooting hi velocity ammo. I know the guns made in texas have cast frames where the best ones made in Hamden in the 60's had machines frames out of carbon steel. The Connecticut (New Haven, Hamden, East Haven and East Hartford) frames were forged from AISI 1045 steel. The early Texas frame were cast from AISI 4140 and later from 17-4 PH stainless. I can only find ammo that's 1240 to 1280fps and realize the standard velocity at 1020 shoots better and is easier on the gun.

Will shooting this velocity 1240 to 1280 fps hurt this gun or should it be fine. I would not shoot anything with any higher velocity.

I did a lot of research prior to buying this gun and wanted only a Hamden and not an East Hartford since the Hamdens in that time period were the best of the best for the supermatic trophy models as well as their 10X and other models. There is a lot of rubbish on the internet about these guns. in 1969 the Supermatic Trophy was the top (most expensive) High Standard model. However as a practical matter the Supermatic Citation was nearly the same gun. The difference was strictly in the level of polish, the gold trim and the trigger pull specification. The Super high gloss finish of the Supermatic Trophy was dropped during the 106 series and a few years after yours the factory stopped claiming any difference in the level of polish. That left the gold trim and the trigger pull specification. The gold has no functional benefit. The trigger pull specification difference was small and there were certainly guns where the actual trigger pull was the same on the different models. There were no MODEL 10-X pistols made in Hamden. All were made in East Hartford with about a third made in 107 series and the balance in the 108 series with the SH prefix serial numbers.

I thank you in advance for your knowledge and opinions from qualified individuals. How do you know which if any of us are qualified?

John Stimson
www.histandard.info

 

[concealed carry]

Ya Put a smile on my face Willie:

That pistol ought to be a safe queen. It's one of the nicest ones I've seen, and very very few would be nicer. Find a collector who will keep it as-is, and take the advice to buy one with a high round count to use as a shooter, or keep it as a piece of art yourself and find a second one with finish wear to shoot. Nearly new ones are getting darned rare. There are many models of the same basic design available, from the Sharpshooter M on up to Supermatic Citations, Victors, etc., and all make VERY nice shooters. My highest round count one is a Sharpshooter M that I bought new in 1978 in college, and I've literally shot 50,000 rounds thru it, most of it high velocity. It's never EVER failed to feed and is as accurate as the day I bought it. It led to collecting others, but I still drag it out to shoot. The Sharpshooter M is a pistol identical to yours save for the rear sight being dovetailed on the slide, not attached to the frame. Yours was the next model up in the lineup.

The flaking means nothing. No affect on value.

Warning, you can't own just two... or three... or four...


Willie

.

Willie: You crack me up-(LOL) I love the--WARNING-- Ya Can't just own two or three or 4?
I'm 67 and (was on a Budget) but now I think you've blown that!!!
I guess it's time to start looking for a shooter, In researching prior to this purchase I saw where a lot of bulls-eye shooters got the Supermatic Citations being the same as the Trophy except for the better bluing and gold trigger, safety and mag. release, and that they shoot just as well as the Trophy. I'm going to look up the Sharpshooter M you mentioned also. Not familiar with them.

I've never seen a Brinks truck following a hearst to the cemetery so I guess it's ok to look for a shooter. Here are a few more pictures of the Hamden Trophy.

 

[John Stimson]

As a mid level collector of HS pistols (about 20) and having shot them in competition WAY back in my youth (70's), my advice is to shoot it and forget worrying abouit it. After 50,000 rounds you can let us know how it's going. It'll be just about broken in by then. You can shoot anything you like thru it. Frame cracks in High Standard pistols is a reality. Only a small percentage have developed cracks but when that small number includes your pistol, it becomes a huge problem for you. The crack is a fatigue failure and develops with use. In at least one case an original owner had his gun crack even though he used only standard velocity ammunition and changed the driving spring timely.

You've got nothing to fear, and one of the finest .22's ever made. It is indeed one of the finest .22 pistols ever made but caution about frame cracking would be prudent.

"collectors warning": That pistol is collectable in the condition it's in, and ought to be retained as a safe queen, IMHO. There are plenty of ones of the same model and vintage that have already had 10,000 rounds thru them.... find one and add another hundred thousand rounds to it's count and leave the museum piece in the museum. The photos are too dark to evaluate its real condition but assuming it is in excellent condition it probably is collectable. However there were about 34,000 107 series Supermatic Trophys made with about 20,000 having the short barrel. The 5.50" barrel Supermatic Trophy marked MODEL 107 numbered a little over 5,000, By High Standard production numbers this is not a particularly rare gun.


Willie

.

http://www.histandard.info/SCRATCH11/Rarity rating 1a.jpg


John Stimson
www.histandard.info

 

[concealed carry]

Two peas in a pod!!

Bullet Bob: Well, we have something in common. Your on the shady side of 60 and I'm on the sunny side of 60 at 67. Our reality is the same and I'd love to shoot it but Willie has really got me thinking about getting a shooter. I always said I never wanted to be in a nursing home because they don't have any re-active steel targets on the walls-lol. (the lol is laugh out loud) I didn't know that until my son told me a yr ago.

