High Standard H-D Military .22LR Trainer

.22LR

Description

Rare, all matching & club legal! Recently imported from the US in our last shipment is this outstanding example of an often overlooked & iconic pistol made for use by the US military in WW2 which would be club legal in Australia! In 1942, the US War Department ordered 34,000 Model H-Ds from High Standard (which were well known for making .22LR competition target pistols for the civilian market) for the Army to use for basic pistol training. The large frame H-D had much the same feel, operation & sights of the Colt 1911 & it was thought that these simple guns could be used to introduce new shooters to the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship before moving on to the stout .45 ACP Colt. Ease of use aside, the price tag was also a huge selling point as the .22 LR was cheaper by far to shoot & allowed valuable war ammunition to be sent to the front rather than stockpiled at training depots. In 1943 the firm developed the Mod. U.S.A.-H-D which became Mod. H-DM (or H-D Military Model) which was only made from 1945-1950. According to available records, this example was manufactured late 1946 so is able to be purchased with a standard collectors license. Due to the barrel length, this can be purchased as a club gun also. The H-D Military is a fairly large pistol for a .22 that uses a ten round magazine & sports either a 4.5” or a 6.75” barrel. This example has the 6.75” (172mm) barrel. Chambered in .22 LR, it has rudimentary adjustable sights that are small but functional & came with checkered walnut grips. The “H” in the model name indicates that the pistol has an exposed hammer & the “Military” name comes from the fact that it is very similar to its predecessor model, the H-D, that, along with the Model B, was sold in quantities to the War Department as a training pistol for the uniformed services. Prophetically given its name, the H-D Military, although purchased by the US in much smaller quantities than the H-D, turned out to be the High Standard pistol that proved to be the one most often publicly associated with government service. The notoriety of the H-D Military began on May 1, 1960 when U-2 spy plane pilot Gary Powers was shot down over the former Soviet Union. Powers was equipped with an H-D Military, serial number 120046, that had been fitted with a suppressor designed by Bell Labs. Powers was publicly tried by the Soviets for espionage & pictures & descriptions of the pistol & suppressor were splashed across newspapers & magazines around the world. These H-D Military pistols (not to be confused with the civilian versions which are popular but not rare or expensive) are now highly collectable & in this mint original condition, would make an excellent addition to any collection. This pistol still retains the beautiful deep, rich blueing & is now advertised for the first time in Australia & we are asking no extra for a S/N which is a palindrome (161161)! How cool would it be to attend your local comps with this veteran?! We imported three (3) out of the US from a private collection with the other two being sold quickly. This is the last to be made available for sale so if you think this is for you, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Make your decision based on what you see in the photos as they form the main description & override all written information. We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do. Whilst we checked this out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an ‘as is’ basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting. We have a pretty unique refund policy on our collectable guns whereby we will refund your money if it is not as described when you receive it. Just let us know before you decide to send it back. Shipping to your dealer is $55 for metro locations, call for a cost if you're regional.

Specifications