H&R 999 Sportsman - undervalued revo’s?

[vanfunk]

Hi All:

I inherited two Harrington and Richardson 999 revolvers from my grandfather years ago, and I have quite a fondness for these .22s. One of ‘em was the first handgun I fired, under the patient instruction of my grandfather in his back yard in Michigan in the early 70’s. I appreciated its Webley-like action, its 9-shot capability, big adjustable sights, and fine accuracy. They don’t lock up as tight as a modern S&W or Colt but are capable of competitive accuracy; the DA pulls are heavy but smooth and the SA pulls are very light (2-3 lbs between the two of them). Some have described their looks as “ungainly” and others even think they’re ugly. I think they’re quite handsome and distinctive. The polishing could be better but the blue is deep and lustrous. A K17 or Officer’s Model .22 is more lovely, and very likely more accurate, but the plebeian “Sportsman” is high on the list of American classic revolvers in my opinion. Mine were made in ‘37 and ‘43 (the latter, rare wartime production, presumably). If I recall correctly, my grandfather bought the 2nd one so my 5 year old father would have a .22 to “play with.” Different times. So what say you all, what do you think of the Sportsman?

 

[Walkalong]

Great guns, parts can be hard to come by.

 

[Bobaloo22]

I love them. And your family history makes it all the better.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I really like them also, they are all steel, unlike the new Rugers, and Heritage 22s. My old Sportsman is a 1925 and my 49er is from the 60-70s. I always liked H&R.
Especially the 999s. We played with one when I was a kid. We would jump in an old car and take off with the 999 and have a good time. Too young to have a drivers license but out there it didn't matter much. If one of the cars weren't there we'ed take a tractor, There wasn't anyone around to do anything about it, and it was desolate enough we saw one house maybe every 5 or 10 miles and there usually wasn't anyone living in it anyways.

Those were different times for sure and almost like a foreign country compared to where we live today.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Love that picture.

 

[Gork10]

Love the revolvers. that's another one on my bucket list, very rare around here. When I do find one it usually in very bad shape and over priced. But I'm always looking. I figure one will show up sooner or later. Woodford reserve is my go-to bourbon, great on the rocks or neat.

 

[alfsauve]

for me also the 999 was the first gun in shot As a kid. They have a decent single action but the DA is rough. Accuracy is decent. Sadly I sold mine.

 

[Slamfire]

My H&R M999 would not stay in the black of the standard NRA Bullseye target at 25 yards. I don't consider them very accurate at all.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I certainly like mine... .

 

[Havok7416]

I love mine but I rarely remember to take it out with me. I stumbled across mine in 2018 at my local shop. Initially I thought it was a baby Webley or Enfield due to the styling of the barrel. It's certainly unique from a "modern" production standpoint. I'm always worried I'll lose the rear sight (a known issue).

 

[James K2020]

The sight that came with mine was always crooked no matter how I reset it (pic 2). Replaced it with a 'fatter' one I found on Numrich, and it fell off and disappeared. The double action is atrocious IMO. The condition on mine is close to excellent however the 'play' between the frame and barrel seems excessive compared to a S&W top-break. Not sure how accurate it is either. K-22 works so much better except for ejecting shells, but I'll try the 999 again.

 

[vanfunk]

I suspect there’s a lot of variability between examples, and of course H&R went through many reorganizations and moves throughout the years. My two are pretty early guns, especially the ‘37, and were made with good care. Still, at the time (and generally through their history, perhaps?) they seem to have been the “Charter Arms” of their time. Capable of putting out a high quality product, but having more than their share of turds as well.

 

[vanfunk]

Slamfire, yours sounds REALLY bad! When was it made? My friend had a POS S&W 34 that would keyhole and shave lead, and even it shot better than that, lol.

 

[hawg]

My old Sportsman is a 1925

How can that be? They didn't come out until 1932. The ones from the 30's are the best ones. They have target rifling and hand honed actions. Mine was made in 35 and it's definitely a smooth and accurate shooter. The grips grow on you after awhile.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Whoops, Mine's a 22 Special. My bad.
I haven't shot mine enough to let these things grow on me. These saw handle grips look too much like work.

