[jahwarrior]

my brother picked this gun up today at a local shop; he had $80 to burn, and wanted a little pocket revolver. neither one of us ever heard of .38SW, but the shop is stocked with it, so getting ammo isn't a problem.

i know H&R makes rifles and shotties, but had no idea they ever made revolvers. we want to know as much about it as possible. it's identical to the one pictured here: http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=29213&d=1127547584. there's some staining on the right side, but everything else seems to be in working order.

is this gun safe to shoot? is it a wall hangar? and was it worth the $85 spent on it? i appreciate any and all replies.

[Jim K]

H&R made millions of revolvers, mostly solid frame and top break, from 1871 to their first bankruptcy in 1986. They also made semi-auto pistols. In their earlier days, H&R guns were considered on a par with the better makers, but in more recent times they fell into a distinct lower tier along with Iver Johnson.

Your gun could have been made anytime from about 1905 to 1940. Many H&R guns in those days had no serial numbers (it was not required) and I know of no solid data on manufacturing dates.

If the gun is solid and not loose at the latch, it should be OK to fire with .38 S&W cartridges (not the same as .38 Special). Note, though that those old guns have mostly flat springs that often break and most gunsmiths won't touch them since repairs would cost more than the gun is worth.

The gun, if functional, is worth $85, but not a lot more.

P.S. Because of the many problems those old guns are prone to, breaking springs included, most folks will advise not to use it for any serious purposes. Cheap and old are not good words when associated with a means of staying alive.

Jim

[jahwarrior]

thanks for the info!

yeah, my brother doesn't intend to use it as his EDC, more like something to plink with once in awhile. he just wanted to be sure it wasn't going to blow up in his hand. he owns semiautos, but has always had a thing for wheelguns; he couldn't turn down an $80 revolver.

[Ron James]

Wow, if a 80 dollar revolver turns him on, then a NIB 35 dollar RG-10 would really lite his fire:)

[owlhoot]

I have a soft spot for all of the old break top revolvers. They aren't good for much of anything, but they are neat old guns.

I was a young man in the early 50's, and didn't have much money, but I found a cherry 1932 Buick for $125. Several days after I bought the car, I was lying on the floor board replacing a couple of dash bulbs and found an old H&R break top .32 in a home made holster taped to the steering column, completely out of sight but easy to access if you knew it was there. I called the previous owner and told him he had left his gun in the car. He said it must have been there when he bought the car because it wasn't his. So I still have the revolver. Wish I had the Buick.

[woad_yurt]

Those springs are available. Some places sell packs of them for really cheap. You may have to trim them a bit to fit but, if you're handy, you can fix the gun yourself if necessary. Shoot away!