icebear
Sako-addicted
Apart from collecting and shooting Sakos, I have a thing for .22's. Rifles, pistols, revolvers, single shots, semiautos - you name it. So I was at a local show and found this little gem. It is a custom High Standard Supermatic Trophy customized by John Giles, a Florida gun builder who was a contemporary of Jim Clark. While little known today, he had quite a well-deserved reputation in his time. He specialized in competitive 1911's with a sideline in High Standard .22's.
The old-style Colt and High Standard .22 semiautos shared a problem when you were going for maximum accuracy. The design was such that the normal position for the rear sight was on the slide - which, of course, led to some slight inconsistency in sight position. Nothing huge, but competitive target shooters are always looking for the slightest edge. Anyway, there are three possible solutions:
1. Put the sight on a rib, like a High Standard Victor. A bit more awkward to cock, but not too bad.
2. Put the sight on a bridge, like the High Standard Citation. Less expensive than a rib, but a real PITA to rack the slide.
3. If the barrel is long enough, put the sight on the barrel, as on the High Standard 8" and 10" "Space Guns."
plus the obvious alternative:
4. Do nothing and live with it, like the Colt Woodsman Match Target.
Giles favored the rib. This pistol resembles the rare and highly sought-after slant-grip High Standard Victor in appearance and handling. The barrel, however, is slab-sided with a distinct, rounded taper toward the muzzle. Balance feels neutral, maybe a tiny bit muzzle-heavy. Trigger pull is a perfect 1 pound, 6 ounces with no creep or overtravel. Giles supposedly guaranteed 1/2 MOA accuracy from this model. I can't shoot well enough to test that claim, but I'm looking forward to test firing it. I'll never be a competitive target shooter, but I enjoy shooting .22 target pistols. I generally prefer the slant grip, but I do have a Victor with the military grip (same angle as a 1911).
The photos exaggerate the wear and scratches on the gun. The edge highlights are from reflections, not edge wear.
The old-style Colt and High Standard .22 semiautos shared a problem when you were going for maximum accuracy. The design was such that the normal position for the rear sight was on the slide - which, of course, led to some slight inconsistency in sight position. Nothing huge, but competitive target shooters are always looking for the slightest edge. Anyway, there are three possible solutions:
1. Put the sight on a rib, like a High Standard Victor. A bit more awkward to cock, but not too bad.
2. Put the sight on a bridge, like the High Standard Citation. Less expensive than a rib, but a real PITA to rack the slide.
3. If the barrel is long enough, put the sight on the barrel, as on the High Standard 8" and 10" "Space Guns."
plus the obvious alternative:
4. Do nothing and live with it, like the Colt Woodsman Match Target.
Giles favored the rib. This pistol resembles the rare and highly sought-after slant-grip High Standard Victor in appearance and handling. The barrel, however, is slab-sided with a distinct, rounded taper toward the muzzle. Balance feels neutral, maybe a tiny bit muzzle-heavy. Trigger pull is a perfect 1 pound, 6 ounces with no creep or overtravel. Giles supposedly guaranteed 1/2 MOA accuracy from this model. I can't shoot well enough to test that claim, but I'm looking forward to test firing it. I'll never be a competitive target shooter, but I enjoy shooting .22 target pistols. I generally prefer the slant grip, but I do have a Victor with the military grip (same angle as a 1911).
The photos exaggerate the wear and scratches on the gun. The edge highlights are from reflections, not edge wear.