High Standard Manufacturing Company
| Private Company | |
| Industry | firearms |
| Founded | 1926 in Hamden, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Founder | Carl Gustav Swebilius |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Pistols, Rifles, Carbines |
| Services | Sales, Repairs and Accessories |
| Divisions | Herrett Grips & Stocks, Interarms, AMT & High Standard Casting |
| Website | http://www.highstandard.com |
High Standard Firearms is an American manufacturer of firearms, based in Houston, Texas. The company was founded in Hamden, Connecticut in 1926 as a supplier to the numerous firearms companies in the Connecticut Valley.
History
In 1932, the company, headed by Carl Gustav Swebilius, purchased the Hartford Arms and Equipment Company and began making .22 caliber pistols.
During World War II, the company supplied .22 caliber pistols for basic pistol training and familiarization to the armed forces. At the request of Office of Strategic Services Deputy Director for Research and Development Stanley P. Lovell, the company also developed a silent, flashless pistol for use by OSS agents behind enemy lines. An example of the pistol can be seen at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York.[1]
In 1968, the company was acquired by the Leisure Group. A turbulent period followed, due to the passage of Gun Control Act of 1968. The company then relocated to East Hartford in 1976. In 1978, Clem Confessore, company president, led a management buyout of High Standard from Leisure Group.
In December 1984, its assets were auctioned. Gordon Elliott, who had been the National Parts Distributor, purchased: the .22 Target pistols, the Crusader line and the High Standard name and trademarks.
In the spring of 1993, High Standard of Houston, Texas acquired the company assets and trademarks, as well as the .22 Target Pistols. These original assets were transferred from Connecticut to Houston, Texas in July 1993. The first shipments of Houston manufactured pistols began in March, 1994.
Subsidiaries
- Arcadia Machine & Tool (AMT) - Acquired in 2001[2]
- Interarms[3]
- Herrett[4]
Products
- High Standard Sentinel revolvers[5]
- High Standard .22 Target Pistols
- High Standard .50 Cal M-2 (Browning ) Heavy Machine gun
- High Standard 1911 Pistols
- High Standard HDM
- High Standard HSA-15 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem Rifles & Carbines
- High Standard HSA-15 .300 Blackout
- AMT Automag II .22 WMR
- AMT Backup
- Interarms AK47
- Interarms AK74
- Herrett Grips & Stocks
References
- ↑ Lovell, Stanley P. Of Spies and Stratagems (New York: Prentice Hall), 1963.
- ↑ Dan Shideler; Jerry Lee (2012). 2012 Standard Catalog of Firearms: The Collector's Price & Reference Guide. Iola Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 50–51, 472. ISBN 978-1-4402-1688-6. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ↑ http://www.highstandard.com/index.php/home-interarms
- ↑ http://www.highstandard.com/index.php/home-herrett
- ↑ Buffaloe, Ed (2011). "The High Standard Sentinel Revolver". Unblinking Eye. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
External links
- Company website
- An High Standard enthusiast reviews a recreation of the quintessential Hi Standard H-D Military designed for use by OSS operatives during World War II