High Standard- Model HD Military- Info request!

[GypsmJim]

Mine is a 4" and it dates to 1946. I bought it from a guy, who didn't tell me beforehand, but found it to be a scattergun. When I got it home I found the rear sight screw was loose and had her sighted in straigtaway.

It came with all original parts, plus a tooled holster and a set of Sambar Stag Grips. It shot so well that I used it for bullseye matches up until I could afford a model 41.

Best 40 bucks I ever spent....LOL.

Oh yeah, that was in 1972. I would place current value at about $600. Average auction prices were 600 in 2018.

 

[Nedroe]

HD Military......

They are superb shooters. Had one as a kid growing up. No matter what the distance, that pistol hit the target. Bagged many squirrel's with it.
With the proper modifications, they are next level awesome!


Ned

 

[Housepuss]

I got my HD Military about 2 years ago. The seller had a S&W revolver
I really wanted and he wouldn't sell it unless I also bought the HD Military.
So we settled on a price and now I've got a real nice 1946 HD Military that
I have no use for. I'm in the process of trying to sell it locally, but no luck so far.

 

[jc2721]

When I got my HD Military it had the same Roper-looking grips and I thought I hit the jackpot! Turns out that those grips were a factory option on the guns. IF you could find a set online for sale, it would set you back quite a bit--the last pair I saw (maybe 7-8 years ago) sold for $200+.

 

[Ray]

I have two High Standards, one is an HD.
Any magazine I find won’t work. Lips are soft.
I gave up even trying to fire them.
Emails and posts to Mr. Stimson have been no help.
Seems the company moved to Texas.

Hi Road Rat you may want to contact Mr Alan Aronstein at High Standard Houston TX
interarmstx.com

This company sells mags for the HD with properly hardened lips.
Regards, Ray

 

[luvsmiths]

When I got my HD Military it had the same Roper-looking grips and I thought I hit the jackpot! Turns out that those grips were a factory option on the guns. IF you could find a set online for sale, it would set you back quite a bit--the last pair I saw (maybe 7-8 years ago) sold for $200+.

Hi JC-

so then these grips, pictured on the gun, are factory originals- special ordered....??

 

[glenwolde]

Hi Road Rat you may want to contact Mr Alan Aronstein at High Standard Houston TX
interarmstx.com

This company sells mags for the HD with properly hardened lips.
Regards, Ray

High Standard Houston is no more. But Alan is at Interarms.

HIGH STANDARD-MAGAZINES & PARTS – InterArms Inc.

Edit: I should add he's involved with another operation called OFM Corporation which employs the gunsmiths that were at the Houston High Standard. If you need a High Standard worked on, that's where it should go. He worked on my HD Military (while he was still at High Standard), and another High Standard I have, a Houston made 10-X. I live in the Houston area so I got to go see him in person.

The magazines he sells through Interarms are the only new magazines you should consider buying. They are not cheap, but they work properly. The later guns need to have the magazines properly adjusted. If anybody needs more info on that I have a PDF with the instructions for adjusting the lips.

He taught me more about my HD Military in 10 minutes than I was able to learn on my own. The HD was not all that prone to cracking like the later big button frames. But these guns are old, the steel used was not as hard as newer guns. They were intended to be used with standard velocity ammo. A steady diet of cheap High Velocity ammo over the decades, combined with old recoil springs, beats them to death. Some shooters tried using heavier recoil springs but found that all that did was increase the forward slide velocity and the pounding would peen the breech face.

If you're shooting one of these, change your recoil spring every 10,000 rounds and stick to standard velocity ammo only. Ultimately I decided these HD's are just too old to be regular shooters (I'm talking thousands of rounds a year) so I sold mine. I do shoot the 10-X quite a bit and rotate it with a 22a.

 

[oddshooter]

I have several HS and would not consider selling any of them. I consider them prized possessions. Standard Velocity SV only !

