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  1. #1
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    Hammer stuck on Hi-Standard H-D Military

    I field stripped my Hi-Standard H-D Military pistol for cleaning after my last trip to the range.
    With the slide off, I absentmindedly pulled the trigger. Now the hammer is stuck in the decocked position and will not budge. I've taken the the grips off, removed the slide plate, and sear bar to get a better look, but I am still stumped.

    I've searched YouTube and asked questions of a few guys who had videos on the Hi-Standard but have not solved the issue.

    Does anyone have experience with this firearm? Or does anyone know a gunsmith with experience in this particular gun? I'm in Oakland County.

    Thanks, in advance.


  2. #2
    MGO Member JohnJak's Avatar
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    It's not a big problem. One of our finest will address it. I used to know.
    Teachers leave them kids alone
    Hey! teacher! leave us kids alone!

  3. #3
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    The tail of your mainspring plunger probably jumped out of the mainspring and cocked sideways during the hammer overtravel. The mainspring plungers in these pistols have a short tail due to the limited depth of the mainspring well. A cocked mainspring plunger binds the hammer strut and locks the hammer in or near the full down position.

    The mainspring plungers in these pistols usually don't jump out of the mainspring in these events, but if the mainspring contacted shmutz or rust in the mainspring well, the mainspring may have paused momentarily as it extended. There is also a very small likelihood that a coil of your mainspring has cracked or that someone cut down the mainspring in the past to reduce trigger pull.

    Nothing should be broken or damaged, as long as you did not try to cock the hammer with too much force.

    You need to remove the hammer axle pin, remove the hammer/strut assembly, remove the mainspring and its plunger, clean out the mainspring well, clean and inspect the parts, lightly oil, and reassemble. A small dab of grease on the mainspring plunger tail helps keep it in the mainspring during reassembly. My memory is a bit vague on whether the sear has to be removed, but I don't think so.

    Any gunsmith familiar with the original Hi-Standard pistols should be able to perform this exercise. The H-D's are quite similar to the later Hi-Standards in their lockwork. As long as you do not have to remove the sear and its spring assembly, this exercise should not require a gunsmith if you have some confidence in your mechanical skills.
    Last edited by 10x25mm; 02-07-2019 at 06:22 PM.

  4. #4

  5. #5
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    The rimfire central instructions are good, except the H-D does not have a cross hole for a Number 47 drill to capture the mainspring/plunger assembly. That first appears on the 100 series pistols.

    On the H-D you have to muscle the hammer/strut assembly down and forward against the mainspring/plunger assembly. A tapered punch - like a nail set - inserted from the right side can help align the hammer hole for reinsertion of the hammer axle pin from the left side.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by 10x25mm View Post
    The rimfire central instructions are good, except the H-D does not have a cross hole for a Number 47 drill to capture the mainspring/plunger assembly. That first appears on the 100 series pistols.

    On the H-D you have to muscle the hammer/strut assembly down and forward against the mainspring/plunger assembly. A tapered punch - like a nail set - inserted from the right side can help align the hammer hole for reinsertion of the hammer axle pin from the left side.

    there are probably more than the 2 i listed - (and there is a great discussion on the later Hi Std Citations, etal from one of the very major players @ the original Hi Std mfg facilities who subsequently went to TX and started making his own 'Hi-Std' pistols there for a good while -- very interesting and informative, esp the weaknesses of the Citation, Victor etc that kept me from buying one advertised on our forum a few months ago.

    Truly a great historic read.

  7. #7
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    The H-X letter series pistols were actually pretty good, right out of the box. Hi-Standard flirted with insolvency from the mid 1960's on and the quality of their guns suffered until no one wanted them anymore. If you were willing to work on them, they would still perform, but you had to work on them for a while. Magazines were a continuing source of aggravation. They were made by outside contractors who didn't seem to have proper instructions. Still, the Space Gun was the very sexiest competition handgun for years.

    The Ruger automatic and the Walther GSP were their death knell. Still, the Space Gun was the very sexiest competition handgun for years.

    A lot of good information can also be found at the High Standard Collectors Association blog.

  8. #8
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    Thank you very much for the replies. I successfully removed the hammer, cleaned things up, and reassembled. Good as new. I'm extremely relieved.

    This is a great plinker. Trigger pull is probably 1.5# and it'll fire as fast as you can pull the trigger.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10x25mm View Post
    The rimfire central instructions are good, except the H-D does not have a cross hole for a Number 47 drill to capture the mainspring/plunger assembly. That first appears on the 100 series pistols.

    On the H-D you have to muscle the hammer/strut assembly down and forward against the mainspring/plunger assembly. A tapered punch - like a nail set - inserted from the right side can help align the hammer hole for reinsertion of the hammer axle pin from the left side.
    Actually, this one has a hole on the back of the handle to capture the spring. I tried muscling the hammer into position before realizing what that hole was for. (I didn't see these replies until after I figured it out). I was able to fit a wee allen wrench into the hole, which allowed me to replace the hammer without having to remove the mainspring and plunger.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by 10x25mm View Post
    The H-X letter series pistols were actually pretty good, right out of the box. Hi-Standard flirted with insolvency from the mid 1960's on and the quality of their guns suffered until no one wanted them anymore. If you were willing to work on them, they would still perform, but you had to work on them for a while. Magazines were a continuing source of aggravation. They were made by outside contractors who didn't seem to have proper instructions. Still, the Space Gun was the very sexiest competition handgun for years.

    The Ruger automatic and the Walther GSP were their death knell. Still, the Space Gun was the very sexiest competition handgun for years.

    A lot of good information can also be found at the High Standard Collectors Association blog.

    Main problem with Hi Stds were that their slides cracked. They were NOT built for any ammo hotter than SV. Read the long dissertation in RFC by the man who knows. (And the cracking was as often as not nearly undetectable)

    Here - https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forum....php?t=1135137

    Aronstein and one other commentator on RFC re: Hi Std cover all of whatever may be true and link to other 'horse's mouth' 'hands-on w/Hi Std' old timers as well. (They also made mags in TX, which were 'the known-to-be-best' but even they had to be worked to fit occasionally.

    No Ruger would shoot out the the box w/ a Hi Std whose frame was not abused

    You will get no better info on Rimfires than on RFC. Pay your money and take your choice.

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