High Standard's "The Victor"

In 1971, High Standard introduced The Victor. This was a premier target pistol with a grip size and angle that mimicked that of the Colt 1911. Today this model is collectible owing to its outstanding accuracy as well as its many variations, some of which were quite limited as to the quantity made.

Initially a model within the 107 series, The Victor progressed through being merely marked as "Military" (referred to by aficionados as the "numbered series") before acquiring an "ML" serial number prefix starting in 1975. Around this same time the model designation was changed from "The Victor" to simply "Victor". The ML numbered guns span the period when the company moved (in mid-1977) its operations from Hamden to East Hartford, where production resumed starting at about serial number ML25000 (note that some ML numbered guns in this range could still be marked Hamden but were in fact completed in East Hartford). The East Hartford marked examples are in particular not so sought after on account of the new facility being too small to accommodate all of the operations the company formerly performed in-house. Things like the making of the walnut grips and polishing and bluing were now outsourced, and while the finished product was generally still quite presentable, this did nevertheless mean that High Standard no longer exercised sole control over the entire manufacturing process.

The last iteration of these bore "SH" prefixed serial numbers, the vast majority of them utilizing a hex screw rather than a push button for barrel retention. They're considered to be the most suspect so far as quality is concerned.

The Victor was available with both 4½ and 5½ inch barrels. The barrel rib incorporated both the front and rear sights, so the settling of the slide after each shot didn't affect sight alignment in the least. The earliest ventilated ribs were made of steel (and supposedly supplied by Thompson Center). In 1974 a highly polished alloy rib was adopted, available in both ventilated and solid styles.

The rarest version of The Victor was the slant grip configuration, of which only about 700 (in toto) were made.

The example shown in the attached photo dates to 1974 and has the ventilated alloy rib. Just over 1,500 of this exact type were produced.

I have a Hamden 'The Victor' that dates to ~1971. It picked up a hard chrome finish at some point in its travels. Wonderful shooter...

Have had a couple of the The Victor and Victor models. The were good shooters. Did not like the amount of force to pull the slide to the rear. Talked to Bill Jenkins about it and he told me there was no fix to the problem. Got rid of them along with my S&W 41, Colt Woodsman Target Match and Ruger Target pistols, when I picked up my Browning Medalist. If it was not for the Medalist, I would probably still have the others.

I bought 2 Victors at one auction a while ago. Thanks for publishing this information.

I bought this "The Victor" years ago when I lived in CT. I didn't want to D&T my S&W 41 for a scope, so bought the victor because there was a scope mount that utilized the vent rib on the gun. Turns out it was more accurate than my 41. It was a squirrel killing machine with its 2x Burris scope. Semi-retired as a hunting gun since I moved to PA, as PA does not allow hunting with a semi-auto pistol...

Larry

RARE Slant Grip variation of The Victor



Here is a VERY rare High Standard Victor. It has the "Slant Grip", not the usual "1911" style grip. Only a few hundred of these were made. They weren't catalogued items. Available only by special order. Apparently, this was a way for High Standard to use up old frames.
Another RARE feature of this particular Victor is that it also has a Solid Rib.

PS: note the German Proof marks, too!

On the subject of the slant grip versions, here's one (quite early, with the steel rib) that sold at auction almost a decade ago now. A very pricey item: High Standard Victor Pistol 22 LR | Rock Island Auction

I sort of regret never buying one of the High Standard 22 target pistols. Back in 1978 when I was looking around I did look at them but opted for the S&W M41 instead. While the HS was an incredibly well made, accurate and reliable pistol I could not deal with the magazine release on the bottom of the grip frame and the slide release being on the "wrong" side of the frame. That said, I probably should have gotten over those two items and bought it anyway. I have had my M41 since that time and it has had tens and tens and tens of thousands of rounds through it. It has been reliable, accurate and has helped me win shooting competitions. About 5 or 6 years ago I bought a vintage (but new in the box) S&W 5" Sport/Field barrel for it - ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! Since that time, the 5 1/2" Bull Barrel has not seen the light of day - probably never will again as long as I own it.

HS vintage pistols shoot GREAT! I've shot a few over the years and they are incredible!

I suppose it should be mentioned that when High Standard was reconstituted in Houston, Texas around 1994, the Victor model was resurrected. My understanding is that as of 2018 manufacturing ceased, although an ongoing operation dedicated to parts and service remains.

