High Standard new X-Series guns

If I knew back in October how much I was going to like this new gun, I would have done a few things differently.  As it was, I called Alan Aronstein from India to tell him to make one for me, and I called him last week to see if he could make it easier to rack the slide.    The new gun arrived today.  I need to get out my lights, etc., to take proper photos of the gun, but this image comes pretty close.

I'm thrilled with everything I've been learning about the gun.  A few months ago, I was seriously considering buying a Pardini.  Those thoughts vanished when I picked up this gun this morning at the FFL.  I have yet to see what the gun can do in my hands.  If I get a sight mounted tonight, I'll find out tomorrow.

I love how smoothly everything works.  I like the accessory Alan designed to make it easier to rack the slide, even while thinking it's ugly.  I like that Alan told me I can dry-fire the gun all I want for practice.  The fellow at the FFL who opened the box first thought the gun looked stunning.  To me, buying this gun for bullseye shooting is like buying a Leica for photography.  

I told Alan what kind of rail I was looking for - the rail he found me, something he made a long time ago, is perfect.  The red dot sight will be as low as the custom rail Roddy Toyota made me for my Victor.  

Changes I would love to see - for starters, make the "X-Series" lettering gold, like was done to the Victors long ago.  And make the lever to rack the slide either gold (as the fellow at the FFL suggested), or black (what I prefer).  

Roddy Toyota spent weeks making the Victor I bought as close to "perfect" as he knows how.  Alan and his technicians did things to get the same effect - everything I love about my Victor seems the same in the X-Series.

I need to try it out (hopefully tomorrow), and maybe get one of the better shooters at my club to try it.  I also need to take a lot more photos, once I get some lighting set up.  The picture I posted here came from my iPhone 11, but with a little Adobe Lightroom editing.

Looks nice!  I agree, black on the slide racker would have looked better and hid it a bit.  As is, it kind of looks like a shiny thumb tack sticking out the side of the slide (lol).   But it's function that counts in the end!

With Aimpoint H-2

Not Bad Mike! Not bad at all!

Did it come with a rib with open sights?

No, those parts are not yet available.

I wrote Alan, asking for something I can copy and paste into this thread.

I also sent him a link to the thread, so he can respond directly.

Ok I'm gonna be honest, I'm not impressed by the machining and finish. The slide especially looks sub par for a $1k pistol. I know these pistols can be viewed simply as tools but the truth is most of us really appreciate well machined and well finished firearms, they are also investment pieces as well and looks sell.

swissyhawk wrote:Did it come with a rib with open sights?

From Alan:

"The New Victor Vent Rib will fit both the X- Series Victor and Trophy Type Barrels. They will also fit the Traditional Victor Barrels from Conn and Tx. The Price will be $187.50. Customers that have bought the X- Series Pistols will be able to buy a Rib at $131.25 and NO Shipping Charges. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying your New X -Series Pistol.- Alan"

zanemoseley wrote:Ok I'm gonna be honest, I'm not impressed by the machining and finish. The slide especially looks sub par for a $1k pistol. I know these pistols can be viewed simply as tools but the truth is most of us really appreciate well machined and well finished firearms, they are also investment pieces as well and looks sell.

I can see what you mean - I wanted to bring out the "X-Series" name on the barrel, and between the lighting and over-sharpening, I guess it doesn't look the way it does in my hands.

For better or worse, I put the gun on a dark brown case, illuminated by sunlight, but with the gun in the shade to avoid shadows.  Here's my new photo, taken a few minutes ago.  No polishing, no cleaning, just the way I've been shooting and dry-firing, although I've been switching back and forth between the Aimpoint as shown in this photo, and my Matchdot II (heavier).  The slide is not as smooth and shiny as the slide on my Victor, but it's nothing that bothered me.  My gun is #15, and I think they put all the effort into "function", not "polish".  

I'm completely satisfied with the gun, but not nearly that satisfied with my shooting.  I guess I should shoot it from a rest, maybe this Monday, to see what the gun is capable of. 

(I deleted my original photos, as they weren't very good.  This is what the gun looks like in "normal" lighting.)

The one seen at Perry was well machined, polished and had a Teflon coating.

One more photo, and a bit of personal information.

I thought my Aimpoint was going bad, as the dot kept vanishing.  I think I traced it down to the screw-on cap not pushing hard enough on the battery - when the sight didn't work, I could remove the cap, push on the battery, and all was well.  I put it back together with a piece of paper inside it, acting like a shim, so maybe it's now fixed. During all this time I've been dry-firing and live-firing with the Aimpoint, and with my Matchdot II.  

While the Aimpoint is lighter, which I thought was important, I noticed that I was picking the target up more quickly with the Matchdot.  I think that's because it has a longer tube, and that helps me get the gun held "straight" faster than the Aimpoint.  For whatever reason, the dot on the Matchdot seemed better as well.  I had put the polarizing filter back on, and when used outdoors, by making the "scene" a little darker, the dot seems a little brighter.  I wanted the Aimpoint to be better for me, but it was turning out the other way.  

I've got two Matchdot II sights, the one I bought new, and another one that I bought through this forum a couple of years ago.  I don't know what kind of mounts came on it, but I like them much more than the "stock" mounts. I also like that I can remove the sight from the gun, and put it back a few days later, and it's still almost perfectly sighted in.  

