The basic design of the Model 10 shotgun was developed in the late 1950s by Alfred Crouch, a Santa Monica, California police sergeant.

In the mid 1960s, Crouch sold his design to the High Standard Manufacturing Company, who used their C1200 Supermatic shotgun as the basis for the first model, the 10A.

The C1200 Supermatic was modified by replacing the stock, relocating the trigger assembly, and fitting a three-piece plastic shell around the receiver and first half of the barrel.

Other problems that plagued the shotgun were the rough and unpredictable trigger feel, the strange rotatable shoulder stock, and the tendency of the recoil to cause the flashlight's batteries to become damaged.

Another problem was that the Model 10 could only be fired from the right arm, as the gun ejected spent cartridges from the right side of the unit with a high force.