A World War II relic...

[PALADIN85020]

I consider this an interesting pistol, and a sideline to issue guns during WWII. It's a Hi-Standard U.S.A. H-D .22 pistol. It's one of about 32,000 made and issued during the war. Most were used for economical pistol target practice, but a number were equipped with silencers and issued to the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA. General "Wild Bill" Donovan, the OSS chief, once demonstrated one of these for President Roosevelt at the White House by taking it into an adjacent room and firing it into a waste basket. The sound of its firing could not be detected.

This one was made in October, 1944, and is shown with an original instruction sheet. These are often confused with the more plentiful H-D Military pistol, which they resemble. The H-D Military has an adjustable rear sight and different markings. The U.S.A. H-D models had a fixed rear sight.

Thought I'd share a picture of it with you.

John

 

[Iggy]

Interesting, Thanks for posting.

 

[feralmerril]

Back in 1965 I had a friend/co-worker that hired on the same day I did with lockheed security. He had just retired as a CID agent for the army. He told me your gun is exactly what he carried.
I have a 6" in one. (I found the carved ivory grips). Mine is a "blood" gun. It was used in a filling station holdup/murder. My buddy that I worked with had been a deputy in colorado. He caught the guy almost immediately, but at first couldnt find the weapon. Later he went to the filling station and crawled up the roof to look, and it was laying on the roof! The judge gave him the gun after the trial. This would have been maybe in the 50s. I traded frank out of the gun.

 

[rburg]

I have a buddy who "had" one.. Yes, his stepfather was an OSS agent and brought it along with him after WWII. I guess he was high enough up he could do that. His had the funny little screw off tube and the barrel with holes drilled in it. He only had a couple of the screens that filled the tubes. I had a most of a set of leather punches I'd scavenged some place.

It was about 20 years ago and we set about making new screens. The OD was the same but the barrel had a step in it, meaning the ID of the screens had to change. We made 30 or 40 of each out of an old brass window screen we dug out of a garbage pile. Not pretty, but they worked.

You had to use Low Velocity ammo, and some was much better than others. To clean the screens when they became plugged you just soaked them in solvent. 22 ammo is dirty, especially the cheap stuff made for rifle length barrels.

There is a club or organization here in Kentucky that seeks those guns, and they have some printed literature they'll sell for a nominal price (the cost of printing.) At our big shows in Louisville they get discounted tables that are display only. About once a year there are a few of the guns put out (the legal ones, I assume.)

 

[DanceTiger]

Here's mine. The blued finish is in pretty good condition considering the age/history.

 

[BADSBSNF811]

I got a chance to fire one the "quiet" ones at Ft. Bliss in the 70's. Very nice, accurate and quiet.

 

[arrowhd]

Neat little guns with an interesting history.

 

[Catshooter]

Nice piece. My father traded a disgusted Marine out of one (bottle of good rum). He shot his first Japanese soldier with it. I have it now.


Cat

 

[bennettfam]

I have the H-D Military, 6". Is this not a gov't contract gun? Why the "Military" disignation?

 

[reddogge]

bennettfam,
The "H-D Military" designation refered to the style of grip as being military style grip. The designation of "U.S.A. H-D" with the ordnance acceptance stamp was the same pistol but actually used by the military, hence the different nomenclature.

Neat pistol Paladin. Here is my High Standard Model B U.S. Another government pistol.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I have the H-D Military, 6". Is this not a gov't contract gun? Why the "Military" disignation?

"H-D Military" pistols referred to the H-D model in the same style as the pistols previously used in the military. As noted,"H-D Military" pistols were marked as such and had an adjustable rear sight. They were not officially used by the armed services with a few exceptions, which should have identifying marks. The original U.S.A. H-Ds had fixed rear sights and had military acceptance marks.

This is confusing, because those pistols marked "H-D Military" were not military issue. The ones marked "U.S.A. H-D" were.

John

 

[kwill1911]

High Standard called the post war pistol the H-D Military for the same reason Colt named its civilian version of the M1911 the Government Model, i.e. to trade off the military connection. reddogge, yours is technically not the Model B-US although it is an authentic US military Model B. The Ordnance Dept asked HS to change to frame contours to more closely resemble the M1911A1 and that modification became the Model B-US. Some collectors refer to yours as the Model B-GOV although that nomenclature is not official. The new grip contour was also used for the US Model H-D which had longer grip straps and an external hammer so it was a better training pistol. The silenced version of the H-D was called the US Model H-D MS (MS stood for military silenced).

Regards,
Kevin Williams

 

[peyton]

Are the sights usable with the silencer attached?

 

[Trooperdan]

I believe it was a silenced version that was used in an attempt to kill a superior at a USO show I attended near Danang in 1969. The shot missed and killed a female Australian singer on stage.