Semi-auto gun High Standard mod. Ten Series B cal. 12 serial no. 019507

A beautiful and now rare semi-automatic rifle model Ten Series B. Produced by High Standard MFG. Based in Hamden, Connecticut. Barrel and action are excellent. Weapon designed for Police use bearing the inscription “POLICE SHOTGUN”. Folding sight and version with original Kel-lite flashlight.

The basic design of the model 10 pump shotgun was developed in the late 1950s by Alfred Crouch, a police sergeant from Santa Monica, California. Crouch’s goal was to create the ultimate pump shotgun for SWAT and tactical units. His original design used a modified Remington semi-automatic pump shotgun.

In the mid-1960s, Crouch sold his design to the High Standard Manufacturing Company, which used his C1200 Supermatic pump shotgun as the basis for the first model, the 10A. The C1200 Supermatic was modified by replacing the stock, repositioning the trigger group, and mounting a three-piece plastic shell around the receiver and the front half of the barrel. The rear part of the shell provided a mounting point for the folding stock. The bottom of the shell provided the grip. Since the trigger group was moved forward to fit the bullpup design, a rod was used to connect the new and old trigger positions to allow minimal modifications to the original receiver.

The next model of the rifle, the 10B, was improved with a left-side cocking handle, a folding front sight, and used the new torch/foregrip mounting block (which also serves as a support for the carrying handle) as the rear sight. The flashlight branded “Kel-Lite” can be removed, as it is attached to the aforementioned mounting block.

Originally, the Model 10 was sold only to law enforcement. The concept of this hunting rifle generated considerable interest in many police agencies that adopted the Model 10 between the late 1960s and early 1970s; however, most agencies found numerous shortcomings and eventually stopped using it.

The most common problem was the failure of the firing mechanism to operate correctly. According to the Model 10 instructions, only magnum or “high brass” cartridges were to be used. However, even with the correct cartridges, the action sometimes failed to operate reliably. Other problems afflicting the rifle were the rough and unpredictable trigger feel, the strange stock rotation, and the tendency of the recoil to damage the flashlight batteries.

Another problem was that the Model 10 could only be fired right-handed, as the weapon ejects spent cases from the right side of the unit with high force. On the right side of the rifle is a warning that reads: “WARNING – DO NOT SHOOT FROM LEFT SHOULDER”.