Besides my membership in the SWCA, I also belong to the HSCA, and have collected the High Standard automatic pistols. It was only recently, though, that I acquired my first Sentinel .22 revolver, this snubnose version that dates to early 1967. One exactly like mine was deemed meritorious enough to have been listed on its own by the Rock Island Auction Company: www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2050/810/high-standard-sentinel-r103-double-action-revolver

One quirk of the Sentinel revolvers is that the earliest production (for which I'm reproducing a period advertisement below) inexplicably did not incorporate an extractor return spring. Thus you'll encounter such that the owner believes to be broken or malfunctioning.

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

My Bro had one.
Only Sentinal I ever fired.
I don’t recall his not having the return spring,
So I guess his was the sprung version.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

The Sentinel Snub was the first handgun I ever owned. Sadly, it's long gone.
But, after many years of searching, I was able to find a mint Natchez!


Tim

As a young gun shop clerk I drooled over a Sentinel MK III satin nickel .22 Mag snub that had come in used. I would sneak it to the basement range, fire a few 9-shot cylinders full, clean it and return it to the case. Never could put the purchase price together.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

I am a fan of High Standard pistols. The two below are the J.C. Higgins versions that were sold though Sears from around 1954-1963 or so.

The Model 80 is the Sears version of the Duramatic and the Model 88 is basically a Sentinel. As mentioned earlier, the 88 I have does not have the ejector return spring.

The Model 80 was my dads. The Model 88 I found at a LGS a few years ago for a whopping $125 out the door. Boxes and all other J.C. Higgins material in the photo I purchased over the past decade. I also have the shorter barrel for the Model 80, but forgot to include it in the photo.

they are nice...........thinking someone is now making a close copy ?

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I have always considered a 4" Sentinel to have been my first handgun, although it didn't actually belong to me. Long story, but it's what I cut my handgunning teeth on at about age 16. I'd like to snag another one someday if I find a good one. I always like the Longhorn, too. Across the street neighbor had one of those when I was a kid.

I've always wanted one of their later 9 shot shrouded barrel models.

I've come close to purchasing a couple of times, but just never have. Sooner or later I think I'm going to have to have one.

Thanks for sharing yours.

The unsprung Sentinels often have major rash to the left side from closing the cyl with the extractor back.

These also came in an array of colors… pink, even!

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Uvidíme se později, aligátore.

HS semi pistols definitely get most notice, but their "economy priced" revolvers are pretty neat on their own. Grips on the revolvers fit just about every hand well.

A round butt snub without hammer spur -

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A JC Higgins branded Sentinel
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I have a few more including the 101 version. The ejection system takes a bit of getting used to, and most are seen with scratch marks on the frame. I've found aluminum black takes really well covering up wear and scratches all over.

IIRC HS designers went on to work for Charter Arms and Ruger. The ejection system on the Charters is pretty much the same as the Sentinel series.

My first revolver was a 6" Sentinel Deluxe .22. It's never been a target piece, but it is a great plinker that has gone through thousands of rounds and is still in my gun safe.

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Pisgah

I love the Sentinels. Got this one new, unfired with box and paperwork. Off Gunbroker not too long ago.

I bought one like that with box and shot it some but later sold it to finance something else.

I had the 2” 88. Gave it to my Godson a few years back. This is the one gun where the box really makes the package.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I believe Chic Gaylord's book "Handgunner's Guide" shows him holding a
Sentinel. I recall that it was his favorite.

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In Omnia Paratus

I have an early sentinel, about 1957 and it has no extractor return spring…no problem to pull it back in before reloading….have another double nine longhorn that retracts with spring. These are accurate and worthy revolvers to own and shoot. They can be found at very inexpensive prices too although, some sellers think they are as valuable as s&w rimfire when mint and in box-they are not in the same class at all.

From memory, Mas AYOOB speaks fondly of the High Standard Sentinels in one of his "Greatest Handguns of the World". This is meant to be the one he purchased in 2003 according to Guns Digest.



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BlackAgnes - seeing your Natchez brought back some fond memories. My long-deceased oldest brother had one and it was the Shinola! After many years of searching, I found a Sentinel snub here locally couple years ago, which pairs nicely with my Double-Nine. Even found a correct box - with contents on crookBay. The snub is still drum-tight and shows little use. The shrouded barrel revo’s have entered cult status IMO, and are way beyond my modest means …

I never had one however one of the guys at my old Range did. Every time he'd break it out, people would come over to ask him about it as it was distinctively not a Smith or Colt. Seemed to work OK.

Hermann Weihrauch picked the design up and manufactured them in Mellrichstadt, Germany under the Arminius line of revolvers. What Sefried had designed as an inexpensive tackle box gun evolved into a respectable target revolver. The grips of the Sentinel and comfortable and the grips of the HW9 are very well suited for target shooting!

