The New Toy

So I've been working a bit with my new toy. To recap, it's a High Standard model H-B, Type 1 with a 4 1/2" barrel, manufactured sometime between 1940 and 1941 according to the online references I have found; the age is determined by the lack of a safety lever on the left side of the slide. It was my grandfathers, handed down to my father and now to me.

The slide didn't want to cycle all that well, so I took it off and cleaned and lubed it. It still didn't want to cycle all that well so I did a no-no and removed it then released the tension on the recoil spring. I was then able to spray the recoil spring down with some clean and lube and then I reset it, reinstalled the slide and cycled it a few times. That seems to have loosened it up, now the slide seems to cycle like it should. Being used to the .45 it feels a bit weak, but then again it is a .22 so it doesn't need as much spring tension.

Next I loaded 10 rounds into the magazine and attempted to manually cycle them through, but they would not feed unless I pushed the slide up. I fiddled with the tabs on the magazine and now the rounds cycle through manually without any problems.

I can work the firing pin manually, it moves freely and retracts without any issues. The hammer, according to Dad, was manufactured by a gunsmith to replace the original that was broken and no replacement was available for it. It doesn't match the contours of the gun, but it works just fine.

So with all the preliminary checking out of the way it looks like the gun will function as it should. Next is range time, I'm hoping that a bit of exercise will loosen the action up a bit further. It's probably been 30 years or more since the gun was fired, Dad didn't shoot it much and Brother didn't shoot it at all.

After action report will occur after the range session that I should try to schedule real soon, maybe after getting back from Jacksonville. After I have test fired the gun and verified that it works like it should Middle Daughter wants to learn to shoot. The .45 was a bit much for her to handle but the .22 should be just the thing for her to learn on.

She says she wants to get her concealed permit, and if she still wants to do so after we have some range time on the .22 I'll try to find a .380 or a 9mm for her. I want to check out some of the compact Glock 9's anyway, so this is just another excuse to fondle some firearms (like I needed another one).

I must be doing something right.