I found an H&R Model 999 yesterday at a local store for $420. The price is easy enough to research (it's a pretty good value) but I don't know how well-built these guns are or how they hold up being top breaks. Can anyone fill me in with some details?
H&R Model 999
- Thread starter Havok7416
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jar
Contributing Member
Now there's a blast from the past. The H&R handguns were pretty nice and very inexpensive back when I was buying handguns, good plinkers. They were 22s IIRC and reliable little guns. But they were marketed mostly as youth starter guns.
JONWILL
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Being a 22 it will last forever. The problem with topbreaks and loosening up is with the more powerful cartridges. The bullet hitting the forcing cone and rifling creates a lot forward pressure on the back locking lugs. 22lr has almost none
Being a graduate of the red neck school of gunsmithing I was able to tighten the larger caliber topbreaks by peening the rear top locking lugs until it was tight
The topbreak on these is even better. Side swing cylinders on H&R’s suffer from ejection problems. For me there is always one empty case by the frame that won’t eject the whole way
You got a nice gun at a good price IMHO
Being a graduate of the red neck school of gunsmithing I was able to tighten the larger caliber topbreaks by peening the rear top locking lugs until it was tight
The topbreak on these is even better. Side swing cylinders on H&R’s suffer from ejection problems. For me there is always one empty case by the frame that won’t eject the whole way
You got a nice gun at a good price IMHO
I'm working all day today but I may be able to get back to the store and acquire it. The guy who runs the shop says they don't sell much during this time of year. Apparently this is a consignment gun so I may have some wiggle room.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
As you've seen, it's a really neat old school American made revolver with good adjustable sights. The cylinder removes with a small spring loaded wire piece that you depress, which is located in front of the cylinder just above the frame pivot. This makes barrel and cylinder cleaning much easier.
Being a rimfire, it has a stout hammer spring which causes that gun (and all other H&R rimfires) to have a very heavy double action trigger pull and a fairly heavy single action trigger pull. I shoot my 999 almost exclusively as single action gun.
If the gun is in good condition and the cylinder locks up well, then you ought to pull the grips to look at the hammer spring strut (mainspring guide rod) and see what kind that 999 has. The struts with the plastic head are known to crack the plastic. The answer to that problem is to get a spare strut with a metal head.
Plastic - https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/276870C
Metal - https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/276950C
Or the gun might have a hammer spring strut like my 1981 made 999 has which is unlike the two others. No need to replace it as there is no plastic. Important to note that this strut is not interchangeable with the struts listed above as the hammers they fit into are made differently.
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/220110B
Another thing to do is check to see if the rear sight adjusting screws are loctited in place. If they aren't, it is worth loctiting those little screws as they can fall out from the vibrations of the hammer firing the gun.
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entropy
Member
It will outlast you. They are a solid, well made .22 revolver that will give lifetimes of joy; here's my son shooting my Dad's 999 about 15 years ago:
Grandpa taught him the teacup hold, not me. I corrected that later.
Grandpa taught him the teacup hold, not me. I corrected that later.
Charlie98
Member
I've actually developed an interest in those little .22 revolvers... judging by my last gun show trip, nice ones are few and far between.
Funny story... my ex-girlfriend, SuperLib and gun hater, had a loaded 999 in the box up in her closet. I asked her when she was planning to 'come out of the closet' about her pro-gun tendencies. She didn't think that was funny.
Funny story... my ex-girlfriend, SuperLib and gun hater, had a loaded 999 in the box up in her closet. I asked her when she was planning to 'come out of the closet' about her pro-gun tendencies. She didn't think that was funny.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
Jim Watson
Member
A friend was bidding on a 777 Ultra Sportsman on Gunbroker. I wish he had told me when he dropped out, I would have liked that one. The 777 is SAO and has a cartridge length cylinder. It was a serious effort to compete with Smith and Colt.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
I've seen SAO H&Rs, but I never heard of the 777 cartridge length cylinder model before. That would be nice to have.
https://www.gunauction.com/buy/14441875/
Jim Watson
Member
Geez, I found one that sold for about 1/4 as much.
Monac
Member
The H&R 999 was the first pistol I ever bought, and it has served me well for over 30 years. Having said that, I bought it because it was inexpensive - significantly cheaper than a S&W J-frame 22 Kit Gun. The SA trigger pull was always hefty, and the DA was good exercise for your trigger finger. The sights are adjustable, but windage is by loosening and tightening opposing tiny screws, and elevation is by adjusting the front sight, which I never really got the hang of. It was easier to keep trying different ammunition to get the point of impact right, rather than mess with that. So it's a good gun, a fun gun, but not a high-end target gun.