Here's a review of this later Victor: https://www.handgunsmag.com/editorial/featured_handguns_hg_highstandardvictor_200903/138348

Goony said:

I suppose it should be mentioned that when High Standard was reconstituted in Houston, Texas around 1994, the Victor model was resurrected. My understanding is that as of 2018 manufacturing ceased, although an ongoing operation dedicated to parts and service remains.

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The current owner of High Standard Manufacturing is Alan Aronstein, whom I've known since shortly after he bought the company in 1994...They still produce a limited number of new High Standard guns, of which I think The Victor is still one...You can call him in his office and ask...They also make AR-15 clones for distributors...He is also a good source of parts for not only High Standard, but other makes...If you want to talk to him in person, he has a table at most of the local Houston gun shows, particularly Pasadena, Humble and Conroe...

He's a nice guy, very knowledgeable on firearm subjects of all kinds, and easy to talk to...He has also steered me toward some very good S&W buys that he spots......Ben

Truckman said:

The current owner of High Standard Manufacturing is Alan Aronstein, whom I've known since shortly after he bought the company in 1994...They still produce a limited number of new High Standard guns, of which I think The Victor is still one...You can call him in his office and ask...They also make AR-15 clones for distributors...He is also a good source of parts for not only High Standard, but other makes...If you want to talk to him in person, he has a table at most of the local Houston gun shows, particularly Pasadena, Humble and Conroe...

He's a nice guy, very knowledgeable on firearm subjects of all kinds, and easy to talk to...He has also steered me toward some very good S&W buys that he spots......Ben

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While I don’t know Alan personally, he has built up a great relationship with the target shooting community. High Standard is really working towards the parts fabrication side of things.
This is important given the age of many of the desirable High Standards.
One topic that frequently comes up is that of cracked frames!
Those of you who are still using your favorite oldies should regularly do a disassembly to examine the frame along the slide rails.
Here’s a quote from Mr. Aronstein about the topic:

“I have seen pistol frames with multiple cracks. I have also seen frames with multiple cracks that have joined. Some of those frames actually had small sections that fell out of the frame. I will try to find the time to post some pictures of the frame failures within the next few days. I have seen Mag Partical inspection reports that indicate defects that were NOT visible. I know that some of these cracked frame pistols have been and, are continuing to be used every week. They do stop at some point !!! I once saw Bob Shea put a frame in his vice at Camp Perry and, he hit the side of the lug with a LARGE Ball Peen Hammer until the slide would move freely. After the matches, I took the frame to TX and replaced it. You can shoot until it quits. I don't recall ever seeing any of the parts that were damaged by continued use. THE Problem is that it can stop at the wrong time !!!! ANY real HS parts can be used on the TX frames. The old style magazine catches are ALWAYS replaced. ALL Springs and some pins are replaced. The old slides( unless they have a half moon cut into the breach face by the brass rims) are always fitted to an UNFITTED frame to create a "Slip" fit. ALL Broken or well worn parts(TD Plunger, Barrel Stud, etc) are replaced. We return a pistol with as close to NEW specs as possible. The current price for a TX Frame is $375.00. Labor averages $175.00. Parts are a variable. Our customers have been VERY Happy as far as I can tell. We have had to re-work some of the jobs as the old parts do have mismatches when set into the NEWLY made frames. That is at NO CHARGE. My guess(repeat GUESS) for the Average Cost is $700.00 I hope this covers all of your questions.- Alan Aronstein”

Truckman said:

The current owner of High Standard Manufacturing is Alan Aronstein, whom I've known since shortly after he bought the company in 1994...They still produce a limited number of new High Standard guns, of which I think The Victor is still one...You can call him in his office and ask...They also make AR-15 clones for distributors...He is also a good source of parts for not only High Standard, but other makes...If you want to talk to him in person, he has a table at most of the local Houston gun shows, particularly Pasadena, Humble and Conroe...

He's a nice guy, very knowledgeable on firearm subjects of all kinds, and easy to talk to...He has also steered me toward some very good S&W buys that he spots......Ben

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He was posting from time to time on Rimfire Central. Rimfire Central Firearm Forum

I once saw Bob Shea put a frame in his vice at Camp Perry and, he hit the side of the lug with a LARGE Ball Peen Hammer until the slide would move freely.

