Who is familiar with Hi Standard H-D Military .22 LR pistols? Any fans or owners, or even detractors?

I have an opportunity to pick up a nice one but I don't know much about them. I've always like the looks and feel of them, and the Colt Woodsman too, but don't know much about the Hi Standard even though I have nearly a dozen semi auto .22 pistols.

I'd appreciate any feedback.

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I had one, a HD-Military. Nicely made and worked fine.
It didn't draw any crowds at selling time though.

The War-time mfg HD (Model USA-HD ?) is the model that brings some pretty good prices. But condition speaks first as always.

The thumb safety on the left side of the HD Military is the easy way to tell the difference.
They only made it for about 4 or 5 years. The very first ones had plastic grips. Most have walnut.
I think the HD-Military could be had in a long bbl version (6inch?) as well as the 4 1/2.


As a beautifully made pistol that works as expected when all is correct with the gun and ammo, you can't ask for much more.
If you're looking at it from an investment angle, do some looking at the recent selling prices before deciding on a value. Note the difference between what the War-time mfg 'HD' and the post war 'HD Military' go for.

Here you go. I have a nice one myself.
John Stimson's High Standard Information

and had one as a kid growin' up. Bagged many a sqirrel & varmint with it. You will not be disappointed. HS MAKES THE BEST TARGET PISTOLS, BAR NONE, & THE HD MILITARY IS ON TOP OF MY LIST.


Ned

I own one just like the op's pictured pistol.

Works fine..a little ammo picky but not any worse than most .22 auto-pistols.

I inherited mine from my Father in law...a nice 4" example he had inherited from his father. Came with two 'two tone' magazines. Excellent accuracy and excellent reliability with ammo it likes.

Has a rather light trigger-pull..and a funky 'not much uva detent' feeling to the safety. I've fired a longer barreled version in the past..and it had the same funky safety feel.

Really...the HD Military I own campares favorably to a much newer Browning Buckmark I own too. They are both nice shooting and working pistols...generally dislike the same ammo(usually cheap bulk-pack)...and have weird-feeling safetys...the Buckmark's safety being stiff enough to need the off-hand to safe the gun.

I have heard or read somewhere that these really shouldn't be shot with 'hot' .22 ammo...but I don't know if that's wive's-tales or not.

I have a HS model 106. Shoots great! Have had it for 30 years (bought it from my dad). I recently bought 2 new mags, and a set of ambi grips for it from HS. Little pricey but worth it. I had to tune the mags a little but they now work great. Boy, Nedroe that is a good looking pistol!

Mine has a interesting story. I got mine from a friend of mine that was also my captain. He was on the sheriff`s dept around fort collins colorado probley in the late 50`s early 60`s. He had got a call where a filling station owner or worker was shot and killed. They caught the shooter right away but for awhile couldnt find the gun. Frank got a ladder and went on the roof of the station. The gun was there. He said after the trial the judge gave him the gun. I traded a old 1899 savage in .303 for it. Later he regreted the trade and always hounded me about it. Finaly I spotted a brand new old one just like it in the box at jack first`s gunshop. I told him go buy me that one and I will trade you back. He was too cheap to do it so I still have it. I found a old set of beautiful carved ivory grips for it. One side is a crouching mountain lion and the other a flying goose.
My house was burglared and this gun stolen along with some more. A guy was arrested with mine in another holdup. I got it back, the only one I got back! So it has a bloody history!

I have a High Standard Victor (a variant of the military models I believe). My only caution was the magazine that came with it was a jam-o- matic. Not matter what ammo I used.

Picked up a 3rd party magazine and PRESTO, my favorite .22 target pistol. Very accurate and a great trigger and it eats anything that I feed it without a problem.

Bill

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"What does this button do..."

I had a friend that hired in the same day I did. He was a retired CID agent. I asked him what he carried on that job and was surprised that he said a 4" hi standard!

I had a high condition HD Military, but ended up selling it. Mine shot far enough to the left that it couldn't be regulated by adjusting the rear sight. The sight is an odd arrangement that requires you to loosen a screw on the bottom of the slide and another above the firing pin before making adjustments. I strongly suggest doing some research before attempting it.

The magazines are finicky, expensive and a challenge to find. The feed lips need to be "tuned" to make the gun function properly and there's a tool that HS offered just for that purpose. Even loading the mags requires a special technique. Only shoot standard velocity cartridges in the gun.

Personally, I think the HS pistols made during the 1960's are much better and more user friendly. If you're looking for an example to add to your collection, the HD Military is a beautifully finished gun and the exposed hammer is pretty cool. If you plan on shooting it, don't be surprised if you leave the range frustrated.

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"I also cook."

Sorry about your luck, Chad.

My dad bought the one I used as a kid before I was born in '58 & it was well used & abused by both myself & my brother, & it never exhibited any of that. Neither does the one I have had for the last ten years

A quick trip around ebay yielded several new condition mags to be had, although, none very cheaply.

Ned

Good info gentlemen.

It seems that Bill Ruger may have indeed revolutionized .22 semi-auto pistols when he came out with the Ruger Standard.

