High Standard Sentinel R-108

This week I picked up another snub, this time a High Standard Sentinel R-108 in .22LR with a 2.4" barrel. It was made sometime between 1967 and the mid-1970s. I'd been watching it for awhile on Gunbroker. It had failed to garner any bids through a couple auction cycles so I was able to win it for the minimum bid of $329. (Yeah, they used to be a lot cheaper. Like everything else, prices went through the roof during COVID and never came back down.)

This is my second Sentinel. I've written about my first one previously. A few years ago I bought a nickeled R-101 with a 3" barrel. It sold me on the basic design, which is a lightweight, aluminum-framed DA revolver that holds 9 rounds in the cylinder, which is just a hair larger in diameter than that of a S&W J-Frame.

Unlike the R-101 which has a one piece grip, the R-108 has a more conventional two piece grip. Also, it has a spring loaded ejector. The R-101's ejector was not spring loaded as a cost saving measure, but due to customer demand HS introduced that feature with the R-102.

The R-108 was definitely used but well cared for. It had a bit of crud on it but it cleaned up quickly. It even came with the original box and papers.

Overall, the HS feels a bit closer in size to a Colt D-Frame than a J-Frame. Here it is with a 1974 Colt Detective Special.

And next to my 1990s-vintage S&W Model 632 Airweight:

The SA trigger is good while the DA is heavy, but smooth. The trigger itself is grooved which is not ideal for DA shooting. I took the edge off the top of the serrations on my R-101 and plan to do the same to the R-108.

The sights on these are much better than most snubs. The front blade is wide and easy to pick up while the rear is drift adjustable, not just a groove in the topstrap.

My primary snubs for carry will remain my old S&W Model 632 Airweight and a Colt Detective Special, but the R-108 will make a fun plinker and a light recoiling gun for if/when I need that, as I have in the past due to thumb surgery. In that case it will be stoked with either CCI Stingers or Federal Punch.