HY-SCORE ARMS CORPORATION

The American Hy-Score CP (Concentric Piston) air pistols are well-made airguns by a unique American company. As spring piston airguns, especially with their unusual concentric piston design, they stand in bold contrast to the pump and CO₂ guns that were the standard in the USA. Steven E. Laszlo founded the S.E. Laszlo House of Imports of Brooklyn, NY in 1933. The company imported many items, including airguns, ammunition, black powder firearms, binoculars, telescopes, magnetic compasses, and movie camera lenses. The S.E. Laszlo House of Imports served as the umbrella company for the Hy-Score Arms Corporation, whose main claim to fame was their development and manufacture of a unique series of concentric piston spring air pistols. The company originally was located at 25 Lafayette St. in Brooklyn, NY. In October 1965, the firm moved to 200 Tillary Street, Brooklyn, NY, where it remained until Steve Laszlo´s death in 1980.
In 1970, Hy-Score discontinued marketing of the Hy-Score CP air pistols, perhaps due to increased legal and political pressure for a safety mechanism. He had started to import other airguns as early as 1950. From 1970 until his death in 1980, he concentrated on selling airguns made by overseas factories.
The American Hy-Score CP air pistols were produced for only about twenty-five years, but they form one of the most interesting groups of airguns for collectors who appreciate their unique nature.
In 1989, the Hy-Score concentric-piston design returned full circle to England when the Hy-Score brand became British. Richard Marriot-Smith purchased the trademark, plans, and what remained of the long idle Hy-Score factory machinery and Hy-Score pistol parts. Operating under the name of the Phoenix Arms Co., in Kent, England, he began production of the "New Hy-Score" Single-Shot pistol using original Hy-Score machinery and many original American parts. The general appearance was that of the Model 803 Sportster with the muzzle threaded for a moderator. It was a rather expensive, unfamiliar style for the English market and regular exports to the USA were precluded by the lack of a safety mechanism. Production was extremely limited; almost as soon as Phoenix Arms had arisen from the ashes of Marriot-Smith´s other gun enterprises, it disappeared, having created instant collectibles.