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but if I can modify a CT Lasergrip to fit the HD Military, I'll never pick up the Ruger again.

Ned

I had a Hi Standard Victor Military. I sold it when I quit shooting competition and i wish I never parted with it. I only used standard velocity target ammo and i never had any problems with feeding. I had some failure to fire that I blamed on the ammo from time to time.

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Luke 22:36

I have a late '70's HS Trophy w/fluted barrel and always liked it better than my S&W 41 7" bbl. I sold the 41 back in 1982 and never regretted it. Still have the HS. All in what you like I guess.

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James

I had a friends 107 military for a while and loved it, he bought it as a lad, so it would be 50 plus years old, it was a shooter and a looker, I could shoot it accurately faster than any handgun I had ever used. MACVSOG used them on some of their excursions with a silencer, they also used the Rugers and the longer Barrel Berreta 70s in the same manner to take out sentries discreetly. It is a nicely made target pistol worthy of the name High Standard, older is better quality wise?

Didn't Francis Gary Powers have one on his ill-fated U-2 flight? I think it was displayed in Moscow with his other gear.

I believe that it was pretty standard among OSS and CIA agents needing a suppressed .22 pistol.

At one time, Hi-Standard was the second most common classic brand of .22 auto. Maj. Bill MacMillan (?) used one to win an Olympic Gold Medal, but it was a later target vesion, and the brand was a big item in such shooting.

I think my father still has a Hi-Standard Field King, one of the plinker versions that competed with the Ruger Standard and the Colt Huntsman.

This one is the closest gun I have that could be called a "family" gun.
It was bought at Jensen Byrd Co. in Spokane, WA by my brother-in-law shortly after he returned from the South Pacific at the end of WW2. (Sgt. Infantry, Bronze Star, Purple Heart.)
I bought it from my sister after he passed and I didn't really mind giving her a good price for it. It's one gun I will never sell. Jack was a real neat guy......

Complete with box, manual and sight adjustment instructions.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I belive gary powers was issued the silenced pistol to forge for food in case he had to bail out. I wish I had asked him as I knew him slightly when he was a test pilot on the TR-2`s for us when he was released.
Once he came out to my gate and had to wait for his wife to pick him up. He spotted my old 63 harley dresser and wanted to sit on it. I said I would give him the harley for a ride in the U-2. I was a student pilot, and kidding. He said something about it was like sitting with your head in a gold fish bowl for 16 hours! The poor guy got killed later flying a chopper.

I have my father's HD four inch. He told me to never use high speed ammo as the gun was built before that ammo was invented. It was intended for standard speed ammo only.

He traded a Marine a bottle of rum for it. The Marine hated it. The pistol saved my dad's life during the war when he shot his first Japanese soldier with it.

When I got it it hadn't been being well taken care of and the barrel had very small particles of rust throughout. Would only shoot about three inches at 65'. So I put a few fire-lapping rounds through it and the groups went down to 3/4 of an inch at the same distance.

Nice piece.


Cat

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Think for yourself.

I have a Hi Standard military frame Sharpshooter and the High Standard aficionados will tell you, standard velocity 22 ammo only. Truth be told I've shot both with no ill effects.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

I had a friend who once had a suppressed HD that was ostensibly an ex-MACV VN bringback. Fun piece to shoot. I think of that one every time I see an HD.

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Rick, W0FG
CTR2 68-72

Feral: you just GOTTA write your autobiography. It'd sell millions of copies.

I have owned one for years. I like the grip angle, the external hammer and the overall balance.
Almost forgot- mine is very accurate. It shoots better than I do.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Thanks. But as a lockheed guard for 35 years we dealt with most every famous aviator one time or another. I thought gary was more of a quiet low keyed test pilot than most others. He drove a nice almost antique for the day, mercedes benz. I thought gary got a raw deal. First it really was his dad that kept pressure up on the goverment to do something to get him out. They traded rudolph abel for powers. Then he was critisiezed for not blowing the plane up. He said he couldnt reach the button as he was trying to get out and I can well belive that. Then many people also thought he should have taken the poison pill! I think those type people read too many comic books! His wife divorced him when he was locked up in russia. Finaly he was flying a copter for a tv station and ran out of gas and got killed with a passenger. Later they found the fuel gauge was defective and read higher than it should have. I liked him and so did my buddys.

I still have two of them, both sizes of barrels. The longer one is the better shooter.

I have one like the top picture that reddogge posted (6.75" barrel). Mine was bought by my Dad in the early 50's and he bought it to carry coon hunting and trapping. There is no telling how many coons he shot out of a tree with this pistol. Does any one know if there is an aftermarket rear sight that will fit the dovetail on this gun? The adjustment mechanism on mine is worn to the point it won't hold. Thanks Emmo.

