Ruger22 may finally get a vintage gun

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 8:28 pm

Been long looking for something good but vintage at a small price. At LGS Saturday I found a High Standard Sentinel Deluxe. It's a four inch model R-107, and some online checking dates the serial to 1969.

The bluing shows no wear at all, and the aluminum frame has two small scuffs. Clean sharp bore, tight cylinder gap with just a tiny bit of endshake. All the chambers lock up tight, and the trigger is smooth and crisp. Not great, but better than a Ruger SP-101 .22 trigger. I've considered the SP-101 for quite a while, but never could like it enough to pay $580 for one. The LGS wants $250 for this Sentinel, which checks as a good price after looking at some auction sites.

The Deluxe came with two-piece walnut grips, and these are near perfect. HS advertised them as being warp and crack proof, IIRC. Must be an epoxy coating for that, as they are really glossy. Without a second look, I first thought they were plastic.

Everyone should have a DA/SA .22 revolver, and I didn't, so this might be it. The LGS was closing Saturday, and I'll be there Monday morning when they unlock. I still want to run some empty brass through it, and look under the grips before I'm sold. I've seen several Sentinels before, but some were WMR and none were as nice as this one seems to be.

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 10:01 pm

nice find... those are nice little pistols.

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 7:26 pm

Turns out the grips are plastic, look pretty good for fake, though. Had a small crack inside in the screw hole boss, and I epoxied that.

Just ordered two sets of ivory polymer grips from Tombstone Grips. Seems the guy does good work, but he's backed up three months. So I'll see them in May, but the only alternative was Vintage Gun Grips. Their stuff looks kinda cheesy, and too pricey for what they are.

I've been through the gun, and mechanically it's like new. Pleased that Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black works perfect on the frame. Sometimes it comes out gray, depends on the alloy. Cleaned and touched up, it should look great with white grips.

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:33 pm

All done. After cleaning, turned out it needed a little Super Blue on the front edge of the barrel, and the front corners of the cylinder. Still, not bad for 44 years.

Tombstone Grips require the buyer to drill the locator hole, so I made a template for that. Wanted it done while the gun is super clean, so as not to maybe get the template oily.

Odd coincidence, I found the only torsion springs in a Sentinel on eBay, and the safety stop (like Ruger's transfer bar). I had thought those springs might be good to have, they work the hand and trigger. Also found a R-107 manual and printed it. I still need to browse Numrich and see if they have any likely parts.

Waiting on the grips, only thing left is to get one of Bianchi's formed nylon holsters for it, and shoot it!

Post by **Bullseye** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 6:09 am

Congrats! Sounds as if the finish wear may have been due to holster chafing over the years.

R,
Bullseye

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 12:41 pm

Carried a little, shot a little, it seems. With two sets of grips, the eBay parts, and holster I'll have about $425 in it, but I like it better than any current DA .22 wheelgun. If only it was stainless......

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 1:33 pm

Good find.

When are you going to post a photo of it?

Medicine Hat · Post by **Medicine Hat** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 2:15 pm

Good find !! I had one in the '60s and it was a great gun. I think they are a bit under-rated in general. Happy shooting.

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Fri Feb 14, 2014 4:31 pm

This photo looks like mine, but it's a 106. The only difference with a 107 is supposedly just part numbers:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Sentinel/HSS22/hss22.html

Here's a 6 inch 107 in the box, shows the other side well:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Sentinel/HSS23/hss23.html

Both photos are part of this good article on Sentinels:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Sentinel/sentinel.html

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Mon Mar 10, 2014 2:21 pm

I got the Tombstone grips Friday. Just 24 days; I guess his "3-4 month backlog" is a worst-case-scenario statement so people won't ever be disappointed.

They are smooth, without the slight swell that's at the top of factory grips. More of a SA revolver shape, and that works okay for me. From the sanding and drilling needed, I'd say the epoxy resin is definitely tougher than wood.

I had to drill the locator holes, and used a brad point bit for that. Then had to take some off the top ends to get them on the gun. There was very little excess grip, so I mostly scraped the edge to shape and smoothed it with a sanding sponge. My end result fits as well as the factory grips, which isn't bad at all. Perfection is beyond my expertise and tools, anyway......

I left the matte finish they came with; it touches up like stainless Rugers with a red Scotchbrite pad.

They aren't perfect, but better than the other possibilty with Vintage Gun Grips. At some point I may get some Bearcat grips from Tombstone. He seems to be the only source for black ones, which would look sharp on stainless........

charlesb · Post by **charlesb** » Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:18 pm

Nice looking gun!

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Tue Mar 11, 2014 1:03 pm

charlesb wrote:Nice looking gun!

Thank you, charlesb; and thanks to Bullseye for posting the photos for me. Not the best pictures with my cheapo Kodak digital. The ivory grips aren't actually so bright in person.

It's the oldest gun I've trusted buying. My past used guns were never more than a few years old, except a S&W Model 39 that was probably about 20. I never thought I'd buy one by a company that no longer existed, due to parts availability. I have got the springs most likely to ever cause a problem.

I doubt I'll live to see a serious problem with it so close to new. The pawl, ratchet and cylinder notches show no wear. The hammer nose firing pin concerns me a little, as it's not replaceable. I'm considering getting a hammer for it.

I'm happy with it, just waiting for good weather to match up a weekend to go shoot it. Supposed to be 75 today, but rain and 40 by Thursday. Low sixties next weekend.

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:34 pm

Nice looking pistol. I like the new stocks you put on it..... waiting for better weather than 75 to go shoot it? You silly people from VA .......

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 1:18 pm

The 75 part worked, my limited break between split shifts didn't. It's a 90 minute round trip for me to go shoot, and I like to stay 2-3 hours, too. I get nice weather on a weekend, I'm ready.

Goofy here now, though. 78 yesterday, and 68 early today. Falling fast to 28 tonight and 38 tomorrow, with rain and 50 mph gusts. But, you silly northerners....

.... are forecast 9 inches of snow. I'm back in low sixties Friday......

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 12:23 pm

Just scored a set of original grips in vg condition on eBay. $30, no hardware, but Numrich had that for $4. Now I'll have an unrepaired set of originals. I think I was lucky, they often go for $60-75.