JC Higgins Model 80
A HI-Standard by any other name…
The Model 80 delivered excellent groups with CCI Pistol Match
ammo at 50 feet. A bit of sight drifting and/or experimentation
with different loads could bring the Point of Aim and Point
of Impact closer together.
If you’re an “oldies but goodies” type of guy, searching out store-brand guns can be a fruitful method for acquiring classic — or even long out of print — specimens from major firearms companies.
Back in an earlier, less-complicated time, store-brand guns were pretty common. Essentially, they were an established model by a maker such as Winchester, Stevens, Marlin or High Standard, marketed by a large chain store such as Sears & Roebuck, Montgomery “Monkey” Ward, J.C. Penny or even more specialized outfits like Western Auto Supply. They were given a new name and model number of course and were often priced below the same or similar item from the original maker. The concept has pretty much gone by the boards today — along with many of the store chains themselves — which is a shame.
What’s In A Name?
My experience with store-brand guns was inextricably linked to my early experiences with firearms. Examples? My Dad’s .270 Model 50 J.C. Higgins from Sears & Roebuck was an imported FN Mauser I’d put up against darn near anything ever. Another? My Depression-era Sears Ranger 20-gauge 520 pump courtesy Stevens, with a design assist from John M. Browning, which was my first serious dove gun. And then there’s a buddy of mine who is the proud owner of a Western Auto Supply “Revelation” .30-30 lever gun — a Marlin 336 by any other name! Naturally, a sort of “reverse snobbery” appeal was, and is, a big chunk of the cool factor of store-brand hardware. Truth is, the appeal wouldn’t carry far if the guns weren’t proven products from seriously excellent manufacturers.
My latest experience with store brands happened to be the pistol side of things, a .22 rimfire side to be exact. It was a slab-sided variant of the High-Standard Dura-Matic and was “store branded” as Sears’ J.C. Higgins Model 80. It was produced between 1955 and 1962 and sold for a bit less than other members of the Dura-Matic line in the Hi-Standard catalog.
Throughout its storied 92-year history, Hi-Standard produced .22 autopistols covering every rimfire niche from Olympic competition through military training to “picnic plinking” and small game hunting. As far as the J.C. Higgins Model 80 goes, you can reasonably expect to pay around $400 for one in good shape today. It remains an excellent plinker and hunting tool as we were soon to discover.
More Value …
Our particular specimen featured a 6.5″ barrel, fixed sights and a brown one-piece synthetic grip with a thumb-rest. With a reasonably forgivable amount of sales hyperbole, the preamble of the original Sears manual reads as follows:
“The J.C. Higgins Model 80 gives you more handgun value for your money than any other autoloading pistol you can buy. From its sleek comfort-contour grip to the muzzle of its gracefully tapered barrel, this is truly a quality handgun that will delight every sportsman, plinker and target shooter.”
Turns out those long-ago Sears Roebuck copywriters weren’t altogether off the mark. We used CCI Pistol Match ammo to dope out the possibilities of our pistola and were pleasantly surprised, thanks in no small part to the broad, easy to acquire sights and reasonably crisp 3-lb. trigger. Actually, considering the brand-heritage of the gun, we really weren’t that surprised. Nor should we have been. Basically, at 50 feet we got close to big “single hole” groups slightly above and left of our point of aim. Functioning was flawless, although we didn’t have any hollow point ammo on hand, which can sometimes be problematic in autos.
Accuracy Defined
Of course, all .22 pistols are “ammo finicky” in terms of accuracy as well as function so you should try as many brands as possible before settling on your One and Only. We just happened to get lucky early on with the CCI Pistol Match 40-grain solids.
Thankfully, John Wightman, the owner of our Model 80 had seen fit to acquire several magazines, all of which performed flawlessly. One of the gripes concerning Hi-Standards has been the fact that mags from one model may, or may not, fit another one. But our Sears-branded pistol accepted magazines from a Hi-Standard Supermatic Citation — a welcome bonus. We can’t speak for other Hi-Standard models, so caveat emptor should be the guiding principle for any potential magazine buyers for the J.C. Higgins Model 80.
Here’s an interesting sidelight: Sears’ J.C. Higgins sporting goods line was named after a long-time employee who retired in 1930. The name apparently caught the imagination of the corporate brain trust as it sounded “outdoorsy.” The J.C. Higgins line was eventually replaced by the Ted Williams line in 1960. At the risk of agitating New York Yankee fans, Williams — perennial star of the Boston Red Sox and arguably the greatest hitter of all time — was also an exceptionally skilled hunter and fisherman, thus an ideal candidate for Sears’ name-branding.