T-Star: I think the name is McMillan.
The story is quite dramatic. It took place at the Italian Olympics, I don't remember the date. He was a Captain in the USMC. He used a Hi Standard Olympic, made for the 22 short the slide is aluminum instead of steel. The rapid fire match is three strings of timed fire on five turning silhouette targets (they use bullseye ones now). The times per string are 8 seconds, 6 seconds and 4 seconds. I've shot it a couple of times; 8 seconds isn't bad, 6 seconds is quick and the 4 second string is unbelievably fierce: five shots on five different targets.

At the end of the match, two strings at each of the three times, McMillan was tied for the gold medal with a Russian shooter. Ties are shot off at 4 seconds. The stress must have been unbelievable, but the Russian blinked first and McMillan won the gold medal. He must have had ice water in his veins

I havent shot mine in many years. When I did I used regular high speed ammo and it hasnt hurt it. Not long ago I spotted some subsonic 22 Lr and got just one box of it to try again. I almost forgot about it untill I seen this old thread. Now I have to wait for a good day to try it. I remember when I was boy in the late 1940s my dad had a hi standard auto but I dont know what model. I remember him coming home with a very bloody hand. I dont know how he managed that but it bit him. I remember him trading that gun for I think, a 1936 plymouth.

Emmo,
Are you sure it is wear that is causing the rear sight to be loose?
The adjustments on the rear sights on an HD Military is a little tricky considering the binding screw has a separate locking screw.
(It's easy to miss the locking screw on the underside of the slide.)

Here are the actual instruction that came with my HD Mil.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I have a long barreled hd military from 1945, it shoots dead on , and has seen thousands of rounds, in fact the gun had lost so much of its blue that I had it Dura -coated several years back

the gun is every bit as accurate as my 6" 1948 k22 masterpiece

I like the feel and it is a natural fit to my hand and eye

I have always shot standard velocity ammo in it because like mentioned in earlier post I have always heard that shooting the high velocity stuff could result in stress cracks in the slide.

the takedown is simple but does have to be in correct order to prevent damage

the high standards are fussy about magazines, and a lot of the aftermarket mags are worthless

I have owned buck marks and many Rugers, and they have always been traded off but the high standard has a home for life, just like my old k22 masterpiece

I recently purchased a sig mosquito because I loved the feel but it is not one I will keep , it just will not shoot with the older guns

I like the masterpiece best just because I can shoot anything in it from low powered shorts to mini mags , but the old high standard is my 22 auto gun of choice

I collected High Standard pistols for some years back in the 40s to 70s, and the HD Military, for commercial sales, didn't appear until after WW2, with the first guns being shipped in early 1946. There were some HD-Militarys on the drawing boards in late 1944 and a few test pistols made in 1945 . I still have one of these 1945 guns (ser. # 145XXX) in the back of my safe somewhere. WW2 era HDs were marked HD-USA and a silenced version was the USA-HD-MS. They were void of any markings and had a Parkerized finish. One of these was the gun carried by Gary Powers. The guns marked HD-Military were phased in to the same serial numbers sequence as the HD-USA guns. Ed.

well I misspoke, I thought my gun was from 1945 but it is a 46er, here is a serial number link, my pistol is serial in the 160XXX range

pserialno

Well, I did end up buying a nice one and I'm well pleased with it. Handles very nice and is plenty accurate with Remington Thunderbolt .22LR ammo.

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I have one made in 1947, a 4 inch version. It shoots accurately but I got occasional misfires with certain brands of ammo. (This was way before the current .22 shortage and reports of poor quality control with some brands). I might change out the hammer spring some day.

Glad you found and acquired one. I inherited my Uncle's Sport King made in 1950. My Dad owned 2 HD's and I had a Model B and 70's made 4: Flight King (?).

They are very well made and accurate. I would not trade mine for any sporting 22 currently made and I've shot or owned most of them.

Everyone who has shot mine loves it. My son covets it, actually lusts for it.

It does not command the same price as the Colt, but I feel it is as good as the Colt.

Start doing the internet research there is some good info on it.

I inherited my Dad's HD Military, which he bought new from a sporting goods store called Paxton & Gallagher Co, in Omaha in 1946. He taught me pistol shooting on the same gun. A treasured heirloom, but one that doesn't just sit put away. It's still a joy to shoot.

Here's a link to a fourm which is run by a gent by the name of John J. Stimson, Jr., who has copies of all the old Hi-Standard production records.

He was able to track the serial number of Dad's gun back to the original sale & ship date (10/2/1946), and has build records for the features of the guns based on its serial number:

Hi Standard Information

Thanks for that information as I am buying a HS Sport King 100

Hey guys, Im in need of a set of original grips for my USA Military Hi Standard. Ive search HI and low with no luck. Anyone out there that can help?

Thanks

I'm a daily follower of John Stimson's Hi Standard website, mentioned by ferilmerril. I own a model "D" inherited from my father. If you ask John politely, following his forum guidance meticulously, he may have grip info for you. Others have asked that same question and his response is, "they're scarcer than hen's teeth". Once in a blue moon ebay, gunbroker has a set for sale.
My grips are checkered walnut w/ thumb rest on left side (for a right-handed shooter).
Dave

Thanks I'll heed your advise.

Regards

ZOMBIE!!

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