Rare USAF Experimental High Standard Trench Shotgun

Coming up at Rock Island Auctions.

" This is a exceptional example of an experimental "K-1200" High Standard trench shotgun developed for the USAF in the early 1970s. High Standard developed these based on the continuing use and need for a trench shotguns in Vietnam. It is estimated 25-50 were actually manufactured and test samples were sent to the USAF, Navy and Army. With the Vietnam War slowing to come to a close starting in late 1972, the military did not proceed any further with the development of this model. Later, the Army went to a combined riot/trench shotgun configuration with a performance specification and eventually awarded future contracts to the Mossberg Company starting in the early 1980s. The left side of the barrel under the heat shield/handguard is marked "RIOT 1200-------MODEL K-1200 HIGH STANDARD COMPANY/HAMDEN CONN. U.S.A." with the top and breech end of the barrel stamped are with the date code of "CL". The left rear end of the receiver is stamped "23A", and the left rear side of the buttstock is stamped "10 B". It has an all blue/black metal finish with an oil finished walnut pump handle and buttstock. It is fitted with the original four-hole heat shield/handguard with the correct bayonet lug on the front end designed for the M5A1 bayonet. It is fitted with the original factory sling swivels and currently has a commercial leather sling"

There is mention of something like this in Swearingens book, but without paperwork how does one verify it is real?

My thoughts exactly. Buy the gun, not the story

I'm not sure what to make of this one. I put photos of mine on the forum several years ago in a long-vanished thread. I'll add them again here for reference as it differs in most respects from the RIA offering.

My K-1200 was purchased at a show in Arizona in 2007. It reeked of "FAKE" when I saw the U.S. markings, having never seen a U.S. issued High Standard shotgun. But the seller produced the papers shown below documenting the release of the gun from the High Standard factory collection in March, 1980. I corresponded a bit with John Stimson who runs a great Forum for H.S. information. He noted the gun was one of six guns shipped to Rock Island Arsenal in two shipments of three each in February, 1968 and May, 1968. He also found a return invoice on three of the guns from October, 1968 returning them to High Standard.

John also mentioned a group of five model 8104 guns in a different serial range going to the Navy at NAD Crane, Indiana in 1967. So, of the eleven guns referenced here, none seem to have gone directly to the Air Force, which Swearingen indicated was the Service Branch that tested the High Standards in trials leading up to the adoption of the Remington 870. I still lean toward my gun being one of the Air Force test versions but have no direct proof of that. According to John Stimson, test guns were sent to all Services and he has found references to shotguns in High Standard financial reports of as many as 40,000 guns in numerous serial ranges. These were Government sales and date from before WWII through 1950. Some of the info he found indicated these were defense plant guard guns and not actual military issued ones. Even then I doubt the numbers based on any surviving samples turning up. John said much of the info was circumstantial and might be a mixing of pistol and shotgun production. Still thought it was worth mentioning.

Getting back to the point, my shotgun definitely has that "product of the lowest bidder" look to it....plain parkerized finish, dyed birch stocks, and a U.S. stamp that is slightly crooked and looking like a "Bubba" rework. But I'm quite sure it's legit. Note the barrel is notched for a bayonet mount that was never attached. Of the four guns listed in the factory sale, one was noted as having the bayonet mount, listing #HS 159, SN 011733. My gun, sale listing #HS 158, SN 011729 and two others did not.

And really no clue yet which style of bayonet adapter High Standard provided for these test gun. I suppose the case could be made that they did use the type on the RIA auction gun as those were commercially available at that time. However, the auction house claim that it is definitely the correct handguard and bayonet mount sounds suspicious without some form of photographic or documentary proof.

I'm certainly suspicious too regarding the serial number of the auction gun. 23A seems a bit odd for a company that didn't seem to have reservations of taking guns from normal production serial runs and using them for military testing. As usual, odd guns like these generally bring up more questions than answers. But I thought mine was well documented enough to make space in the collection.

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And a few more images....

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What you have is very cool. What the auction house has is unknown.

Since it sold for $8,050. including the 15% buyers premium, someone thinks it is genuine.

AS a practical matter, this is a March 1968 production which was very near the end of the K-1200 series. The K-120 series replaced the K-1200 in late 1968. It seems that any experimental program started in the early 1970's would have used the then current production K-120's as the basis.

High Standard shotguns after January 1969 had serial numbers and I have found a number of guns submitted to various governmental agencies and the Army as samples. Most of those are listed in my research files with dates and destination. Most were returned and some sold as a part of the High Standard reference collection in 1980.

The story may be true but the dates don't make sense to me so I am skeptical.

Note the auction house only assumes responsibility for the bold print of the auction description and then only of you can get a known authority to support your position. I have gone through this with them in an auction many years ago.

"Rare USAF Experimental High Standard Trench Shotgun" is the bold text. They may be wrong but where would you find an expert to contest the description?

The 23A might be a serial number since it is on the receiver but it is not in the same serial number series as the ones that went to the Crane NAD in June 1967. Nor is it in the serial number range as the ones sent to Rock Island Arsenal in early to late 1968. To date I have not found a serial number series where 23A would fit. There were some bullpup shotguns with low numbers but I don't recall any other type shotguns in those series.


P.S. I have the microfilm copies of the factory documentation posted above from the reference collection sale\ and the name and address is not blurred.

New collectors are so desperate to buy something, anything, that they will pay stupid money for an item without really knowing if it is real or correct. Whoever bought this shotgun will hang their hat on the fact it was sold by RIA, it is RARE (sez so right here), and I am sure they will debate its authenticity to anyone who would dare to question it. I am so happy to NOT be trying to find pieces for a collection in todays market...

Some day the story will be:

"My father was in the Army and owned that shotgun for 30 years so it must be correct".