A Different Kind of USGI Pistol: The High Standard Supermatic S-101

Gentlemen:

Like most guys here I find that the M1911 pistols and other combat weapons hold the greatest interest for me. They are important from a historical standpoint and they properly get the most attention.

However, I also enjoy other USGI weapons as they are interesting in their own right. This pistol falls into that category. It is a High Standard Supermatic S-101 .22 LR target pistol. This pistol was not a trainer, but rather was a high quality target pistol used for competitive shooting. It was the state of the art for a production target pistol in the middle of the 1950s. Indeed, High Standard .22 pistols were used by the championship shooters and teams at the Camp Perry National Matches for several years in a row in the 1950s.

This particular pistol was shipped on US Government order #2570 on 10/3/57.

Regards,
Charlie Flick

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...permatic-1.jpg

These US military pistols were factory marked on the left frame with a 3/16th inch "U.S." This is the only military marking found on these pistols. The Tech Manual for these pistols was TM 9-1005-226-14.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...icUSmark-1.jpg

Continued development by High Standard led to successor models which were also adopted by the military. Nonetheless, the Supermatic S-101 remained in the military inventory for many years. Eventually, numbers of these pistols became available to civilian shooters through the Director of Civilian Marksmanship program.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ightside-1.jpg

These Supermatic S-101s were considered top of the line guns. They first appeared in 1954 and the last ones were produced in 1957. They were popular with the Army Pistol Teams, and were also used by USAF, USMC and USCG Pistol Teams.

One interesting design feature of these guns is the barrel porting which was done at the factory.


https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...sideport-1.jpg

Having shot this pistol I can attest that it has much greater accuracy than I am capable of.

The High Standard advertisement below appeared in the November, 1956 issue of the American Rifleman. High Standard was justifiably proud of the record that its pistols had established at the National Matches at Camp Perry. (Note that the Army Pistol Team shooter on the right, Lt. Cartes, has the same Army Pistol Team patch on his shoulder as seen in the first post above. He won the 1956 .22 LR Pistol Championship.) The Supermatic is shown in the ad with the optional barrel weights which slid into a machined slot underneath the barrel.

The High Standard Supermatic S101s set a high standard indeed for military .22 LR target pistols half a century ago.

Regards,
Charlie Flick

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...permatic-1.jpg

Very Nice Charlie, Thanks for sharing the interesting information and articles with us. I have a Supermatic Citation #102 that my Dad used for a Bulls Eye shooter from 1958 to 1963. It is very accurate as well.

Some very interesting .22 pistols came through the DCM program. During their sale one of our club members received a Model 101 High Standard with the extra slide, barrel, and magazine in .22 Short caliber.
This one is a Supermatic Citation Model 103.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...5/1zuq6e-1.jpg

A few of the Ruger MkI pistols were shipped right at the end of the program. I received this one just before LBJ stopped the sale of military handguns to the public. It has the U.S. over the chamber.
Ruger will not tell you where their pistols were shipped, but I had been told prior to calling about a letter to ask if it showed shipment to a U.S. government agency, and could that be included. Ruger obliged, and put that in the letter.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../350o2fq-1.jpg

Thanks for your comments, Duane.

Johnny, those are both very nice pistols. The 'Space Gun' is in beautiful shape. I'll bet it is a great shooter, too.

The USGI Ruger Mark I guns are an interesting topic all by themselves. I have one just like your's, and a similar factory letter saying it went to a "Government Agency". I have seen another factory letter that says a little more vaguely "government facility."

I am pretty certain that my Ruger Mark I went to the US Army since I have a 1961 Army Shipping Invoice indicating shipment to an Army Captain located at the Benicia Arsenal. I suspect most or all of the early Ruger Mark I shipments were to the Army.

Regards,
Charlie Flick

all beautiful pistols ,

ive got the histandard and the rueger - neather are marked US , but both are great shooters

Of these four which would you say was the best target pistol:
Colt Woodsman Match, High Standard, Ruger or S&W mod 41?

I've owned all but the Ruger and have shot many of the Rugers. I have and prefer the Heavy Barrel 41. My least favorite was the Colt and the High Standard was great but broke small parts from time to time.

I started with the Ruger, which was accurate enough but after I learned what a 'good' trigger felt like, the Ruger just never satisfied again. Then used a Colt Woodsman - again, quite accurate, but I never adjusted to the long skinny barrel and the grip angle. I did get to try the S&W Model 41 over the years - very accurate and dependable, but grip was a little too robust for my stubby fingers. Eventually tried a High Standard Citation Supermatic Model 106 and my search was over. What's not to like about a grip that mimics the Colt .45, trigger was world class, marvelous sights, and that bull barrel just felt SO solid. Too bad I could never shoot to it's potential!!

These pistols were all Navy-provided match grade guns which I used until I finally bought my own High Standard. My last Navy .22 was a Model 107 Supermatic Citation that the Navy armorers modified by removing the rear sight bridge and installing a full-length tunable Bomar rib along with requisite trigger work. What a superb gun - after having it for 8 years, I really hated turning it in when I retired!

YMMV...JMHO...

The U.S. marked S-101 was sold to the government on one order of around 3000-3200 pistols as I recall. There was another government order for around 1500 S-101's that is not U.S. marked but many I have seen were hand stamped on the right side Property of USMC some of which are found with the .22 short conversion kit. Both of these variations are fairly commonly known. There was also a small number of O-101's sold to the government. The two large government orders were filled in the last half of 1957 even though there were a number of guns of earlier manufacture used in filling the orders. While large scale production of the S-101 did end in late 1957, small lots continued and as I recall there was a small government order in 1958 for this model.

Hello John, and welcome to this Forum. Thanks for the additional info.

For those of you not acquainted with John, be aware that he is regarded by many as the world's leading authority on High Standard firearms. He is very generous with his time and his H-S data that has been meticulously gathered over the years. The factory shipping information I posted above came from John. Those of us who collect H-S USGI pistols owe him a great deal.

Regards,
Charlie Flick

Thank you gents for an informative post. As these High Standard military pistols are somewhat uncommon, I'd like to share a couple of pictures of my 1957 S-101 Supermatic, marked USMC. Enjoy.....

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tandarda-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tandardf-1.jpg

Currently I own this pistol and the conversion to shoot 22 short.