H&R 900 Series Revolvers

Harrington and Richardson was in the business of making firearms from 1871 to 1986. From the period past the First World War to the end of its manufacturing run, the company produced many variations of .22 revolvers with model numbers ranging from 900 to 999. Some of the very similar firearms it produced had no model numbers (for a time) or were labeled with a name, such as the Sportsman. These little guns were sturdy, well made, and reasonably accurate.

Many are in use today and you may find an example coming into your shop for repairs at any time. Fortunately, the 900s are not difficult to work on. Many parts are still available but some may be easier than others to obtain. Brownells has a few and Bob’s Gun Shop (gun-parts.com, fax: seems to have a good selection. Use Google to search "H&R gun parts" will bring up more suppliers. For revolvers that were manufactured from 1934 to 1986, finding parts is not the chore that one would suppose.

The good news is that the most likely suspects, cylinder pins and mainspring assemblies, are fairly easy to find. The barrel is pinned and screws out. Dedicated action wrenches for this gun would not be easy to find as would barrel vises. That being said, something from most shops could probably be rigged to twist off the barrel. Most of the time this is not necessary but I have seen some of these guns with loose barrels you could actually shake with hand pressure.

There are three main ways for the solid-frame revolvers to carry a cylinder. The first is simply a pull-out pin which allows the cylinder to fall out of the frame to be divested of its empty cases. The pin should be used to push the ejector rearwards and empty the empties. The next mechanism allows the shooter to pull out on the cylinder pin, allowing the pin and cylinder to drop out as a unit. The pin is then pushed to eject the empty cases.

The third idea was a swing-out cylinder on a yoke, again released by pulling on the cylinder pin. The 999 Sportsman series are break-top revolvers with an automatic ejection feature. These revolvers are still very popular and prices are going up. Although I think it’s ridiculous, I recently found a Sportsman with an asking price of $700.00 online. I think $350.00 is more reasonable at this time, however, this just goes to show that these guns have a following.

Many of them are passed down from generation to generation and are deserving of respect when brought in for repair. I have found the two most common problems presented with these revolvers are missing cylinder pins (from the models that have an uncaptured pin) and a broken mainspring yoke.

The customer may complain that his revolver is "out of time" because the malfunctioning yoke sometimes allows the guns to fire reasonably consistently in single-action mode while shooting double action will cause misfires of half, or more, in a nineshot cylinder full of cartridges, at least until the broken yoke actually falls off the mainspring guide. This piece is made of a plastic material and is not particularly long lasting.

Numrich Gun Parts Corporation (gunpartscorp. com) has a plastic and a steel replacement part that is usually available. Be careful to order by model number as these parts are slightly different even though they function and are replaced the same way. Replacement of a lost cylinder pin is easy as dropping it in, provided you can find the part.

The mainspring yoke can be replaced by removing the grips and partially cocking the revolver until a small pin, such as a paper clip, or brad can be inserted into the hole in the end of the mainspring guide. This relieves the tension and allows the whole assembly to be lifted out of the grip frame and replaced with the new assembly.

I have found that sometimes the mainspring that is supplied by the after market companies is not strong enough to give adequate power for the firing pin to consistently cause the cartridge to fire. A call to the supplier, use of the original spring or scrounging a spring that will do the job may be necessary. Miscellaneous coil spring sets are offered by Wolff Gunsprings but they are expensive and not necessarily specific to this job. I never throw any kind of springs away.

You never know when one can be used again. I believe the popularity of these revolvers was due to their ruggedness of design, simplicity of operation and modest price. I have three of these revolvers in my shop at the moment. The first is a model 900 that was offered from 1962 until about 1973. Mine has a serial number prefix starting with AD indicating it was manufactured in 1967.

