# High standard 12



## steve bellinger (Dec 17, 2017)

I picked this up cheap. From what I can find on it it's pre 67 as no ss#. Is there anyway to get a made date. Not that it really matters but would be nice. I do plan on refinishing as it is a bit ruff but not to bad. Also seems to still shoot good. Have never refinished one so what would you recommend if it was yours?


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## rocky1 (Dec 17, 2017)

Without serial number it's going to be tough to pin it down real close Steve. If you search the internet long enough, you can no doubt find an enthusiast group website where they have lots of information on them, and a resident expert that knows everything under the sun about it. There you can maybe get down to within a few years, but it's difficult to get closer on pre-serial number guns unless it has a unique feature that was only offered one or two years.

As for refinishing... Disassemble, zip strip, sand lightly with a semi rigid backer on your paper to find all the dents. Use a moistened cotton ball and a hot butter knife to lift the dents. Butter knife is much easier to work with on a gun stock if you're used to using an iron. Heat it over the burner on the kitchen stove, little propane torch, whatever. Looks like the buttstock has a little oil saturation around the receiver, you might want to try and work that a little with some Denatured Alcohol or Mineral Spirits to lighten the stain some. You may or may not have luck with that, some do lighten up, some don't. Soak it good, rub vigorously with a rag, allow to dry in the sun. A course nylon bristled brush or soft brass wire bristled brush to clean the grooves on forestock will prove handy, use either with some discretion, they can both be hard on wood. You just want to clean the varnish out of them, not much else.

When sanding, exercise caution around lines on the stock, it's typically recommend to sand with the buttplate/recoil pad in place to prevent rounding the edges of the stock over. (_Masking Tape the buttplate off to avoid scratches to the buttplate._) Care should be exercised on Receiver fit as well, and the sharper lines on the base of the pistol grip. Forestock on a pump isn't a real critical fit, just try not to alter lines. 

Overall... Sand modestly, using high grit paper or 0000 Steel Wool. Determine what your grain looks like, decide where you want to go with it.

I have stained and varnished them, have done several in hand rubbed Tru-Oil finish, both light and dark woods, that were immaculate. Had a Remington 788 in .243 had a curly maple stock on it beneath the ugly Orange lacquer finish from the factory. I clear coated it with Tru-Oil, and it was absolutely beautiful. If you don't want the high gloss look Tru-Oil will give you, you can knock the sheen back a little by lightly rubbing with 0000 steel wool. But that kind of defeats the purpose of hand rubbing Tru-Oil on it in my mind. If you want a low luster working finish, a rattle can satin finish Polyeurathane is more durable and far easier to apply.

Parts... is gonna be iffy, best bet - https://www.gunpartscorp.com/

They may have parts list and drawings there as well.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Informative 1


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## rocky1 (Dec 17, 2017)

Quick Search on it... It would appear to be a High Standard K-1200 Flite King Riot Deluxe Model. Available May 1966 forward. That narrows your manufacturer date down drastically! And, may help with parts if all of that isn't clearly marked on the gun. 

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/High_Standard_Flite_King_Shotgun_Series


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## steve bellinger (Dec 17, 2017)

Rocky thanks man I figured out it was the deluxe flute king. Just from the rifle sights. Didn't find the date though. Thanks for the link will be spending a few following that up.


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## rocky1 (Dec 17, 2017)

OK... More research! I love gun research, where's @ripjack13 so does he. Reading up on this, I've actually worked on one or two of these, been many years, but X #2's cousin had one I worked on many many years ago. Was a JC Higgins pump manufactured by High Standard, broke the action bar on the pump, no parts available for that model at the time, that I could find, (_that was before the Internet was everywhere if that tells you anything_). Had to weld it up, grind and polish it out, and cold blued it to fix. It broke again a year or two later as I suspected it would, but by then I'd found Numrich Arms, aka Gun Parts Corporation, and I was able to find parts for it then and replaced the action bar. 


Steve I searched for High Standard 12 Gauge Slug Gun <~ Google results there. Appears there are several threads on Shotgun World forum concerning that gun. Didn't think about it being law enforcement, looked like a slug barrel to me. But lots of good info on it with that search string.

If you go to Google images from that link, there are several pictures of that model with a dark no gloss hand rubbed oil finish. Appears that may be the original configuration, if you want to go back original. 

Searching for value this link popped up... http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=244205 about half way down the page, several facts and a couple links to info on it quoted.



> Beginning about 1958, many of the shotguns had a two letter date code.
> Serial numbers began appearing on the High Standard shotguns during
> mid to late 1967.


 
That statement pins you down to a single year of manufacture, May 66 when the Riot Deluxe Model hit the market to mid-67 when they started putting serial numbers on them.

Links there lead to the one I found earlier, second leads us to parts manual...

http://www.histandard.info/manuals/hpashotguns/0366D150R.pdf


Lots of info here:

http://www.histandard.info/
http://www.histandard.info/models/shotguns/pump.html

But not a lot we didn't already know!

The original K 1200 model was manufactured May 1966 through 1972. Sported an oil finish Walnut Stock. Later sub-contracted 120 models sported a stained Beech Stock. Stocks may have been replaced on it if they aren't Walnut and it's pre-serial number. 

There was at one time a page for the High Standard Date Code on that website Steve. Found a link to it, but the page is no longer there. There is an e-mail link to John Stimson, owner of the website, bottom of the homepage, and he appears to be the authority on High Standard date codes.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ripjack13 (Dec 17, 2017)

I'm out with the wife on a date nite...I'll check in later tonite or in the am over some coffee.


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## rocky1 (Dec 17, 2017)

Not much you can't find on the net if you keep diggin!! 
Now you can determine it's birthday! 

Should find one of the below letter combinations somewhere on it. 

66 May through December - FJ GJ HJ IJ JJ KJ LJ 

67 January through July - AK BK CK DK EK FK GK


http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=295583&p=2548605 



> High Standard Assembly Date Codes
> JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
> A B C D E F G H I J K L
> 
> ...

Reactions: Like 1


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## rocky1 (Dec 17, 2017)

ripjack13 said:


> I'm out with the wife on a date nite...I'll check in later tonite or in the am over some coffee.



OK... You're excused! I been there the last 2 nights!!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## ripjack13 (Dec 18, 2017)

Wow...pretty interesting stuff. Looks like rocky has all the essential info. Hamden Ct made?


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## rocky1 (Dec 18, 2017)

I believe they were at that time, have since moved.


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## ripjack13 (Dec 18, 2017)

rocky1 said:


> I believe they were at that time, have since moved.



Yea...Everyones gtfo of Connecticut. Mossberg is still here, but they're moving out too. Already in Texas I believe.
Colt is goin under....
And there was a another high end specialty shotgun co that was selling off its stuff in new britain i think.
Pretty cheap to buy the whole company but then you'd have to deal with the asshats in the state government. Malloy is trying to kill all gun related sales here via taxes and unconstitutional laws.
But thats another story for another time....


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## rocky1 (Dec 18, 2017)

From what I was reading High Standard sold out many many moons ago, early 90s I believe it was. Had their ups and downs, some great products, some not so great. Their pump shotguns were supposed to be excellent; the auto loaders were not even considered good. By the mid to late 60s most of their manufacturing was subcontracted. The contracted stuff, reportedly was not nearly as good. 

Don't know what to tell you on the asshats in government, I believe that's a prerequisite for the position anymore.

Reactions: Like 2


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