Need Help Repairing - H&R 22 Special (model 944 I think)

[seansco]

I have a H&R 22 Special 9 shot (model 944 I think) serial # 577xxx.

Everything seems in good shap but only fires (about) every other round. Strikes seem a little shallow. I had a gunsmith look at it and he thought it might be a timing issue. He also said that it was a double action but the hammer would not lock back and he thought maybe the hammer was not coming all the way back.

Been searching and seaching, does anyone have an idea what the problem might be, and does anyone have a schematic for it?

 

[seansco]

ps. This was the gun my dad always had laying (loaded of course) by the bed side when I was a kid. I would really like to get it in good working condition so my son and I can shoot it.

 

[Jim K]

What caliber is it? Some of those H&R Specials were made for .22 Winchester Rim Fire, which is larger in diameter than .22 Long Rifle. The .22 LR will not work reliably in a .22 WRF chamber.

Jim

 

[seansco]

.22 lr

 

[Liberty1776]

this may help

http://www.gun-parts.com/harringtonrichardson/

 

[RJTravel]

Pull the grips, cock the hammer, 'pin' the mainspring, release the hammer and lift out the guide rod. There is a white plastic guide at the top which will give these symptoms when it wears out or breaks. A very common problem with the H&R, and very easy and inexpensive to replace.
Richard

 

[32 Magnum]

Those old 22 SPECIALS do not have the "white plastic guide rod head" - that wasn't added to the H&R revolvers until the 1960s. The piece pictured is mid-1930s.

 

[RJTravel]

More recently I had a mod 929 with ser #AXO..... I traced to mfg date 1940. It had a deteriorated plastic top guide which caused frequent misfires. I am no expert, but this is what was wrong. Worth looking.
Richard

 

[seansco]

I have had the grips off and the mainspring is just a "curved piece of metal"; kind of like part 16 here: https://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=7938

 

[32 Magnum]

More recently I had a mod 929 with ser #AXO..... I traced to mfg date 1940. It had a deteriorated plastic top guide which caused frequent misfires. I am no expert, but this is what was wrong. Worth looking.
Richard

The Model 929 was first offered in 1956. Serial number prefix 'AX' denotes manufacture in 1981. Serial number prefix 'A' would indicate manufacture in 1940.

The "22 SPECIAL" has a 'flat or leaf' type mainspring as standard until circa 1933 when the "RICE type" grip frame (bird's head shaped frame with a one piece wooden grip attached by a single screw through the backstrap) was made the standard. Coil mainspring with a steel guide rod and steel guide rod head were standard on this type frame (found on all subsequent H&R handguns) until it was replaced in 1952-53 by the more modern square butt grip frame.

 

[seansco]

so any ideas on the missfire issue with the older type main spring and the hammer not locking back?

 

[jakeiscrazy]

Look at the sear. In this gun the sear locks the hammer back and acts as a transfer bar preventing the hammer from going foward without a full trigger pull. A broken/worn out sear could be the problem. Watch out the trigger is a little bit of a PITA to get together ane the sear spring is small and prone to launching itself.

 

[dagger dog]

Crud under the ejector star, dirty chambers from shooting shorts, small burrs-sharp edges on the chamber openings, all will keep the rim of the cartridge away from the back face of the cylinder, this coupled with a weak main spring, cushions the hammer blow causing frequent missfires.

Not saying this is all the problem but it can cause the same symptoms.

I went as far as to chamfer the ejector star-chamber mouths slightly, using my reloading chamfer deburr tool, also using steel wool to polish the chambers.

But the problem of the hammer not coming fully back, coud be a bent pin on part #10 on numrich's schematic,the pin is driven through the cylinder stop side to side, mine was bent not letting the cylinder stop(bolt) drop free of the notch in the cylinder, binding the cylinder and not letting the hammer come back when the trigger was operated double action.

 

[NCsmitty]

I have not seen anyone mention the firing pin projection on the hammer. They can become battered and shortened, causing intermittent misfires.
You should be able to see and measure the projection in the fired position, to see if it is worn.
It may have been dry fired some over it's long life.

I was under the impression that the 22 Special was the WRF and the 22 Remington Special, and they actually fit the later 22 Magnum rimfire chambers, being larger than a standard 22LR. That too, may be contributing to the problem, trying to fire a 22LR in the larger 22 Special chamber.



NCsmitty

 

[seansco]

Thanks for all the input. It is for sure a 22LR.

A couple questions:

Anyone have schematics?
How far should the firing pin projection be?

 

[McLovin]

I have a similar problem with my 22 special. Curous how your problem turned out.

 

[seansco]

I have a similar problem with my 22 special. Curous how your problem turned out.

No solution yet. I would say if you have the new type of main spring, it would be the little plastic "thingy" on the end which is an ez fix.

I am going to take it to a gun smith, I am a little worried about taking it apart myself. I would hate to not be able to get it back together.

 

[32 Magnum]

Only about 200 of the "22 SPECIALS" were chambered for the .22 WRF between 1928 and 1941. The WRF cylinders were 7 shooters, the .22 long rifle cylinders were 9 shooters (after 1928, before that they were 7s). The model was discontinued at the start of US involvement in WW2. Winchester's .22 MAGNUM was first offered circa 1955. Most common cause of that problem is peaned cylinder mouths from dry firing - leaving a divot under the rim where the firing pin hits AND crudded up cylinder bores which keep the cartridge from seating fully until the hammer drives them home.
Do you see any firing pin marks on the mis-fired cartridge rims?

 

[seansco]

My 22 special has gone to the gun smith today. We will see what the verdict is.

 

[seansco]

finally found a gun smith who would work on this for me. He says that the hammer and sear are worn. Now we are trying to find parts. If anyone has parts for this let me know.

 

[dprice3844444]

sarcoinc.com,numricharms jack first distributers


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