My 1964 edition (No. 55) copy of the Shooter’s Bible lists the model 900 as a nine-shot solid-frame revolver chambered in .22 caliber long rifle, long or short, standard or high velocity. Mine has "Model 900" stamped on the barrel along with ".22 Cal." It is listed as single and double action with an exclusive "Snap-out cylinder." The finish is H&R Crown-Lus-

Above, the Model 949, in the middle, the Model 900, bottom, the Sportsman. Quick and easy. tre blue. Mine has a lot of tool marks showing but is a nice blue. The grips are supposed to be checkered "Cling- Fast" white Tenita, whatever that is. Mine has some kind of black hard plastic on the handle. The serial number can be found on the bottom of the grip frame. In 1964 this little gun retailed for $32.25, but was probably available in the real world for a lot less.

This revolver is loaded and unloaded by pulling on the cylinder pin which releases the cylinder from the frame and allows it to fall into your hand. The pin is pushed which engages the star ejector popping out the empty cases. The cylinder is then reloaded with fresh ammo and reinserted into the frame. The whole process only takes a few moments and actually isn’t too bad of a system for a .22. The model 900 sports a hammermounted fixed firing pin.

The weight of my gun is 28 ounces, which is two ounces more than the nominal 26 ounces Shooter’s Bible lists for a six inch barrel. The second revolver is an interesting variation on the theme in that it has a flat loading gate behind the cylinder and around housing and spring-loaded ejector rod screwed onto the right side of the barrel to facilitate loading and unloading. When the hammer is moved to half-cock the cylinder can be rotated freely to the right.

The cylinder also drops out of the frame when the spring loaded button on the left side of the receiver is pushed, unlocking the cylinder This was listed as a "frontier" feature in 1975 advertising. The broken plastic yoke can be seen beneath gun. This is the main problem you are likely to encounter. pin to allow it to be removed. The cylinder does not have a star ejector, but empties can be pushed out one at a time with the cylinder pin.

The model 949 also boasts a framemounted firing pin and transfer bar ignition. This gun has a serial number on the bottom of the grip frame prefixed with "AM" indicating it was manufactured around 1975. Western look alikes were popular then and that would explain the quasi-Colt SA appearance of the grip frame and loading gate. In fact, the No. 66 edition of the 1975 Shooter’s Bible describes the gun, "H&R’s Forty

After cocking the hammer, insert end of the paper clip here and you may then remove the whole assembly quite easily. Unfortunately, many amateurs have discovered this fact. This locking system is plenty strong for the .22 cartridge. Niner is a modern 9-shot .22 caliber revolver with frontier features." It is listed as retailing for $56.00 or as the model 950 if nickel plated for $62.00. The front sight is around blade and the rear is a pretty nice square notch adjustable for windage by drifting in its dovetail.

This gun came to me with—guess what—"timing" problems in the form of a broken plastic mainspring yoke and a split set of one-piece grips. Both are available from Numrich and have been ordered. The last gun in my collection is a nine-shot break-open Sportsman. This gun was offered in various configurations starting around 1932 and continued until the demise of the parent company in 1986. After H&R/NEF was acquired by Marlin the model 999 Sportsman continued to be offered in different guises until at least 1998.

Mine has an "A" prefix on the serial number indicating the gun was manufactured in 1940, the first year the company used letter designations for the year of manufacture. My gun also does not have a model number and is stamped as "Sportsman" on the left side of the barrel. The serial number can be found on the inner front strap of the grip frame as the bottom of the frame is covered with the one-piece grips. The right side of the barrel has the company name and address at Worcester Mass., USA.

Just ahead of the cylinder the gun is marked ".22 long rifle ctg." Very faintly, on the cylinder itself, patent numbers 1904 and 2034 are barely visible. I believe these may relate to the "automatic ejector" feature and possibly the style of grip frame. The sights area square Patridge type in the rear adjustable for windage with some very tiny screws. The front sight is a fairly square blade that shows up as a post and is adjustable for elevation by loosening a screw in the front of the barrel.

