Hi Standard Sentinel/JC Higgins model 88 Opinions

Jebus35745

Jebus35745

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The LGS has a JC Higgins Model 88 with a 6” bbl. In good shape and timing is great. Has holes drilled in the rear of the cylinder for the hand to carry up the cylinder instead of a ratchet like other revolvers. The arrangement is different but seemed to hold up OK! Kinda neat.

How do they hold up and what kind of accuracy are they capable of? Sold my other woods revolver and need another to carry while hunting next fall. The aluminum frame would be lighter for carrying. The barrel “could” be cut to a handier carry length, have done this before. It’s cheap, don’t want to have a lot of money in it. Need some opinions, searching it and want to find out what people here think. Thanks, Larry
 
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I had one once, don't remember that it was terrible, but I didn't have it long, must have been something I didn't like. I tried a few Taurus 22s too, don't have any of them either. Find a used, even well used, S&W J or K frame 22 and keep it forever. Spend a little more, you won't regret it. Or a Ruger Single Six for that matter.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
My JC Higgins was a pawn shop find. 9 shot, 6" barrel, very accurate, with a decent smooth double action pull. I forget how much I paid for it, but very reasonable.
 
The earliest Sentinel revolvers had the recessed round holes on the back of the cylinder that you describe. They also were slightly odd in lacking (by omission in their design) a spring to retract the extractor automatically, so it had to be manually pushed back into place. On this account, often it's assumed they're not in full working order, and accordingly can be found priced cheaply.

I personally wouldn't cut the barrel down, and would just get a long enough holster. But if you buy it, obviously it's yours to do with as you wish.
 
Jebus35745 said:
The LGS has a JC Higgins Model 88 with a 6” bbl. In good shape and timing is great. Has holes drilled in the rear of the cylinder for the hand to carry up the cylinder instead of a ratchet like other revolvers. The arrangement is different but seemed to hold up OK! Kinda neat.

How do they hold up and what kind of accuracy are they capable of? Sold my other woods revolver and need another to carry while hunting next fall. The aluminum frame would be lighter for carrying. The barrel “could” be cut to a handier carry length, have done this before. It’s cheap, don’t want to have a lot of money in it. Need some opinions, searching it and want to find out what people here think. Thanks, Larry
Click to expand...

I'm partial, have about a dozen High Standards and a few of the JC Higgins Model 88s. Considering that most of them are about 60 years old and still function fine - true they're economy but they hold up well. Excellent grip on them.

DA pull is horrible, smooth but very heavy. SA pull is OK. Accuracy should be chipmunk @ 25 yds capable.

They are also made in 4" version -

IMG_0399.jpg

Prices are going up, but you can likely get an HS branded Sentinel for less than the Higgins. And getting a 2" or 4" much easier.
 
I have a 4" and a 6". I get good accuracy at 25 yards with quality ammunition. I had the 6" at a gun show in Idaho for $300 last year and brought it home. I don't see a real value for a kit gun and smooth DA pull so just shoot it SA mode.
High Standard Sentinel
This is a decent write up of the different changes.
 
Some good replies here, the Ruger Wrangler is on sale cheap but searching it the accuracy isn’t good. The model 88 at the LGS, I can probably get for about 200.00, seemed pretty light weight. They wouldn’t have bought it to sell if it wasn’t in good shape.

I like the comment about minuite of chipmunk at 25 yards.

22highpower, I kinda agree with you on buying a nice S&W. While hunting if it falls in a puddle of water or mud and it’s picked up, I would shake it off and keep going. If dropping a nice S&W I would be upset and afraid I would ruin it. Keep the comments coming, interesting info. Larry
 
High Standard 22 revolvers are the opposite of their 22 auto pistols. They rank pretty far down on accuracy scale. ‘Bout equal to a pocket full of rocks. Short of collecting I don’t know why anyone with a good 22 revolver would want one.
 
Jebus35745 said:
...the Ruger Wrangler is on sale cheap but searching it the accuracy isn’t good.
Click to expand...
Don't believe everything you read. My Wrangler gives me very tight groups. The Heritage Rough Rider is even less expensive than the Wrangler but nonetheless has a reputation for being very accurate.
 
I have a 4” barrel version of the Model 88. It’s one of the early versions that doesn’t have the ejector rod spring. It’s very accurate and the grip angle makes them natural pointers. I paid $125 for mine back in 2018. It was hard for me to pass it up at that price.

From what I had read over the years, I used to think High Standard revolvers were not very good. But for the price point, the quality is quite good. An aluminum frame with a steel barrel and cylinder makes it pretty light and mine is pretty accurate too. Lock-up is tight and single action trigger pull is okay. Double action is very heavy though.

True, the revolvers are not as well made as the High Standard semi-autos, but I think the Sentinel line is better than a lot of people give them credit for being.
 
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Drm50 said:
High Standard 22 revolvers are the opposite of their 22 auto pistols. They rank pretty far down on accuracy scale. ‘Bout equal to a pocket full of rocks. Short of collecting I don’t know why anyone with a good 22 revolver would want one.
Click to expand...

My 4" gives me 1 1/2" groups at 25 yards. The 5" has one chamber out of nine that throws left making it a 2 1/4" gun at the same distance. That won't win bullseye matches but is still minute of bunny head. You have to ask yourself what you want this gun to do. Do you really want to pack a 1930's era Outdoorsman in excellent condition through 4' tall sage brush?
 
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mtgianni said:
My 4" gives me 1 1/4" groups at 25 yards. The 5" has one chamber out of nine that throws left making it a 1 3/4" gun at the same distance. That won't win bullseye matches but is still minute of bunny head. You have to ask yourself what you want this gun to do. Do you really want to pack a 1930's era Outdoorsman in excellent condition through 4' tall sage brush?
Click to expand...

I use to have the same outlook. I toted a Unique 52 for such duty.
Then one day I suffered one of them, what the hell are you doing moments. Got a bucket full of S&W 22s, heavy on K22s and M41s
What good are they doing locked up. I carried K22 for serious small game and varmit since 1964. It’s been through the brush and woods and it looks used but not abused. Latest project in a
Field carry 41. Short of dragging top shelf firearms through water
might as well enjoy them.
I can see sentimental purposes in gun purchases. Grandpa had one, dad had one, etc. You only get one trip, might as well go 1st
class.
 

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Back up for maybe a couple fresh opinions. Carried a model
17 with a 3” cut barrel but got too heavy after 2-3 hours , getting older. Looked at the model 88 again yesterday after getting some education on it. it’s OK. Not perfect but ok for what I need, Larry
 
I have had several High Standard revolvers and never hada problem with them. I gave the Double Nine collection to my son and now I am always looking for them at gun shows. I think the biggest problem with them is that nobody ever sells theirs.
 
When I was a kid, in my old Ohio home town about the only place to buy a new gun was the Sears store. Mainly carried just house branded .22 rifles and shotguns, but they usually had a few of those J. C. Higgins/Hi Standard .22 revolvers and semiautos. The semiautos looked like rebranded H-S Duramatics. Never remember them having any CF rifles or handguns there. At that time in Ohio, the only legal gun for deer hunting was a shotgun with rifled slugs, so not much of a demand for CF rifles.
 
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