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The High Standard Model 10A and 10B were a pair of bullpup police shotguns produced for about 10 years in the late 1960s and 1970s. They were built around a regular High Standard semiautomatic shotgun action, which was put into a plastic chassis to give it a bullpup configuration. They were chambered for 12 gauge, 2 3/4 inch shells, and required high-brass or other full-powered ammunition to run properly.
The idea of the bullpup layout really did have merit for the purposes High Standard intended, although the guns were not executed as well as they could have been. In theory, the short overall length made the guns very handy for using in and around patrol cars, and the ability to effectively hold and fire the gun with only one hand would allow an officer to use his other hand for things like opening doors, moving obstacles, handling objects, etc. The integrated flashlight (molded into the chassis on the 10A and detachable on the 10B) differs from today’s tactical weapons only in that traditional Mag-Lite type lights (specifically, the Kel-Lite) were used instead of today’s smaller and more powerful options.
The carry handle, folding front sight, flashlight mount, rotating buttplate, and very non-traditional appearance made for quite the eye-catching gun when these weapons hit the market. Many police departments purchased them with the idea of modernizing, only to find them less practical in reality than in marketing, and they went out of production by the late 1970s.
At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!