 

[WestKentucky]

They were one of the earlier guns to have plastic bits. The spring head on the mainspring is plastic and will deteriorate over time. I think the early 999 had metal bits, but later versions had the plastic bits. Mine has died a couple times, once from age and once from using the wrong solvent to clean the gun which made the new plastic piece brittle.

Mine was my grandmas. My grandma was the youngest of 7, and only her and the oldest sibling were girls. Rural western kentucky in the 40s was not rife with opportunity to do much of anything to get ahead in life, so her whole family worked to pay the mortgage and buy the things that they needed. They needed that revolver for grandma to run traps in the winter and run trot lines in warmer times. It was a snake killer and a meat getter. Between it and her single shot 22 rifle there was nothing safe from becoming dinner fare if grandma ever laid eyes on it. Per her stories, she ate literally every animal that lives in the area except for a buzzard or a skunk. Late fall that 999 became a hog stunner. It would kill the small hogs but the big board would just get knocked silly unless you hit it just right so she would shoot the hogs as they came down the chute and her brothers would grab them and start cutting to make sure they were good and dead.

Grandma kept the gun her whole life, having had it from around age 7 until she passed. Grandaddy had Alzheimer’s and the gun got disassembled at some point to render it and this grandma safe from his night time tirades. When he passed all the other guns in the home were stolen, cable locks cut, and the guns pawned, except for this one. It was in pieces and was an off-brand so it was essentially worthless disassembled and missing parts. Grandma rounded up the pieces and put them in a box under the bed with my name on it. When she passed I retrieved it, and will cherish it until my days are done.

I have more accurate guns, more valuable guns, prettier guns, and more refined guns, but there is nothing that compares the the single action hair trigger that launches a bullet just like pointing my finger. As a $250 to $300 gun, I’d say value is about where it should be, but for those of us who know their story they are quite the treasure.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I bought a new main spring for my 949 at Numrich's and they only sold the main springs with the steel head.
999 is https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/276950c These steel assys work pretty good.

 

[vanfunk]

WestKentucky, that is an astounding story and a poignant insight into American life at the time. I love the guns but I love their stories even more. The guns transport us. Our lives, our tools.

 

[Freudianfloyd]

This is a timely thread. I was just looking at a cheap project Sportsman and debating it if was worth me buying and tinkering with. My grandpa seemed really fond of these revolvers. He has had several over the years, and I have one of his in my safe now that I am holding onto for my mom who inherited it after grandpa died.

 

[Freudianfloyd]

The sight that came with mine was always crooked no matter how I reset it (pic 2). Replaced it with a 'fatter' one I found on Numrich, and it fell off and disappeared. The double action is atrocious IMO. The condition on mine is close to excellent however the 'play' between the frame and barrel seems excessive compared to a S&W top-break. Not sure how accurate it is either. K-22 works so much better except for ejecting shells, but I'll try the 999 again.
View attachment 1179520View attachment 1179521

Can you explain to me how you take pictures like these? I struggle to get an entire gun in a picture, yours look straight out of a magazine.

 

[Gordon]

I bought a new main spring for my 949 at Numrich's and they only sold the main springs with the steel head.
999 is https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/276950c These steel assys work pretty good.

Thanks I just ordered one for my 999 as It is staying with me till I pass.

 

[WestKentucky]

I bought a new main spring for my 949 at Numrich's and they only sold the main springs with the steel head.
999 is https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/276950c These steel assys work pretty good.

I think my second new mainspring had a steel head. I haven’t had the gun apart in a long while. I do remember that replacement was pretty easy. I paid a guy $10 to do it the first time. Met him at his workplace at lunch and he did it in his truck in about 5 minutes. Been friends with the guy ever since.

 

[Tallball]

Is Diamondback making modern versions of these? My friend mentioned something about that.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I certainly like mine... .

 

[theotherwaldo]

I also like my .22 Special -maybe a little bit more.