High Standard HD Military
High Standard Manufacturing · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1943
Also known as: High Standard HDM, High Standard H-D Military, Hi-Standard HDM
Overview
The High Standard HD Military is a .22 LR blowback semi-automatic target pistol whose integrally suppressed HDM version was adopted by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in WWII as a purpose-built clandestine silent pistol. The suppressor, developed in cooperation with Bell Telephone Laboratories engineers, used a barrel ported into a copper-mesh and baffle stack to bleed off and slow muzzle gas, reducing the report to a muffled cough and bleeding supersonic ammunition down toward subsonic. It served Allied special operations agents and later passed to the CIA, which kept it in inventory for decades.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1300 g (45.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 351 mm (13.82") |
| Barrel Length | 171 mm (6.73") |
| Height | 127 mm (5.00") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 329 m/s (1079 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 140 J (103 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Long Rifle · primary — also known as .22 LR, 5.6mm Rimfire
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Integral Suppressor, Fixed Sights, Single Column Magazine, Exposed Hammer
Variants
- High Standard HDM — Suppressed
Service history
Operators
- Office of Strategic Services · adopted 1944 · as HDM
- Central Intelligence Agency · adopted 1947
Conflicts
- World War II (1943-1945)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
Production
Estimated total produced: 2,600 · Production years: 1943-1944
Approximately 2,600 suppressed HDM pistols built for the OSS (serials ~114,000-117,000); the unsuppressed HD line saw broader civilian production
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1958
Notes
Specifications reflect the integrally suppressed HDM configuration; figures include the suppressor section. Roughly 2,600 suppressed pistols were produced for the OSS between October 1943 and March 1944.
Background
OSS chief William 'Wild Bill' Donovan famously demonstrated the silenced High Standard for President Franklin Roosevelt by firing ten rounds into a sandbag in the Oval Office anteroom while Roosevelt dictated a letter, unaware the gun was being fired behind him.