H-D military

tone59

April 25, 2011 10:32

trying to date a high standard H-D military 22lr pistol.it has a 4 1-2 inch barrel and plastic franzite target grips.high standard est.the born on date to be 1943 but my book says production of this model did not begin until 1945.the ser# is 302xxx.can anyone help?

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  rufe-snow

  April 25, 2011 11:28

  1948 is the most likely date. Go to John Stimpson's High Standard site for more information. The H-D Military model with the adjustable target sights were made after W W II. If it was made in 1943 it would have a fixed rear sight and be marked H-D USA. Made as a training pistol for U.S. military.
  
  
  EDIT #1, Here is a photo of a High Standard HD Military pistol. Compare it to the photo Mark posted of his HD USA.
  
  

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  mark christian

  April 25, 2011 13:03

  If it has the fixed sights like mine it is a war time model:
  [img][/img]
  
  If it has the adjustable rear sight then it will be a post war pistol, as The Snowman previously indicated.

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  JohnStimson

  April 25, 2011 14:10

  302,xxx could have shipped between 1/3/1949 and 11/30/1951. These guns did not ship in serial number order.
  
  
  EDIT #1
  
  This serial number is way too late for a war time training pistol. The only "H-D made in 1949 through 1951 was the MODEL H-D MILITARY which is what the original poster called it.
  
  Below is a copy of an original factory records page from this time frame.
  
  
  
  
  Note that one exception to the normal models is a post War model marked "MODEL H-D" like to pre war models but this post war pistol was made with fixed sights and came in both 4.50 and 6.75" barrel lengths and was nicely polished and blued. Almost certainly a transition gun made tyo get back into commercial business after the war using the whatever parts they could use including parts left over from the government contracts. These are very scarce with fewer than a dozen currently known.

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  slumlord44

  April 25, 2011 17:08

  It is my understanding that the HD Military was never used as a military trainer. There is an earlier model, the US model if I remember correctly, that was used by the milirary as a trainer and is US marked. I have one but am not sure of the exact model without pulling my records.

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  mark christian

  April 25, 2011 17:28

  [img][/img]

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  slumlord44

  April 26, 2011 20:05

  My US marked High Standard is a USA HD MODEL. I have never seen a H-D Military that was US marked. You sure this is not a USA HD Model? Does yours have adjustable or fixed sights?

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  tone59

  April 27, 2011 20:08

  mine has an adj rear sight.

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