The only spare part I ever needed was a new cylinder retaining catch. I shot a whole cylinder full of Russian steel cased* 22 LR in it, and trying to extract them broke the cylinder retainer. I haven't seen that stuff for decades, so you should be fine.
*Hey, that's how I remember it. I am pretty sure the stuff was lacquered, and why would you lacquer brass?
The only spare part I ever needed was a new cylinder retaining catch. I shot a whole cylinder full of Russian steel cased* 22 LR in it, and trying to extract them broke the cylinder retainer. I haven't seen that stuff for decades, so you should be fine.
*Hey, that's how I remember it. I am pretty sure the stuff was lacquered, and why would you lacquer brass?
shoobe01
Member
Loved a friend's 999 in my youth. Never could find one, hardly At All much less for reasonable money.
As much as I sort no longer care for .22 I'd buy this for that price without even thinking.
As much as I sort no longer care for .22 I'd buy this for that price without even thinking.
If I get this gun it most certainly will not fill the role of a high end target gun. I don't own any top breaks yet and we have long been considering a .22 revolver. We don't shoot .22 often anymore but I see this gun as a potential way to keep the round count down when we do.
bannockburn
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- 26,316
Was looking for an H&R Model 999 primarily for my wife for her first handgun but never came across one. Did find a Model 929 with a 2 1/2" barrel that was like new in the box that I put on layaway at the time. Then an old buddy of mine who worked behind the counter at the LGS set aside a S&W Model 34 that they had just taken in. The gun was LNIB and very nicely priced. I ended up cancelling the Model 929 layaway and bought the Model 34 for my wife. Added a Hogue Monogrip as she didn't care for the factory grips.
Would still like to find a Model 999 for myself.
Would still like to find a Model 999 for myself.
WestKentucky
Member
Mine was my grandmothers. It’s a good shooter. Open up the grips and pull out the hammer spring rod, if it’s got an old plastic top on it then go ahead and buy a new one. It’s a really simple process, and parts drop right in.
Don’t lose the rear sight...they can be a pain to find, but a penny from grandmas birth year can be fashioned into one pretty easily...
Don’t lose the rear sight...they can be a pain to find, but a penny from grandmas birth year can be fashioned into one pretty easily...
A while back I decided I had to have a 999 Sportsman. Top break , slab sided barrel , I was smitten. I found one , kept it for a couple of years and shot it quite a bit. Eventually I became disillusioned , and here's why: The mechanics of the cylinder - particularly the disassembly release and the spindle upon which the cylinder turned , seemed lightly built , almost flimsy ; the single action trigger was so-so , double action , well , awful. Just did not feel like a good solid firearm. (The older H&R .22 Special actually seems the be of tighter tolerances.)
I miss having a .22 top break. If I ever replace the 999 it will be with an Iver Johnson Sealed 8 , which looks and feels like a better built hand gun , IMO.
Sorry to rain on the parade.
I miss having a .22 top break. If I ever replace the 999 it will be with an Iver Johnson Sealed 8 , which looks and feels like a better built hand gun , IMO.
Sorry to rain on the parade.
WestKentucky
Member
Make it a target sealed 8... I had one and sold that one. It was nice but it wasn’t special.
J-Bar
Member
...reconsidered...
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JFrame
Member
I regret selling my 999 also...
As noted by someone else above, the top break latch is also the rear sight mechanism. The dual-use feature does have a tendency to loosen the rear sight over extended shooting time. It's good to do a spot check of the rear sight to make sure it's anchored.
Both my friend (who also had a 999) and I wound up with an instance when our rear sight had fallen off, and we had to sift through the leaves at our feet to find it.
.
As noted by someone else above, the top break latch is also the rear sight mechanism. The dual-use feature does have a tendency to loosen the rear sight over extended shooting time. It's good to do a spot check of the rear sight to make sure it's anchored.
Both my friend (who also had a 999) and I wound up with an instance when our rear sight had fallen off, and we had to sift through the leaves at our feet to find it.
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I think that the early top break .22 is a "Supershot" Sealed 8. The Target model was not top break.
I handled one of those (Supershot) recently ; it seemed to be more substantial than the H&R. Again , one man's opinion.
WestKentucky
Member
Sounds correct. With that said I seem to recall having to use the cylinder pinto pop out each spent case which was a pain. The supershot would be much better if it had the topbreak ejection mechanism.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
The 999s sure could use a lighter trigger spring. The trouble is finding a hardware store spring to fit, if you have the guts to pop the pins out of the frame of a 999 to get it apart and get it back together.
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