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FFL08

I have two, a 4" R 103 and a 5" R 106. I am amazed at the differences between the two. Nice accurate shooters but not a lot of modern interest. I had the 5" with 90% + condition at a gun show recently with a $330 price tag and no one looked at it other than for the nostalgic look.

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Front sight and squeeze

I have a 6" Sentinal deluxe that I inherited from my Dad In 1982. Don't know how old it is, but it is a good shooter and will stay in the family.

I had three Double Nines, nickel, blue and a Natchez. I found the Natchez at a garage sale for $150.00. I gave them to my son. You never see the High Standards at gun shows anymore. People that have them, keep them.
I did see one of the blue ones at Tulsa this spring and bought it.

My very first magnum was a High Standard 357 Mag, 4", with a 2 piece barrel & shroud. I think it was build by Dan Wesson, it looked just like a Dan Wesson. That was about 35 years ago and no idea where it went. Traded on ? some S&W.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Is there a website to find the production date of a R-106?

I inherited my dad's years ago. It was the first gun I ever shot, still looks new.

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OGCA / OVMS / NAPCA / TMCA

I have had an R-101 for over 10 years but haven't shot it much. It is a little to the rough side in the action as I remember. May need to take out for a stroll again.

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balin
NRA Life Member

I've owned several of them over the years, including a pink one with a white birdshead grip. The others were all 4" guns in blue.

I consider them to be the best "bum around the woods" gun I ever owned. Slip one of them into a nylon Uncle Mikes holster (one for a K-frame Smith and Wesson works fine), add an Uncle Mikes cartridge pouch with a handfull of 22 cartridges, and I was set for a few hours of holding back the pine cones and rouge leaves around the compound. The entire outfit was light as a feather.

Wish I still had one of them, but I let them go when other bright shiny things caught my eye.

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John 3:16 .

Thought I'd add a couple of photos off the internet of Sentinels in their original boxes.

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I've just happened to run across a write-up on the introduction of the Sentinel and its designer, Harry Sefried, that appeared in the June 1955 issue of Guns magazine. It's the first featured article (page 4): https://gunsmagazine.com/wp-content/...8/12/G0655.pdf

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I have a 4" and a 6" or close to those measurements. The 103 might be 4 1/4" and the 106 Deluxe might be 5 1/2". Both are accurate and fun to plink around with. I am into one $100 and the other $215. The $100 one came shipped with the barrel hanging out of the packaging and a roofing nail for a pin. The on line seller was new and told me he wanted my feedback but wasn't real happy when I gave it. The condition was described as fair.
The more expensive Deluxe doesn't shoot as well as it's ugly shorter brother. It does do passable inside of 2 1/2" at 25 yards. My old eyes can't tell why one chamber pushes the group wide.

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Front sight and squeeze

I shot my dad's Double-nine for the first time when I was six years old (with very close supervision) and I still have it with it's original box. The Double -Nine series is just a Sentinel with a western flair.

A retrospective on the Sentinel recently penned by Massad Ayoob: Guns We Miss: The High Standard Sentinel .22 Revolver

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I agree the sentinel 3s are excellent guns I have a 4inch blue one in 22mag and it's very accurate

A comprehensive summary of Sentinel production: High Standard Sentinel

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

Another excellent article detailing the production of the Double-Nine (and other western styled versions of the Sentinel): Double-Nine

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

When I was 14 my father bought me a nickel Double Nine for Christmas. Being 14 and single minded I never got over the fact that it wasn’t a blue K-22. Double action revolvers we’re supposed to be Smith & Wessons and single action revolvers were supposed to be Colts.
I’ve still got the Double Nine and had the good sense to never tell my dad I was disappointed with it.
Regards,

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turnerriver

I recall seeing one with a broken frame that appeared to be pot metal, so I never had much use for them.

Their .22 autos were the best, however!

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Richard

The first lucid dream I remember having is of shooting my sister’s abusive husband with a High Standard Sentinel .22 Magnum. It was the short one with the shrouded ejector rod that looked kind of like a 3rd Gen Detective Special. I was about 10 and I must have seen it in a magazine article. They got divorced soon after.

I found this R-100 in a police supply place for $125. I don’t know what it did to wind up there. I think they thought it was broken due to the non-returning ejector.

I like it - its reasonably accurate and it always works.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Just to keep the record straight, the frame was constructed of cast aluminum. I don't recall ever seeing any reports that this component was prone to failure.

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I've picked up a Sentinel, Double 9 and a JC Higgins 88 from pawn shops. The 88 has a lot of wear but the other two are in good condition.

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I have a few HS revolvers. This one's a bit different - snub with no hammer spur as from the factory.

IMG_0655.jpg

An article on the Double-Nine: The Hi-Standard Double-Nine– …the Department Store Cowboy – Surplused

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

The hammer price on this trio of Sentinels recently auctioned is typical of the sort of price that they're fetching nowadays: Three High Standard Sentinel Double Action Revolvers | Rock Island Auction

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"