The grip on the op's example indeed does look like the ones on my Model E's. They are by far my favorites. I've never seen those grips for resell separately.
The condition on the OP's pistola looks really good. Many of these have seen 10's of thousands of rounds and show it. I still rate HS a Best Buy in 22's.

Prescut

 

[SweetMK]

The only High Standard I have is this truck gun,, it mostly lays on the floorboard, and gets banged around,,,,

 

[PALADIN85020]

It's worth noting that there are TWO H-D High Standard models. These are the two from my collection.

The first is the Hi-Standard U.S.A. Model H-D. This was an issued gun for the U.S. military during WW II. This one left the factory in October, 1944. Note the non-adjustable rear sight; windage was changed by pressing or knocking the sight laterally.

Also note the "PROPERTY OF U.S." marking.



Postwar, the almost identical Hi-Standard H-D Military was put on the market for civilian purchase. The rear sight was adjustable for elevation and drift-adjustable for windage. There were no U.S. property markings. The front sight was slightly taller. The magazines were fully interchangeable between the two. This one was made in March, 1948.

John

 

[Moo Moo]

1957Shep did a YouTube video about this Model only two days ago.

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwi3kfN6tI0[/ame]

 

[Ray]

It appears he doesn´t know how to fully regulate the rear sight elevation.To do so one must loosen two screws , one at the rear of the slide over the firing pin and another under the back of the slide.
Regards, Ray

 

[Drm50]

Rear sights on HD-Mil that have been forced by Bubba because his modicum of mechanical skills can be anchored by dropping a #6 shotgun shot ahead of the screw over the firing pin.

 

[oddshooter]

Interesting asides:

I think the H in the HD means external Hammer version.


I do believe the British CIA in the wwII was OSI and they used silenced HD for their wet work.
Choosing 22lr for assassinations is a nod to the expression location, location, location.

Prescut

 

[luvsmiths]

Everybody that has added information to my OP-
Thanks a lot!!

 

[walter o]

I believe that Francis Gary Powers had a HDM in his U-2 when it was brought down .Russia has the gun on display

 

[John Stimson]

Nice gun.
Not an expert but I do know that HS auto pistols are susceptible to a frame crack and that periodic changing of the recoil spring is a must.

Not all models tend to develop frame cracks. This design series has little history of frame cracks. The 102 seres was the series most likely to develop an cracked frame. For those series that have a history of frame cracks the percentage is pretty small generally well less than 1%. but if it is your gun with that cracked frame i is a big problem so heel the driving spring fresh and the ammunition about 1080 fps with a 40 grain bullet.

 

[John Stimson]

It's worth noting that there are TWO H-D High Standard models. These are the two from my collection.

The first is the Hi-Standard U.S.A. Model H-D. This was an issued gun for the U.S. military during WW II. This one left the factory in October, 1944. Note the non-adjustable rear sight; windage was changed by pressing or knocking the sight laterally.

Also note the "PROPERTY OF U.S." marking.



Postwar, the almost identical Hi-Standard H-D Military was put on the market for civilian purchase. The rear sight was adjustable for elevation and drift-adjustable for windage. There were no U.S. property markings. The front sight was slightly taller. The magazines were fully interchangeable between the two. This one was made in March, 1948.

John

There are a number of "H-D" models
the pre war MODEL H-D
the U.S.A. MODEL H-D tilitary training pistol some with silencers with some blued and some Parco.
the post war MODEL H-D very rare
the MODEL H-D MILITARY with several variations four differetn sears and two different hammers.

John Stimson

 

[John Stimson]

Interesting asides:

I think the H in the HD means external Hammer version.


I do believe the British CIA in the wwII was OSI and they used silenced HD for their wet work.
Choosing 22lr for assassinations is a nod to the expression location, location, location.

Prescut

The SOE used more than a few suppressed MODEL B and later the U.S.A. MODEL H-D MS ( military silenced).

 

[John Stimson]

I believe that Francis Gary Powers had a HDM in his U-2 when it was brought down .Russia has the gun on display

It was a U.S.A. MODEL H-D MS