h&r sportsman

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They are fun revolvers. One thing you'll see with them is they often spit from the bbl cylinder gap, and lose some velocity from the sometimes larger gap- mine gets velocities from a six inch bbl that is more consistent with my other 2" snubbies.
The rear sight will loosen if you don't loctite the screws holding the leaf in place, and you don't buy the gun for its DA trigger, they tend to be mechanical and heavy.
That aside, they are decently accurate reliable shooters if you treat them gentle like any top break.
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Hi Walter O:

An H&R Sportsman Model 999 with 6.0 inch long barrel was my first new handgun. It was a lot of fun to shoot, but it taught me what to look for in a really good handgun. The ergonomics were horrible, at least for me, the piece has adjustable front and rear sights, but the rear sights can go out of whack fairly easily. The top break, simultaneous ejection is cool, and HKS makes a speedloader for it. I used to shoot steel silhouette with it and actually won a few ribbons with it. It was fun to use for squirrel hunting and it was great for shooting snakes with while fishing. My understanding is the H&R Sportsman are starting to climb in value, but if I had the opportunity, I'd rather save my money and buy either a S&W Model 63 or a Ruger Mk-II.

Best of luck,

Dave
 
I always wanted one of these when I was kid. They are actually rather inexpensively made revolvers but command surprisingly high prices in recent years. I see the 6" 999s routinely fetch $500+ and the scarcer 4" models will bring even more. They just don't strike me as worth that kind of money.

So 2 years ago when I saw an older Sportsman (1941) with finish issues at a local show tagged at $165 I was interested. I offered $150 and it was mine. Shoots very well and is a hoot.

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Last year I happened on a more recent 4" 999 at a show tagged at $425 and I walked away with for $385. Still seems like a lot to me but it is a cool gun. Unfortunately the one time I shot it the groups were not good. Need to try again and bring a variety of ammo. I also prefer the auto eject on the earlier version.

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My grandfather purchased mine new in 1931. He gave it to me still in the box in 1975 or so. My wife loves to shoot it as much as I do & she is usually a better shot with it than me.
 
Great guns just not made to abuse, hand spring is weak but slow deliberate fire it should last a long time. Just not a race gun. I have several and they run fine. there just not a tire iron kind of gun.
 
999

This is farm country and their are a lot of H&R and IJ 22 pistols
in the area. My brother goes nuts when I hand a guy a $100
bill for a 999 or IJ m-66. Then sell at show for $200-$250, he
thinks that is some kind of sin. At $400 for 999, I think I would
put a extra buck in the plate on Sunday morning.
 
I owned one well into my S & W addiction era. It was a good, basic, solid gun but didn't have the feel or finish of a model 17 or 35; it probably falls in between the two in size. Guess I was spoiled from the Smiths, and I sold it.
 
I have two of them, both from the late 1930s. I really like to shoot them (took one to the range today as a matter of fact).

drgbike is correct in that they are not made to abuse. The early style like I have use a different sear that is a weak point in my opinion. That was changed after WWII to stronger one. Make sure not to close the barrel when the hammer is cocked. Doing this will seriously damage the hand spring.

They are a lot of fun!
 
Mine was a 1941....and it was my first handgun. I even shot in a bullseye league with it as I couldn't afford anything else. It looked, well let's just say it stood out on the line along side of all the Rugers Mark II's, Smiths and other serious competition guns. But hey, I was a happy guy just competing and I learned to load them five rounds pretty fast.

Eventually I got a Ruger Mk II and have now passed it along to my oldest son and he's using it to teach his kids how to shoot.
 
H&R 999 Sportsman

I found my 999 Sportsman in a LGS in the early 70's. It was in perfect shape, shot 9 cartridges with automatic ejection and had that sexy vet rib barrel so for $100 I couldn't turn it down. Double and single action leave something to be desired but it still shoots tolerably well. I had to replace the hammer strut but other than that its been a good shooter.

When people at the range see it they all say something like 'I didn't know H&R made anything that nice'!

I also have a Smith Model 34 - 4"; Until I find an affordable Model 35 the H&R will have to do.

When my uncle passed away (he wasn't a gun guy) his H&R 622 came to my dad and then to me. Its about as basic a revolver as you can find.
 

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A friend of mine, long ago, shot on the Cornell pistol team with an H&R 999. Did well with it, except once when the rear sight fell off in the middle of a match.
 
My father bought a six inch Sportsman in the early 60's because he worked at night and thought my mother should have a "house gun". I don't know why he chose that gun but I would guess it had to do with modest price and growing up very poor in rural NC (born 1913) where H&Rs and other inexpensive brands were the norm. It was somewhat disappointing not to have a Colt or S&W but it was a pistol and I got to shoot it...When I was a teen, we lived in a rural area with lots of woods and I carried it when roaming the woods and camping. It was used for plinking and some squirrels. It was accurate enough for my needs. The double action trigger was/is awful but I found the single action to be useable. I learned to shoot a handgun with that revolver and thought it was the typical trigger until I shot my first S&W Model 10...I still have it and shoot it occasionally. It has held up ok to the amount of use it has had. Dad was a WWII vet and impressed upon me to always take care of your gun so its like new...Whenever I handle or shoot that old H&R, I think of Dad and roaming the woods when I was young and found life exciting.
 
The H&R Sportsman 999 (6")was my first handgun also. I was all of 14, but my Dad thought I was ready. Yes, that was very acceptable in my area after WWII. Used the 999 for many years, a very good serviceable .22 revolver. Only problem was the cylinder retention hook was weak on my auto eject model. He paid $35.00 for it (like new) with holster. Enjoy yours, as I sure did mine.
 
I found a Late Model 6" 999 Like new in the Box at a local Gun Shop For $250. I liked it because it reminded me of a British Webley. I needed to raise some $$$ for a new Gun that caught my Eye, and the H&R was sold for exactly what I paid for it.
 
I had a 6" model that I sold about a year ago. Only because I was able to get my hands on a 4" version. I had been looking a LONG time for one. I LOVE this gun. It is fun, 9 rounds, and the top break is just cool, IMO. This one is going nowhere, except to one of my boys when I am gone.
 
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Here is mine, never sure of model # or if it was a cut down model - due to after market (but nice to use) front sight. It is extremely accurate in addition to being cool.

I was introduced to an H&R sportsman through the pretty but horrible Ruger MK1 that jammed & I couldn't hit anything with. When I read that the H&R carried the same # of rounds, & was known to be accurate & dependale - I traded up. My 1941 Sportsman is a tack driver - even the little snubbie is also.

I also have a 5 shot snub H&R Defender in 38 S&W - I like, & highly recommend them all. They are small & light & fit most pockets.
 

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My Dad had an H&R .22 when is was a pup about a 6” barrel. He kept it in his dresser drawer.
I ask you, what kid wouldn’t sneek a peak when he could? I never picked it up though. Just looked.
I seem to recall it was nickel plated or am I mis-remembering?
 
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