All of my grandfather's guns went to an uncle who neither shoots, nor hunts, sadly, but he's apparently a hoarder. When my husband and I asked for one of Grandpa's shotguns (my husband hunts) my uncle gave me this revolver.



Anyway, since it was my grandfather's I took it. I was speaking with a local gunsmith, and he suggested this forum, so here I am.

This is a (forgive me if I get terms wrong, I'm an enthusiastic shooter, but new, and in my family girls were not allowed near the guns or the trucks) Top-Break, fixed sight with a 3.25" barrel. I've attached pictures, but for clarity, the top of the barrel says, "HARRRINGTON & RICHARDSON ARMS CO WORCESTER MASS U.S.A." The side of the barrel reads, "38S.&W. CTGE." The cylinder reads, "447," and the shell ejector thingy reads, "5." The serial number is 435447.

There is no strain screw on the front gripstrap.
There are 4 screws total (small hidden one in the grip).

Thank you all, in advance, for your help!

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Welcome to the Forum.
Those revolvers were made near the turn of the 20th century. They were pretty cheap, and not worth much to collectors. It is a .38 S&W round so you can't shoot .38 Specials in it. Since it was your Grandfathers you should cherish it. Have your gunsmith check it out to see if it is in good enough shape to shoot. They were not real strong, and that's pretty old. If it is ok, .38 S&W rounds are still available.
If it checks out go ahead and shoot it.
Jim

Harrington & Richardson had a good reputation for affordable quality, and there is a niche collectors interest in them. From the photo, yours looks pretty darn good for such an old revolver. You can still find ammo for it as P&R Fan mentioned. I'm pretty much an S&W guy, but I love to look at old guns regardless of manufacturer. Can you post some more close-up photos? There are forum members here who possess an astonishing degree of expertise on that gem. Welcome to the forum, by the way.

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Why, I aughta.....

The H&Rs (And IJs,) were inexpensive but not cheap junk. I have a couple of old catalog reprints.
In 1901 a H&R Automatic Ejecting .38 was $3.50.
By 1939 it was up to $14.75.
A Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless .38 was $12.75 in 1901 and $31.00 in 1939.
The CHEAP guns were $1.50 in 1901. Most such were off the market by 1939 or at least beneath Stoeger's notice.

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! H&R, as well as other gun manufacturers, copied each other's designs. Most of them have gone by the wayside, but H&R is still around. The type of revolver you have is generically known as a "top break" due to the way the cylinder and barrel pivot away from the top of the frame when the latch is released. The top break revolver was a mainstay of the S&W line from the 1870s into the 1920s with some staying in the catalog up to 1940. As others have mentioned, it chambers .38 S&W cartridges which can be purchased at most gun shops and large box sporting goods stores. These smokeless cartridges can be fired in most of the old H&R and S&W revolvers because the powder loads are in keeping with the original black powder rounds. They are fun to shoot. So, after you have it checked out, take it to the range and have fun with Granddad's old gun.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Thank you all so much for the information. It would be great to get to shoot this gun. In the meantime, where would I go to find the exact year? And any way to find out the individual story of the gun (sales records, etc.)?
Anyway, as requested, here are more pictures:

The cylinder. The inside number I thought was a 5 until I saw the picture. Sometimes the phone camera can be very clear...

And sometimes not. The serial number.

The top of the barrel.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/attachm...1&d=1405383187
The grip, with a logo I'm not familiar with. Is this the H&R logo?

The hammer and (I believe) the firing pin(?).

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I can't date it, but it's almost certainly from pre-WWII, as the serial number has no letter prefix. That began in 1940 with an "A" prefix. If there is a caliber stamping on the barrel (I can't tell from your pictures if there is), it would be from 1905 or later. H&R made very similar revolvers until the 1970s. They were fairly well made, but not of the quality (and price) of an S&W or a Colt. One of my favorite "fun guns" is a later H&R .38 S&W top break (1964) which looks much like yours. .38 S&W ammunition is NOT the same as, and is NOT interchangeable with, .38 S&W Special. Don't believe anyone who says it is. Records on these old guns are essentially nonexistent - don't even bother trying to trace it back to grandpa. However, someone may be along who can give you a better dating from the serial number.

Regarding "As others have mentioned, it chambers .38 S&W cartridges which can be purchased at most gun shops and large box sporting goods stores.", that's not too likely. A large well-stocked gun shop MIGHT have a box or two, and you MIGHT find some at a place like Bass Pro Shop, Sportsman's Warehouse, or Cabela's on a good day. Most people have to go to a gun show or buy it on the internet. A local gun shop may be willing to special order some for you. Expect to pay close to $1.00 EACH cartridge. Internet prices may be somewhat less, but the shipping cost is a killer if you don't buy a case of it.

While it looks like it has the safety lever under the frame behind the trigger, I would rest the hammer on an empty charge hole just to be sure. Some of those oldies have that pointy firing pin resting on the primer. Joe
http://www.targetsportsusa.com/c-577-38-sw-ammo.aspx?

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

But note this about shipping: Free Shipping on Bulk Ammo | Target Sports USA

As I said, shipping is a killer unless you buy a case. And you probably won't do that.

Found another site that had some more specific information:
"Third Variation: no patent dates, the name of the state is marked as MASS, made in 1913-1915" This makes me more curious about it as my grandfather was born in 1923, so I want to know where it came from.
H&R 38 S&W CTGE | The Firearms Forum

I live in Central Texas, so finding a gun show is no problem! And, DWalt, the side of the barrel reads, "38S.&W. CTGE."

There are many possibilities, but it is not even remotely likely you will ever find out what is correct unless you have some documentation from your grandfather (or someone else in the family) indicating how he obtained it. Guns have a long lifetime, and if the indication is that the H&R was made in 1913-15, it well could have passed through a succession of unknown owners prior to your grandfather. Guns were (and still are) bought, sold, and traded among individuals all the time, and it would be extremely rare to find records of such exchanges other than possibly found family documents. In most parts of the country, even formal sales through gun shops, etc., were not usually recorded until the late 1960s when national gun laws were enacted requiring it. Prior to that, it was usually cash and carry with no questions asked.

DWalt, thank you again for your very helpful information. I, unfortunately, have no information about the gun from my grandfather, nor anyone else. I would assume, as he ran a dry cleaning business for many years that he bought this during that time, and that would definitely have been pre-1961 when he changed careers and moved to California. Also, from what I'm reading, these aren't a huge collector's item, so the best value for it is sentimental.

Welcome. I believe you have a revolver properly known as a H&R Auto-Ejecting Revolver, Variation 10. These revolvers were made from 1913 to 1937, so you do have a "modern" firearm by BATF standards. Most likely your revolver was manufactured around 1925. H&R made 600,000 revolvers from 1886 to 1940.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the value of that revolver is anywhere near the value of most any decent shotgun, so your Uncle may know his guns and gave you the least valuable one. Nonetheless, it is something your Grandfather owned and should have lots of sentimental value.

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Gary
SWCA 2515