High Standard Manufacturing Company

High Standard Firearms

Type	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

Publicity photo of U.S. Navy WAVES taking target practice with .22 caliber Model B training pistols in 1943

High Standard Firearms is an American manufacturer of firearms, based in Houston, Texas. The company was originally 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 OSS 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, NY.^[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 .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

1. Lovell, Stanley P. Of Spies and Stratagems (New York: Prentice Hall), 1963.
2. 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.
3. http://www.highstandard.com/index.php/home-interarms
4. http://www.highstandard.com/index.php/home-herrett

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