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I forgot to mention Alan is a regular at Camp Perry every year...If you're a High Standard shooter there, or just a fan, you'll see him and talk to him...When I became a stocking dealer for High Standard at Shooter's Station he took me on a tour of his factory in Houston...I recall he had some really old master gunsmiths working there, one of which who, in his late 80's, was the only one doing final assembly and inspection on the new Victors...This was the same job the gentleman had when the The Victor was first manufactured...That was nearly 30 years ago so don't expect to meet him if you're ever privileged to take a factory tour with Alan......Ben

H.S./Victor Mags

I've had 2 over the years and always had problems with the Mags. I tried all the "hacks" but only found a few that would work reliably. I finally gave up and went to the 41 and then to a Ruger Target HB.

S&WInExile said:

I've had 2 over the years and always had problems with the Mags. I tried all the "hacks" but only found a few that would work reliably. I finally gave up and went to the 41 and then to a Ruger Target HB.

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One of the products being offered by the current High Standard company is the magazine lip adjustment tool.
That might help.

6string said:

One of the products being offered by the current High Standard company is the magazine lip adjustment tool.
That might help.

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Even so, there's a frustrating element of trial and error involved in that process. The bane of the military grip High Standards is using any but contemporary factory magazines. The replacements made by Triple K are especially problematic. The following is pretty much required reading on this topic: High Standard Collectors' Association Blog: Military Grip Angle Magazines—Care and Feeding of High Standard Pistols

I love High Standards. They are wonderful shooting pistols even if they tend to be rather needy drama queens. For this reason I only own one at a time, as they can require a lot of attention.

My current one came out of a pawnshop. The good news is I live in Houston so it went straight to Alan. A few parts were replaced, the magazines adjusted, and she was good to go for years.

Then, true to form (DRAMA!), she cracked her frame. By this time Alan was no longer at High Standard Houston. I contacted him and while he could replace the frame, it wasn't cheap. He suggested I contact High Standard and see what they would do. Even though at the time his relationship with them was estranged.

This is when I got lucky. High Standard agreed to replace the frame under warranty. I didn't know it, but the company was in its last throes. I found out later that just about the last guns to come out of there were the Bob Shea Commemorative 10-X guns.

Coincidentally, my gun is a Houston made 10-X. The serial number on my replacement frame is dead in the middle of the range of the Bob Shea Commemoratives! So I got a 10-X marked frame, which I was not expecting. They closed their doors a couple of months later. I now have one of the last guns they made.

It all worked out very well, except for a couple of things. It wasn't functioning quite right, but I knew Alan could fix that. The other problem was the mismatch of the finish between the barrel and the frame. The 10-X guns are utilitarian in finish. The parkerizing on the new frame didn't match the barrel and slide. I tried to convince myself I could live with it. I couldn't. It looked like a parts gun.

Alan said he could try to refinish the frame and match the parkerizing as best he could. But he offered another option: Teflon.

Alan and company now produce a gun they call the X Series. It's High Standard pedigree is obvious. They finish it in Teflon which is a self-lubricating and durable finish. It's almost black.

Off it went. The best High Standard gunsmiths had followed Alan to his new company (OFM Corporation). So the guys that built the original Houston 10-X guns (and now build the X-Series) tuned mine. Then it got the Teflon job. It's working great.

The drama has subsided. For now....

If you want a shooter, look for a Houston gun. The Houston guns are second to none as shooters. Collectors aren't much interested in them though so you can get better pricing.

The company phone number is still 713-476-0888...If you want to talk to him in person at one of the shows, or at Camp Perry, he's in the center of this picture...To the right, also in a maroon shirt, is another old friend, Pat, who sells gun cleaning supplies......Ben

Current Price Check

[FONT=&quot]Here's an early (107 series) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]4½" example which sold at auction just a couple weeks ago. Less than 1,600 of these were produced in 1971-72[/FONT]: High Standard The Victor Semi-Auto Pistol​

I have a Victor and it’s not one of my favorites. I shoot the Supermatics better. Can’t get away from the 41s to shoot them much. I’m waiting for some 41 hater to put his foot in his mouth. Then we will see if he wants to trade. The Victor to me is too far above my grip to be comfortable. Like having a scope on a straight stocked rifle, it feels clumsy.