The gun is "broke open" by lifting the hinged locking piece that also houses the rear sights and pulling the barrel down. The automatic ejector pops out the empties in the nine-shot cylinder and then snaps back into battery to reload the cylinder. A small rectangular button on the left side of the frame in front of the cylinder can be pushed to release the cylinder from the frame. With the cylinder removed the serial number is revealed, sans the A prefix stamped on the underside of the top strap.

The mainspring is accessible after removing the single screw in the rear of the one-piece grips. The grip frame is the "Rice" type attributed to Mr. Renzi Rice who obtained the patent #2034632 on March 17, 1932. This is simply a "bird’s head" design which enabled the manufacturers to use a variety of grip styles. The hammer still has a little color case hardening on it after all these years and sports a fixed–blade firing pin.

In my estimation, there is very little to distinguish this pistol from the other pre-war examples of firearms such as S&Wand Colt as far as workmanship and finish are concerned. The ’64 edition of the Shooter’s Bible lists a 999 Sportsman with walnut stocks for $54.50 and weighs a nominal 30 ounces. My gun has a hard rubber grip, almost likening to Gutta-percha, and weighs two pounds even.

The 1998 edition number 89 of the Shooter’s Bible is telling in that it lists a ventilated rib Sportsman 999 for $279.95 retail. I believe this gun could be popular today with the shooting public, but with manufacturing costs as they are it would probably be too expensive to be feasible. Fortunately, these guns can still be found on the used market, at least for now. During late January 2008 Remington acquired the Marlin Firearms Company, having purchased the H&R, New England Firearms (NEF), and L. C.

Smith brands in 2000. On May 31st, 2007, Remington was acquired by Cerberus Capital. During 2000, Marlin purchased the assets of H&R

1871, Inc., and the name was changed to H&R 1871, LLC. Brand names include Harrington & Richardson, New England Firearms and Wesson & Harrington. Letter Prefixes Unfortunately, accurate records from the company concerning dates of manufacture and even model numbers are hazy at best. Many of these revolvers were made in a variety of configurations and styles while basically remaining the same gun.

The company started to use letter designations on their serial numbers in 1940 and here is the most up-to-date list I can find. Beware, as it may be off a year here and there. H&R started using letter prefixes for the years after 1940 starting with A. They skipped the letters I and Oto avoid confusion with one and zero. Proveded they also skipped AI and AO, this should accurate.

A 1940; B 1941; C 1942; D 1943; E 1944; F 1945; G 1946; H 1947; J 1948; K 1949; L 1950; M 1951; N 1952; P 1953; Q 1954; R 1955; S 1956; T 1957; U 1958; V 1959; W 1960; X 1961; Y 1962; Z 1963; AA 1964; AB 1965; AC 1966; AD 1967; AE 1968; AF 1969; AG 1970; AH 1971; AJ 1972; AK 1973; AL 1974; AM 1975; AN 1976; AP 1977; AQ 1978; AR 1979. Disassembly Disassembly of the basic H&R 900 series solid-frame revolvers starts by removing the cylinder pin and cylinder.

The other guns with a fixed pin area little different but basically the same gun. The extractor on the ones with removable pins can be separated by pulling the extractor out as far as it will go and then rotating it a half turn in either direction, freeing it from the cylinder. Inspect for rust and polish the shaft if need be for good function. A little Break Free applied here doesn’t hurt. Further disassembly is initiated by driving out the front guard pin and the sear pin which is located below the hammer stud.

These pins are knurled on the right side and should be removed from left to right using a cupped punch. Remove the mainspring assembly by partially cocking the revolver until the hole at the bottom of the mainspring guide protrudes below the mainspring seat, allowing the end of a paper clip to be inserted in the hole. This will take the tension off the spring when the gun is uncocked and the whole assembly can then be easily removed. Check that the yoke end of the guide is not broken or missing!

This is usually the area of most trouble with these guns. It should be replaced the same way it came out, with the wider end of the yoke up to fit in the hammer slot. Remove trigger guard, cylinder stop and spring, sear and spring, center pin plunger spring and plunger from the main frame. Drive out the knurled trigger pin from left to right and remove the whole trigger assembly noting its position. The assembly includes the trigger and spring, the lifter and its pin, and the lever and spring.

