I live near (and work on) a very large Indian reservation, and am always on the lookout for rez guns. A rez gun is usually a basic model, used hard and not always pretty, but almost always functional (even if it means some JB Weld and hose clamps get involved). They are working guns, meant for the serious business of slaughtering livestock, deterring predators, and settling neighborly disputes.

The same young man brought in both these beauties, to trade for something else.



The Hi-Standard had suffered some serious indignities to its good looks, but was apparently functional. The H&R 922 looked great for its age (1952). It must have been a house gun, while its semi-automatic pal had soldiered on in the barn or ATV or outhouse.

Let's deal with the Hi-Standard first.



Oh my.



I took these in the shop with my phone, to send to my so-called friend whose job it is to talk me out of stupid purchases. Didn't work.

A deal was struck for the goodly sum of $200 United States Currency out-the-door for both.

I had planned on Dura-Coating the Hi-Standard, but on further reflection I decided to just strip it and cold blue it.

I read vinegar removes bluing, and it did to some extent. I wound up just getting the little bottle of blue remover and finishing the job with that and some steel wool.





I then considered just leaving it in the white. Looked pretty good, but I had the blue stuff already, so I plodded on.





Not a Ford's job by any means, but better than it was, for sure.

There's not a lot to say about the H&R. The serial number lands it in 1952, which make its the 8th Variation of the venerable 922 per the Goforth Bible of all things H&R.



Its a solid little booger.



I suppose a true masochist could try to load it though the tiny little porthole on the side, but I've always just taken out the cylinder. You have to do that to unload it anyway.



This one has a neat feature where you can use the basepin to push out all 9 empties at once.



So there you have it, the confessions of a cheap gun lover. For the price of a new Hi-Point I can keep these proud old-timers in the game. Now if only they didn't shoot such exotic and unobtainable ammo..........

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

You really brought the H-S back to life. Nice work!

I would say that for $200 you did very well.

Spent several years "on the job" in Az and have seen a few "rez guns" myself.....found a Remington 8 lying in the desert (it had been there awhile) on the outskirts of a reservation, when we were hunting for a desperado years ago. Always wondered about the history of that rifle.
Nice that you resurrected the Hi-standard auto - in this neck of the woods your guns would be "farm guns"....as I have seen a lot of plain jane honest "work guns" that spent decades performing chores on farms - especially the H&R 922....and they have a lot in common with your rez guns in regards to appearances and "modifications".

I bet those are good shooters and fun to plink with. It looks like the grips on the High Standard are intact and in decent shape. What's not to like for $100 per gun?
John

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

I always find well used guns that have served people as practical tools interesting. My father and his brothers, seven of them, grew up in Eastern North Carolina before and during the Great Depression. Dad was born in 1913. They used inexpensive shotguns and .22's to shoot small game to feed the family. They were of VERY modest means. The effects of the Civil War devastation and occupation still hadn't ended...Nobody had pistols but they knew of guns made by Ivor Johnson and Harrington and Richardson and thought well of them...Those reservation guns make me think of what they would have had if they did have any pistols...When I was a kid, Dad decided to buy a revolver and he got a H&R Sportsman. He could have afforded a Colt or Smith and Wesson but the H&R was his type of gun...Functional and reasonably priced...You have a couple of those types of "working man's" gun. I like them...Good job on the Hi-Standard.

$200.00 seems like a small price after you refinished the HS. I hope the inside looks better than the outside did.

Is that HS a Sport King, Field King?

Are all HS magazines the same, regardless of the model of the pistol? I saw a HS magazine for a target pistol in a junk box at my LGS a few weeks ago, $30.00 IIRC. I could go back for it if you want.

The H&R revolvers worked well enough but were not so accurate. I guess I have owned five various models. The two I owned in .32 S&W Long were more accurate than the .22 LR models. My three .22 LR versions shot standard velocity ammo much better than HV...your gun may differ.

Let me know about the HS magazine.

Its the Sport King, the "entry level" model.

I'm good on mags, but thanks for the offer!

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Those little 922 revolvers are nice guns. When I lived on the farm in Ohio, I'd traipse around in the woods with one, just in case I came across a hateful groundhog, rattle snake or copperhead. I still have it and keep it near me at most times when I'm in the house. I now have 3 of them...and love each one.

If you ever think about letting it go, send me a pm...we may agree on a price for it.

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