Hi-Standard Sentinel R-101

Harkrader · Mar 25, 2017

So, this Cheesehead friend of mine emails me some pics to bring a laugh.
He got a Hi-Standard Sentinel R-101. 9-shot .22LR.
OK so far, eh?
'Cept, this'n has a barrel of just under 2.5", if I can trust his ruler.
The aluminum frame is aqua-marine green, or possibly "teal" or turquoise.
It has a round-butt frame with plastic grips intended to look like pearl, I suppose.
Hammer has a full spur, and it, along with the trigger and cylinder, are nickle-plated.

I've never even held a Hi-Standard revolver, but it seems to have a dedicated following as being reliable, and, of course, 9 shots.

According to the ever-reliable internet, it was made sometime between 1957 and 1966, is called "Dura-Tone", and was marketed to women. In 1957? Now, THAT'S WAY ahead of the curve!

The finish is worn off in some places, and is so fragile, he says, that he can scrape it off with his fingernail. The internet says the finish is anodizing. My experience with anodized aluminum is mostly airplanes, and THAT cannot be scraped off with a fingernail. The exterior of the barrel has lost most of the finish, and is dark-colored, possibly shallow corrosion.

He says the gun is tight and shows little shooting use. Bore and chambers are good, if dirty.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has experience with these, and who might have even the vaguest idea of value. Dura-Tone models seem quite rare in the auction markets.

chief38 · Mar 27, 2017

While I am a fan of the Hi Standard .22 Auto's I could never quite warm up to their line of Revolvers. As good as their Target .22 were, I never felt their Revolvers were all that great. Just my personal take of course. YMMV.

crazyphil · Mar 27, 2017

Chic Gaylord was a big fan of the Hi Standard Sentinel. Google Chic
Gaylord's Hi Standard Sentinel and you will find quite a lot of information.
You can't get a much better recommendation than Chic Gaylord.
That barrel is 2 & 3/8ths inches. Only weighs 15 oz.
My guestimate of value would be between 100 & 200 depending on
overall condition.

Salty RI · Mar 27, 2017

I have a Hi Standard Sentinel Deluxe 4" that I bought new in 1967, I have been shooting this gun at least twice a week ever since, sometimes I will bring 2 or 3 guns to the range and for some reason this is the only one I shoot.

BearBio · Mar 27, 2017

I had the 301 (or was it the 103?) model==nice little 22. I think a girlfriend of my wife's bought it for her purse (hey, 9 shots of 22 isn't anything to sneeze at!)

tops · Mar 27, 2017

A few years ago I gave $200 for a blue snub nose Sentinel. When my arthritis gets too bad too shoot real bullets that is going to be my geezer gun. Nine .22s would be like a hornets nest. Larry

Harkrader · Mar 27, 2017

Thanks, all. I found a lot of cool info on the guns thanks to you, including a thread on this forum from 2016. Sure wish I could figure out how to search for that stuff.

Like others, I'm at that age where I can stand only limited big bores or magnums.

Sooo, after reading all this, I think I'll offer him $50 for it and hope he doesn't read this forum.

Thanks again. Great info.

ps: Very interesting reading about Chic Gaylord. I remember people who had his holsters, and one had his book where he looks as though he's tripping as he does a really fast draw. I had long forgotten about him.

Dillyp · Mar 27, 2017

I had a snubby sentinel. It locked up tight and was as accurate as my 34 snub. I gave it to my dad as he really liked it. He always said blued hi- standards would shoot, nickel guns weren't accurate. Total bs IMO, butler the old men have their myths...

CajunBass · Mar 28, 2017

The finish he's scraping off with his fingernail is probably on the barrel, which is painted steel. The frame is aluminum and the finish on that is pretty tough, at least mine is.

I've got one in pink from that same time period. They made three variations. A turquoise/silver, a pink silver, and a gold/silver...I use the word "silver" loosely you understand. They were intended for the female market, as you noted, which showed "out of the box thinking," but then Smith & Wesson had marketed the "Ladysmith" long before that. They were shipped in a nice white box IIRC, with white satin lining. I've never seen one of the boxes, but have seen pictures of them.

I paid $200.00 for mine about six months or so ago. My wife saw it, and had to have it.

Here you can see the finish is flaking off the barrel on mine. The worn spots on the left side are from opening and closing the cylinder. There is a long scratch mark behind the recoil shield where someone tried to close it with the ejector out. The ejector is not spring loaded.

I've owned a couple of other High Standards over the years, both with 4" barrels. They're a top notch "field gun" in my opinion. They're about the same size as a a K-frame Smith & Wesson, and fit the same holsters. With the aluminum frame they're as light as a feather. I carried one hiking around the woods when I lived up in Spotsylvania County. In an Uncle Mikes holster, I could forget the gun was there. They were plenty accurate enough to make a pine cone or such jump off the ground.

Hi-Standard Sentinel R-101

Harkrader

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chief38

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crazyphil

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Salty RI

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BearBio

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tops

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Harkrader

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Dillyp

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CajunBass

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