Not sure which I like more right now - the Matchdot II, which I think is best, the Aimpoint that I used to like so much, and the standard open sights that came on the Victor I bought from Roddy.  That gun has the least weight, and I've been re-learning how to use open sights, just the way all the articles used to explain it, FRONT SIGHT.  

Here's one more photo, with the Matchdot II mounted.  Maybe someone here can recognize what kind of mounts I have on it. 



For anyone with a High Standard, Alan's little device for racking the slide makes that SO much easier.  It's almost effortless.  No more cut and bleeding fingers either.  I put some "shrink tubing" around mine, which made it black (looks better) and a little larger (easier to use).

mikemyers wrote: I put some "shrink tubing" around mine, which made it black (looks better) and a little larger (easier to use).

Much better!

Mike - I was comparing your avatar, the old victor, with the pictures of your new one.  It looks like the thumb shelf has been lowered quite a bit.  Do you notice a difference in the grips?

We are already planing to put some paint in the lettering. Teflon is also Paint. It is NOT the most beautiful finish and, I knew that going in. I am selling it on its self lubricating features. It can run, bunch up, and streak. If anyone has ever studied Teflon, it gets into the metal and NEVER comes out. You can scrape off all of the black and the base remains !!! If anyone can find the surface RMS to be different from the Conn specs, I will gladly correct that issue. If in fact any machining is out of tolerance(in a mating area), I will gladly correct that. The Barrels,Magazines,and tolerances in the FC area are superior to the Conn Pistols(in MY opinion). We have sold over 40 of those pistols in the last 2+ years. Other than magazine adjustment (that we did at NO Charge), I only had (1) warranty issue. That was a defective Ring on a Hammer Strut. We did not make the ring. We bought it from a fastener supplier. We are NOT perfect but, we do a VERY good job. As we increase production, I am sure that we will make some mistakes. Look at the number of recalls that occur every year with the larger companies in the arms industry. - Alan Aronstein

Yes, you're right - I didn't notice the difference until just now.  I'm not sure which one is "authentic", or why they're different.  Both feel comfortable to me.  Maybe a High Standard expert could explain this better than I can.

The grips from Alan keep the thumb more "flat", and it's easier to prevent the thumb from exerting any pressure on the gun.  The grips on the Victor look prettier, but my thumb is more likely to be resting on the rest.......?????

Oops, Alan and I were entering at the same time.  I hope he sees this - he can explain the difference in the grips.  Maybe both are "authentic" High Standard grips, but the design changed over the years?  

I know Roddy refinished the grips on the Victor - I don't know for a fact that they're even actual High Standard grips.  There are other differences I can see now, such as around the magazine release.  Roddy's grips are "smaller" front to back - you can see more of the steel frame.  The bottom of his grips is "angled" differently than the ones from Alan.

You got me wondering - I got out my old High Standard, and those grips are like what Alan is making.  I'll ask Roddy what grips are on the Victor - they look "fancier", but I suspect Alan's grips and the ones on my original gun are "real".

CT Slant Grip   TX Slant Grip

CT Military Grip    TX Military Grip

I think that High Standard made their own grips at New Haven and Hamden. I think also that they might have had sub-contractors . Years ago at an NRA Convention, Allan Mossberg told me that Mossberg had made grips for HS. I don't recall the years that he told me. Bob Shea never mentioned grips to me ??? Others supplied grips in the 1930s/40s/50s. I do know that Sile in NYC made grips under contract for years. I think that a company in FL made Grips. I bought grips from Herretts from 1993 to 2014. I have seen thousands of grips come into the repair dept since 1993. There are noticeable variations in the pistol grips. I guess that all the makers made the grips to the closest match that they could with their equipment. The tolerances involving the wood were large when compared to the machine drawings for parts. I will see if I can find the vendor cards to check for more info. - Alan Aronstein

Alan, when you have time, people were asking what the "standard" rail looks like.  Are there part numbers for that rail, and for the rail that you put on my gun?  

Regarding the last photo up above of my original High Standard, you sold me the barrel, but I don't remember if I bought the rail from you?  I think you told me where I could order one.

Something else I wanted to ask you, and I think someone mentioned it up above or on the other forum, as I recall when I took the right grip off the gun, the slide release parts fell out, trying to get lost.  Is this the same on the new gun, or do those parts stay in place when the grips are removed?

Any idea what the two drift pins are for to the rear of the safety lever on the X-series?   Just another difference that I saw in the photos posted.

That is the Standard Rail that you bought from us. It is made to clear the Sport King, Tournament , Citation, and Trophy Slides. It also allows for the slide or Bracket mounted Rear Sight to remain in place. The holes to the rear of the X- Series are Drilled and Tapped for a shooter that wants a Bracket Rear Sight. Some shooters don't want the rib over the ejection port. Just another opinion that we build into each frame run.- Alan Aronstein

Alan,

Is there a sight rib available for the new X-Series? 

Thank you.

We are replacing some missing tooling for the adjustable sight Vent Rib. I estimate that we will have the Traditional HS Ribs available in the March/April time frame. They will fit the "X-Series" Victor and Trophy 5 1/2" Barrels. They will also fit the Conn and TX Victor  Barrels. The price will be $187.50. For the Customers that have bought or will buy the "X- Series" Pistols, the price is $131.25.- Alan Aronstein

Alan, add me to your list.  Hopefully black.  Front sight - use your imagination.  That might be nice in stainless?