Higher Standard

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roy reali

New member
I was at a gun store today. I was looking at their used handguns. I saw several Hi Standard .22 Pistols. They always catch my attention, I have one. It is one of my favorite plinking guns. Then I saw one that was a little different.

The sales tag on it said .380ACP for caliber. The salesperson came over and verified it was indeed chambered in .380ACP. He took out of the case and let me handle it.

It looked and felt like my rimfire version. It even had the same lever used to break it down for cleaning.

Anyone familiar with this gun? Anyone have experience with it? Is $300.00 a fair price for the gun? It looked to be in great condition.
 
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radom

New member
They are not that common and if I recall they called it the P-38 Lightning or somthing like that.
 
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Wildalaska

Moderator
Bill is, as usual, correct. It's rare and fragile, but cool. Does not have the collector value it should have especially in light of the numbers made but it does have again, that inherent coolness of early postwar US autos.


Don't shoot it a lot. $300 is a real good price if its nice and hell, it fits into your collection, snag it. Classy gun, like Savage 32 autos and Remington 51s

WildnicecoolfactorAlaska ™©2002-2010
 
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Winchester_73

New member
I say buy it. Its made to a higher standard :p

But seriously, thats a rare gun (in laymans terms). I never saw one actually.

If you pass it up, you may not see another and certainly not for $300.

What else can you buy for $300? A toaster?
 
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radom

New member
G .380 duh. As few of them as they made my guess is they have somthing in common with their P-38 idea and did not wear well with use.
 
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roy reali

New member
Buying It

I called the gun shop and they are going to set the gun aside. I will go pick it uo next week. I don't know why, but it is one of those just have to have. I will post photos ASAP.
 
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James K

Member In Memoriam
Though basically the same, the G-380 and the P-38* were different pistols. High Standard developed the P-38 first, seeking a market among target shooters for a .38 Special auto pistol; obviously, it was hoped to build on the success enjoyed by H-S in the .22 competition area. The P-38 was introduced at Camp Perry in 1946, but was not well received and the blowback design and light slide proved unsuitable for the .38 Special, even in light target loads. The P-38 was never went beyond the development stage, and the guns are very rare. There was an attempt to produce the gun in .32 S&W Long and 9mm Parabellum also, but AFAIK not even experimentals were made in those calibers.

The G-380 was reportedly an attempt to recoup some of the costs involved in the aborted attempt to develop the P-38. It did reach production, but was not very successful, with only some 7400 made. That quantity put it in the class of the uncommon but not really rare, especially as there was almost no attrition and most of the guns seen are in nearly new condition. In top condition, they can go for around $600, though more is sometimes paid by folks who think they are rarer than they are. It is subject to some of the same problems as the P-38 as the slide is still a bit light for a blowback .380.

*Note the "P-38"; the German service pistol was the "P.38".

Jim
 
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roy reali

New member
re:Wildalaska

Roy what other High Standards did they have? Did they have any ORIGINAL magazines?
Click to expand...

They had about a half dozen. I don't have many details on them. The .380 distracted me. When I go pickup my gun I'll inquire about the other Hi Standards.

I am going to relaod for this. Would reloading light loads help in keeping the gun from falling apart? Should I use powder on the slow side or the fast side of buring rate?

I really appreciate all this feedback.
 
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roy reali

New member
Got It

The gun has a new home now, mine. I can't wait to try it. Some of you are saying that this is a fragile firearm. I'll take your word for it. But, it looks solidly made. My particular guns seems to be in very good condition. The finish is unflawed and the slide is quite tight. As far as I can tell, it seems to be all steel, it has some weight to it for its size.

I am going to see if I'll be able to find extra magazines for this gun and some sort of holster for open-carry.

A shooting report will be posted ASAP. I have some assorted reloads to try.
 
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roy reali

New member
re:Esteban32696

That is exactly the same as the one I bought. It is hard to tell from a picture, but mine looks to be in similar condition. Thanks for the link.
 
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Wildalaska

Moderator
Some of you are saying that this is a fragile firearm. I'll take your word for it. But, it looks solidly made.
Click to expand...

Its not fragile qua fragile, its just that parts are hard to come by and its a collector item. you dont want to take the chance. You want to hose stuff with 20,000 rounds of 380 get a new Browning.....:)

WildbegentleandcaringAlaska ™©2002-2010
 
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Ditto_95

New member
According to Charles Petty, the G-380 was not well received as a collectors piece. 7400 were made after it was introduced in late 1947 starting with serial number 100.

The reason it was built and sold was to recoup some of the prototyping and tooling cost during attempted development of a target version in .38 special.
High Standards were leaders for target shooting back in the day.

The P-38 was also a prototype automatic that did not ever see production.
It was a .38 special caliber.

I have considered purchasing one of these models. The best price I have seen was $500.

You have a nice piece of High Standard history.
 
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