Remove the hammer screw from the left side of the frame and drive out the hammer stud to remove the hammer. On some of the newer guns there is only a pin here. I think it is a rare occasion that any of these little guns will need this complete of a breakdown, but we’ve all seen guns that have been used hard and not taken care of. Cheap .22s like this are notorious for that kind of abuse. Fortunately, there are still some parts floating around out there to replace anything broken.

Putting the revolver together again we start backwards, as usual, with a couple of caveats. After replacing the hammer, the sear spring, sear, and trigger guard must be assembled before reinstallation in the frame using a slave pin through the sear and trigger guard. The pin should be 3/16 inch long, not exceeding the width of the trigger guard, and 1/8 inch in diameter. Also, the cylinder stop spring must be inserted into the seat provided in the trigger guard before assembling the guard to the frame.

For the trigger assembly to be reinstalled the trigger spring must be in line with the spring seat in the bottom of the trigger guard slot in the frame. It’s a little tricky, but you can guide the lifter into position between the hammer and the frame with a small screwdriver, pressing the whole assembly up into the frame until the pin holes line up. Replace the pins, driving out the slave pin with the sear pin. These little guns have been in use as plinkers and trail guns for generations.

Many thousands have been produced, and they can be found in dresser drawers and closets all over America. They turn up at estate sales and many times are brought to the gunsmith after granddaddy passes on. Inspect these revolvers carefully before accepting them for trade in and resale. Chances are, the only problems you will uncover will be with the mainspring housing and broken yokes or missing parts. This is the easiest area for amateurs to access and screw up simply by removing the grips.

The yokes are available in either plastic or metal. I was a little leery about using the metal type due to excessive wear on the trigger mechanism. I tried one on my Sportsman, and, so far, it has given excellent service. A little grease here doesn’t hurt anything. Numrich sells the plastic assemblies in packs of six for less than sixty dollars, which is not as much as half the price of the single item. I think that says something about the frequency they may show up on the gunsmith’s bench.

I have to recommend the heaviest mainspring you can find and will fit to facilitate double action function. The after-market springs are sometimes just too weak for 100% reliability. Don’t cut coils from a heavy spring to lighten the trigger. You will just be asking for trouble. These revolvers make fine plinkers and trail guns and last for many years if treated well. AG

1 Barre & Quill Assembly 2 Barre Catch 3 Barre Catch Pin 4 Barre Catch Pivot Pin 5 Barre Catch Pivot Pin Retainer 6 Barre Catch Spring 7 Barre Catch Spring Follower 8 Cylinder & Extractor Assembly 9 Cylinder Catch 10 Cylinder Stop 11 Cylinder Stop Spring 12 Extractor Extension 13 Extractor Spring 14 Firing Pin 15 Firing Pin Retaining Pin 16 Firing Pin Spring 17 Firing Pin Striker 18 Frame 19 Front Sight 20 Front Sight Pin 21 Front Sight Adjusting Screw 22 Front Sight Spring 23 Grip, Left 24 Grip, Right Harrington and Richardson 900 Series Revolver (Speci ications subject to change without notice) 25 Grip Pin 26 Grip Screw (2) 27 Hammer 28 Hammer Pin 29 Hook 30 Hook Slide 31 Joint Screw 32 Joint Screw Stud 33 Lever & Spring Assembly 34 Lifter 35 Lifter Pin 36 Mainspring 37 Mainspring & Guide Assembly 38 Mainspring Guide Rod 39 Mainspring Guide Seat 40 Rear Sight 41 Rear Sight Screw (2) 42 Sear 43 Sear Spring 44 Trigger 45 Trigger Guard 46 Trigger Guard Pin (Front) & Trigger Pin (2) 47 Trigger Guard Pin (Rear) & Sear Pin 48 Trigger Spring