I appreciate your offer on the shells but I think we'd both be in deep (do-do) if we did that. I'm almost positive they would come looking for us and at my age, I don't run fast, just walk fast.

Hang on to those 22's though. If we ever end up in a nursing home together and they have steel re-active targets on the walls and were in the same room---You can pass some over to me as we'll have a blast. Here are a few pictures of the Hamden Trophy I have that Willie recommends I put in a safe--and he's more than likely right.
My Best--Keep your powder dry
Doug

 

[John Stimson]

Willie: Thanks for your response and honest opinion. I value that. Is this still a collectors piece because it has flaking on the gold trigger and the mag. The 1969 magazine release was color case hardened and not gold colored. some triggers had flaking trigger coatings because the trigger was powdered metal and some plating chemicals were sometimes trapped in the pores which resulted in the plating flaking. release looks almost case hardened. The gold is off that? The gun has never had a prick punch put on any of the pins and some have told me to get a wolf spring kit and install then shoot the 1240 to 1260fps stuff. There is no way to put a spring kit in and not mark the pins or god forbid the beautiful bluing. A prick punch is not appropriate for installing or removing pins. Please note that the pins were installed after bluing. There is no spring that is appropriate for the use of high velocity ammunition. Would it be possible to send you pictures of the gun so you could see it close up. My email is [email protected]. I'm 67 and not to computer savy and don't know how to send pictures thru this site.
Thanks again,
Doug

John Stimson
www.histandard.info

 

[concealed carry]

John: Thanks for the info. The magazine latch did look case hardened but I was under the mistaken impression that they were gold plated. I would only remove the pins with a brass drift. Don't know why I said prick punch. The info about- there are no springs to accommodate high velocity ammo is appreciated. I've been told that if you use to heavy a spring you get mushrooming on the breach face. I agree with you on owners knowing how many rounds they have fired yet in all my Benchrest guns I know exactly how many and when to think about re-barreling. I was not aware the 10X were only made in East Hartford. Thanks for that info. I've read there was a time period when new owners took over the company that quality dropped a lot and to watch out for the SH guns.

 

[John Stimson]

John: Thanks for the info. The magazine latch did look case hardened but I was under the mistaken impression that they were gold plated. In 1972 or 1973 and later they did have gold colored magazine releases. I don't recall the date. I would only remove the pins with a brass drift. Don't know why I said prick punch. The info about- there are no springs to accommodate high velocity ammo is appreciated. I've been told that if you use to heavy a spring you get mushrooming on the breach face. That is correct. I agree with you on owners knowing how many rounds they have fired yet in all my Benchrest guns I know exactly how many and when to think about re-barreling. Benchrest is a completely different matter. I was not aware the 10X were only made in East Hartford. Thanks for that info. I've read there was a time period when new owners took over the company that quality dropped a lot and to watch out for the SH guns. There were new owners on several occasions resulting in 4 different Connecticut High Standards. The early SH guns shot just fine. Caution should begin with the later 1983 and 1984 guns. Production was pretty low by then so there aren't many of them. About two thirds of the MODEL 10-X were in the SH serial number series. A lot of the information out there is posted by people quoting the late Tom Dance's book or repeating what others have posted. Tom's book was a welcome addition to the information on High Standards but unfortunately there are a lot of errors in his book and he expressed opinions as fact.

John Stimson
www.highstandard.info

 

[concealed carry]

John Stimson
www.highstandard.info

John: I can't thank you enough for all the knowledge you've shared with me. It's been a pleasure. No Matter how old we can always learn more and I thank you for that.
My best,
Doug

 

[Big Shrek]

Bob: Thanks for your response also. I live in upstate New York and we can't order ammo on line. This state is one of the worst with it's new safe act that's trying to be repealed and the rest of the bs we have to put up with.

May-be it's time to move South.
Thanks,
Doug

Easier to order Eley Tenex online...best ammo for serious target shooters...

Florida is nice...bikini-clad babes 10+ months of the year...
great jobs...low taxes...no State Income Tax...Will-Issue CCW permits...
and you can buy a Calico 100-rd 9mm pistol if you feel froggy

Oh, and the weather is GREAT, except for the occasional hurricane...
but heck, NY gets those too

 

[Bullet Bob]

I'm closing in on 63, so I'm much younger than you

I have the box for this High Standard, and I shoot it regularly - have been for years:



I have boxes for these .22's too, shoot 'em all:







Hi; I'm Bob, and I have a .22 problem. I like shooting the High Standard the most followed closely by this Colt New Frontier, which is odd since I don't like single-actions much as a rule.

 

[concealed carry]

Big Shrek: Thanks for the info on the ammo. I'll check it out. Sounds great down there but I'm hooked on the Mountains up here unfortunately.

 

[concealed carry]

Bullet Bob: Beautiful, Beautiful Guns. I'm partial to the High Standards. Looking at yours now you got me thinking I should probably shoot mine. Thanks for the pictures. Not that I don't like wheel guns, I've got a smith stainless 686 with the 6in. barrel and love shooting that. I re-load for everything I have. Wish I could re-load .22 standard velocity-lol.
My Best,
Doug