Clip spring replacement -- Hi-Standard Sport King

butchc · 01-30-2011, 09:45 AM

I inherited my dad's old 1951 Hi-Standard .22 Sport King. I carried the gun for several summers during the early sixties while I was in college in my summer jobs with the US Forest Service, and have fired several thousand rounds with it with never a jam. However, it has started jamming with the shell about half-way in to the chamber after firing a few rounds. I figured it was probably the spring in the clip seeing as how it is sixty years old, and has been left full many, many times over the years. Wolff sent me a new spring for the clip, but I cannot see any way to break in to the clip to replace it.

If there is someone out there in e-land who knows the secret of the spring, I would sure appreciate you sharing your knowlege. I am teaching one of my grandsons to shoot and this is his favorite pistol to shoot.

BillM · 01-30-2011, 11:19 AM

New springs are available from Brownells, or try just stretching the stock
one a bit. That said, it might not be the spring. High Standards are
REALLY picky about magazine lip spread. You might just need to adjust
the lips a bit. Lots of info on the 'net about tweaking HS mag lips.
I'm dealing with this on a HD Military right now. Have 6 mags for it.
2 of them work 100%. 2 more I've got at about 90%, the last 2
are still jam-o-matics. Lots of patience and mild cursing seem to
be the key.

I also have a 1951 era (toggle barrel lock) Sport King. Fun little gun,
but it throws a fit if I try ammo with soft lead bullets. Anything with
a plating on it works fine, plain lead will choke. Could probably get it
tuned to shoot other ammo, but I just feed it plated bullets and we
are both happy.

butchc · 01-30-2011, 05:00 PM

I got a new spring from Wolff Gunsprings, and it looks to be the same, but they indicated the new one is 5% stronger than the stock one.

Hard to believe this weapon was the one the OSS issued to it's agents during the big one. Good ammo was probably hard to come by in the field, especially if the gun was persnickety about it's loads. Thanks, Bill. Will see what I can find about the lip spread.

wkd · 01-31-2011, 08:31 AM

Go here:
www.gun-tests.com/performance/feb97magazine.html
Click on the red underlined Aronstein, will tell you all you need to know.

LDBennett · 01-31-2011, 09:08 AM

To adjust the lips of a High Standard magazine you need to visit the web site below:

http://home.roadrunner.com/~jbarta/otherstuff.html

There is a drawing there for the tool you can make to do the adjustment and directions on how to adjust the lips.

In order to preserve your Hi Std Pistol you need to regularly do a few things. First, only shoot Standard Velocity ammo though the gun. CCI STD VEL ammo is a relatively inexpensive ammo that works fine in most all Hi Std pistols. NEVER shoot High or Hyper Velocity ammo in a Hi Std pistol. The frames can crack if the gun is abused.

The other most important thing is to keep a standard recoil spring in it. The spring leads a hard life and should be replaced regularly with the correct spring. Do not use a Heavy Duty variety as that seriously beats up the gun. A weak spring can make the gun's frame have to absorb some energy of recoil that the spring would normally absorb and that eventually may crack the frame.

These are great guns and it is not cool to loose one to a cracked frame from neglect.

LDBennett

01-30-2011, 09:45 AM	#1
butchc Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Antonio Posts: 2	Clip spring replacement -- Hi-Standard Sport King I inherited my dad's old 1951 Hi-Standard .22 Sport King. I carried the gun for several summers during the early sixties while I was in college in my summer jobs with the US Forest Service, and have fired several thousand rounds with it with never a jam. However, it has started jamming with the shell about half-way in to the chamber after firing a few rounds. I figured it was probably the spring in the clip seeing as how it is sixty years old, and has been left full many, many times over the years. Wolff sent me a new spring for the clip, but I cannot see any way to break in to the clip to replace it. If there is someone out there in e-land who knows the secret of the spring, I would sure appreciate you sharing your knowlege. I am teaching one of my grandsons to shoot and this is his favorite pistol to shoot. -->

01-30-2011, 11:19 AM	#2
BillM V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Amity Orygun Posts: 380	Re: Clip spring replacement -- Hi-Standard Sport King New springs are available from Brownells, or try just stretching the stock one a bit. That said, it might not be the spring. High Standards are REALLY picky about magazine lip spread. You might just need to adjust the lips a bit. Lots of info on the 'net about tweaking HS mag lips. I'm dealing with this on a HD Military right now. Have 6 mags for it. 2 of them work 100%. 2 more I've got at about 90%, the last 2 are still jam-o-matics. Lots of patience and mild cursing seem to be the key. I also have a 1951 era (toggle barrel lock) Sport King. Fun little gun, but it throws a fit if I try ammo with soft lead bullets. Anything with a plating on it works fine, plain lead will choke. Could probably get it tuned to shoot other ammo, but I just feed it plated bullets and we are both happy.

01-30-2011, 05:00 PM	#3
butchc Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Antonio Posts: 2	Re: Clip spring replacement -- Hi-Standard Sport King I got a new spring from Wolff Gunsprings, and it looks to be the same, but they indicated the new one is 5% stronger than the stock one. Hard to believe this weapon was the one the OSS issued to it's agents during the big one. Good ammo was probably hard to come by in the field, especially if the gun was persnickety about it's loads. Thanks, Bill. Will see what I can find about the lip spread. Last edited by butchc; 01-30-2011 at 05:10 PM.. Reason: to put inname.

01-31-2011, 08:31 AM	#4
wkd Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 17	Re: Clip spring replacement -- Hi-Standard Sport King Go here: www.gun-tests.com/performance/feb97magazine.html Click on the red underlined Aronstein, will tell you all you need to know.

01-31-2011, 09:08 AM	#5
LDBennett Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hesperia, CA Posts: 5,710	Re: Clip spring replacement -- Hi-Standard Sport King To adjust the lips of a High Standard magazine you need to visit the web site below: http://home.roadrunner.com/~jbarta/otherstuff.html There is a drawing there for the tool you can make to do the adjustment and directions on how to adjust the lips. In order to preserve your Hi Std Pistol you need to regularly do a few things. First, only shoot Standard Velocity ammo though the gun. CCI STD VEL ammo is a relatively inexpensive ammo that works fine in most all Hi Std pistols. NEVER shoot High or Hyper Velocity ammo in a Hi Std pistol. The frames can crack if the gun is abused. The other most important thing is to keep a standard recoil spring in it. The spring leads a hard life and should be replaced regularly with the correct spring. Do not use a Heavy Duty variety as that seriously beats up the gun. A weak spring can make the gun's frame have to absorb some energy of recoil that the spring would normally absorb and that eventually may crack the frame. These are great guns and it is not cool to loose one to a cracked frame from neglect. LDBennett