Guns International #: 103001891
Seller's Inventory #: M25-105

Category - High Standard Pistols - .22 Pistols

Category
High Standard Pistols
.22 Pistols

** SOLD ** 1979 High Standard Sport King ML .22 LR Semi-Auto Pistol w/ Original Box, Manual * Appears UNFIRED & MINT! *

Description:
     This a beautiful, like-new, 1979-mfg High Standard Sport King ML series semi-auto .22 LR pistol, complete with it's original factory box and all the factory paperwork it shipped with when new.  This is a time capsule kind of piece, a semi-auto .22 rimfire pistol that appears to have made it for 46 years in like-new, minty condition, and still in it's original box with all of the paperwork that it shiipped from the factory with when it was brand new.  This is as nice as they possibly can get!
     
High Standard was one of the top American .22 caliber pistol manufacturers for the better part of several decades.  They are best-known for their extremely-accurate and often unique-looking, semi-auto target pistols.  Founded in 1928, High Standard really did not become well-knwon until the 1940's during WW2, when the military used their Model B to train soldiers in firing a handgun.  The .22 rimfire Model B was easier for recruits to shoot than the Model 1911 in .45 ACP.  The minmal recoil and noise made it much easier for new shooters to learn andshoot accurately than the .45 ACP 1911.  It was also MUCH cheaper to use first, then once proficient, recruits could learn the 1911 pistol quickly.  Many future High Standard owners first learned of the brand during their military training.  The U.S, military remained a customer of High Standard after WW2, and later used their HD Military model as their trainer in the late 1940's thru Vietnam and the eary 1970's.  Perhaps the MOST famous of High Standards models is what shooters and collector's refer to as "the space gun", the High Standard 104-series Supermatic Citation.  The 104 series Supermatic Citation's eye-catching slanted-grip design. the slender shape of the frame and slide, and the unique 8" inch barrel that had sliding barrel weights and a large compensator at the muzzle, all-combined to make what looked exactly like an alien spacegun or ray-gun from most of the science fiction books and movies popular at that time.  High Standard's early Model "B"  is the model that put them on the map, then the HD Military, the Supermatic Trophy, and the Olympic models are what kept them there and made them a household name for .22 rimfire pistol lovers and competitive shooters.   High Standard eventually went out of business in 2018, after moving their factory multiple times, and after being sold 5 times to new owners since their founding.  
     This particular example is High Standard's ML- series Sport King model.  The Sport King ML model was High Standard's most economical pistol offering, with a lightweigtht alloy frame, fixed iron sights, chekered Walnut grips, a toe-mounted magazine release, a 10 round single-stack magazine, either a 4.5" and 5.5" barrel, a slide-stop on the right side of the frame, and frame-mounted thumb safety on the left side of the frame.  They did not get as much attention to the polish prior to the bluing, so they were not as glossy as the more expensive models.  With that said, this model still had a push-button barrel release, the preferrded tool-less take-down design that is most sought-after. Essentialy, this pistol model was designed to be a utility kind of pistol, suitable for plinking, small game, varmint control, and a carry pistol for working on the farm or outdoor recreation like hiking and/or camping.  Because this model was meant to be used and carried much more than the dedicated target shooting pistols, finding one like this one that has somehow spent it's life stored in it's box that much rarer.  Most of these were actually shot, carried, and used quite a bit.
     As you can see from the pictures, this High Standard Sport King is absolutely beautiful and in like-new condition, rating 98-99% across the board.  The factory blue finish is bright, clean, and free from any wear.  The blue finish on all of the steel parts matches is a perfect match, and the darker matte finish on the frame is consistent from top to bottom.  This Sport King came with the 5.5" inch barrel option, which we feel is the perfect match to this model in both it's proportion to the rest of the gun, and how it balances the pistol the best, making it easier to hold steady than examples with the 4.5" inch barrel.  The bore in this Sport King is immaculate, mirror-bright with zero visible imperfections of any kind.  The rifling is well-defined with perfect lands and grooves from the throat of the chamber all the way to the beveled crown of the muzzle.  All of the markings on this pistol are crisp, clean, and uniform in the depth in which they were stamped.  The factory-original fully-checkered American Walnut grip panels are like new on both sides, and they fit the grip frame perfectly.  The point-style checkering still looks perfect with sharp points and symetrical lines/pyramids.  The grips are free from any soiling, oil staining, visible wear, cracks, or repairs of any kind. 
     The mechanics of this High Standard are just as pristine and perfect as the exterior of the gun looks.  All of the controls on this pistol are still like-new, still stiff-feeling as they have not been worked.  They are ALL in perfect working order.  The action on this Sport King is perfectly slick and it slams into battery after picking up a round from the magazine just like it was designed to.  The slide-to-frame fitment is precise and tight, yet still feels smooth and slick when worked. There is no sloppiness in it, nor does it feel like it was fit-together quickly. This is one of the really great things about this High Standard pistol and the company in-general.  While this Sport King was one of the most economica models offered, the money that was saved to make it a economy model was done in places that did not effect the quality feel of the gun.  Where they saved money on this model was by reducing the amount of polishing of the metal before bluing it, by using a plain tapered barrel without provisions for weights, by using a pinned-in or soldered-in front sight blade instead of cutting a dovetail into it, by usng a simple drift-adjustble rear sight instead of a fully-adjustable target-style rear sight, by using grips without a thumbshelf or lots of contours, by leaving the grip straps smooth and plain instead of making them ribbed, fluted, checkered, or stippled, by stamping minimal markings on the gun, and by using the same blue finish on all of the parts of the gun, instead of "accenting" it with small parts that are plated with gold, nickel, or silver, as well as by eliminating any case-colored parts.  The end result was a pistol that did not have the fancy aestethics of the pricer models, but still felt just as well-made and solid, while still being capable of exception accuracy the firm was known for.  
    If you have been looking for a ML series Sport King for your collection, or just looking for a well-made, reliable, very accurate .22 rimfire auto to shoot, this example would be a superb choice.  If you are buying a shooter, this Sport King has not even been broken-in yet and still has 99.9% of it's service life still intact.   You get to break it in just like it is a new pistol that was made last month instead of 46 years ago.  If you are looking for a safe-queen and long-term investment, this example has to be in top 1% of all of these presently in existence, and it would be literally impossible to improve-upon in ANY regard  This one is simply as good as it gets!

************* NOTE: WE HAVE EXTRA MAGAZINES AVAILABLE FOR THIS PISTOL FOR AN ADDITIONAL COST IF THE NEW OWNER WANTS SOME EXTRA MAGS *************** 

Price: POR

Handgun Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
Manufacturer: High Standard
Model: Kg (Model # 9259)
Serial Number: ML44046
Barrel Length: 5.5" Inches
Condition: Minty
Metal Condition: Excellent
Wood Condition: Excellent
Bore Condition: Mint
Action: Semi-Automatic Pistol
Finish: Factory Blue Finish
Sights: Fixed Iron Sights (Drift-Adjustable Rear)
Manufacture Date: 1979
Extras: w/ Original Numbered Box, Paperwork,, Plastic Shipping Bag
Grips: Factory Checkered Walnut