Harrington and Richardson

Thuer · Feb 28, 2022

Could not help it to bid on a Harrington and Richardson model 926 in .38 s&w. It was on auction by Hermann Historica Germany. This model is the late model and made in between 1973 and 1978. This is a second model becouse it has a transferbar. In a catalogue of 1974 the H&R model 926 cost just 64.50 dollar. In the same catalogue of Guns and Ammo is the cost of a S&W model 10 96 dollar. The model 926 topbreak revolver has a socalled manual ejector. When you break open the revolver you have to push the ejectorrod to clean out the cases.
I always wondered. Why was this revolver on the market? It is a 5 shot .38 s&w. Not a .38 special. Reason for it could be that the .38 special is to hard for the construction of the topbreak. In that time you did have had the cheaper defence model 925. Same caliber but it has now a birdhead grip.
The quality of the H&R is not bad at all. It is a nice adition to my collection.

swagmeister · Feb 28, 2022

Sharp looking gun and one you don't find in that condition.

Ivan the Butcher · Feb 28, 2022

I remember seeing those for sale. Never in a gun shop, but always at car parts and hardware stores! All I ever saw were 4", which I think makes a great tool box or glove box gun.

In the 70's and 80's Ohio didn't have a permit for Concealed Carry, We had what was called Justifiable Defense. If you need to you were allowed, if a judge didn't agree you lost that gun only, and a reasonable fine.

My best friend and I had jobs that required to go on calls at night. We would slip a 3 or 4 inch DA revolver in a large, loose, cotton work glove. Usually a 38 S&W or a 32 S&W Long. You could point shoot the gun without removing it from the glove! The glove provided "camouflage" so customers were not startled, but the Police were never fooled.

In March, Ohio returns to a Constitutional Carry status (no permit necessary) But the wife and I will maintain our permits, as we travel out of state.

I still have a number of gloves with the index finger blow off!

Ivan

Heinz · Feb 28, 2022

"In the 70's and 80's Ohio didn't have a permit for Concealed Carry, We had what was called Justifiable Defense. If you need to you were allowed, if a judge didn't agree you lost that gun only, and a reasonable fine."

Carrying a concealed firearm without a reasonable self defense need carried a MANDATORY minimum one year prison sentence in Ohio in the seventies and early eighties. Not a pat on the wrist and a confiscating the gun. However, at that time, an open carry was legal with no permit for the state. Cleveland and other localities had different rules. I know people who did the mandatory time, usually turned out to be about 6 months with good behavior.

Scharfschuetzer · Feb 28, 2022

I often looked at them in the H&R catalog back in the day. I had an H&R 999 .22 break top that I really liked, and I thought that that the 38 S&W would have been a nice addition to the stable.

DWalt · Feb 28, 2022

H&R has produced huge numbers of very similar top-break revolvers chambered for the .38 S&W cartridge ever since the late 19th Century. Many were sold under the name of "Defender". If you will Google that, you will find considerable information. An updated version of the H&R Defender in .38 S&W was put on the market back in the early 1960s and were available until, I think, into the early 1980s. There were several different grip styles and barrel lengths, usually 2" and 4". There was a very similar version called the Model 925 (as you mentioned) which had sort of a bird's head grip design, but was otherwise identical. I have one of those and it is one of my favorite fun guns. As you have noted, the top break design is much weaker than a solid frame, and will not be suitable for cartridges more powerful than the .38 S&W. They are also cheaper to manufacture. H&R handguns were always intended to be attractive to those on a small budget, yet they were of good quality.

One caution - those later H&R revolvers were made using a hammer spring strut with a tip made of Nylon, and they WILL fail, sooner or later. The best thing to do is to replace it with one having a steel tip (if yours does not already have one). It is a simple job and replacement hammer spring struts with steel tips are not expensive. But I have no idea how one could be found in Europe.

Gamecock · Feb 28, 2022

Scharfschuetzer said:
I often looked at them in the H&R catalog back in the day. I had an H&R 999 .22 break top that I really liked, and I thought that that the 38 S&W would have been a nice addition to the stable.

Still have my 999. In fact, just a few months ago, I had my gunsmith get it working. I needed a .22 repeater than would work with low power cartridges for hunting in my attic.

He was actually working on someone else's 999, too. I was envious; it looked factory new.

"Jack, you know what this is?"

He picked one up off his table.

One of the best gun purchases I ever made.

Gamecock · Feb 28, 2022

I carry the 999 in a Bianchi 22 S.A.#1. It's over 50 years old, too. Some wear, but still works great.

Ivan the Butcher · Feb 28, 2022

Heinz said:
"In the 70's and 80's Ohio didn't have a permit for Concealed Carry, We had what was called Justifiable Defense. If you need to you were allowed, if a judge didn't agree you lost that gun only, and a reasonable fine."

Carrying a concealed firearm without a reasonable self defense need carried a MANDATORY minimum one year prison sentence in Ohio in the seventies and early eighties. Not a pat on the wrist and a confiscating the gun. However, at that time, an open carry was legal with no permit for the state. Cleveland and other localities had different rules. I know people who did the mandatory time, usually turned out to be about 6 months with good behavior.

That was part of the problem with the older law. was it depended on what the arresting officer thought of you and his recommendation to the judge.

There was a codified list of justifiable defenses, If you were an otherwise law-abiding citizen, particularly a businessperson, you were good to go. One of the defenses was carrying "A large amount of cash". I have talked to people that were charged, booked and jailed, but before the judge, their "Large amount of cash" was $57.00! that was considered enough by that judge on that day! From the time I was 18 I carried $200 in reserve at all times. All the officers in my precinct knew I carried collected rents at the beginning of the month. When one ask my brother was carrying, he told them a 22. They told him to get a real gun! Back then I carried a S&W 39-2 or a 1911. They liked the idea that I would make it home to my wife. (Who just happened to be their training sergeant's oldest daughter!)

Soon it will be anyone's guess how they will enforce Constitutional Carry. But I will still have my permit, so I'm not expecting any additional problems!

Ivan

Thuer · Feb 28, 2022

Thanks for the great reactions. I wonder when H&R replace their target logo into this logo. I do think I have to look it up in the book of H&R. I do have a older Premier in .22lr to. It is a 7 shot topbreak revolver. Nice made. But you can not hit a complete Barn with it. I love it do.

bigmtnman · Mar 3, 2022

Your 926 is REALLY nice ! ..... I got this finish challenged 926 in .22lr years ago. I found an unfinished smooth set of grips for it and "worked them" to my liking. Those standard grips were just to "blocky". I do like the top break as it fills a gap in "type" of revolver for me.

Thuer · Mar 3, 2022

Nice 926 bigmtnman. Like the grips to. Ik keep mine in original condition. It is in my collection. I did not have the socalled manual ejector. Beside the model 926 is an example of a good build affordeble revolver.

DWalt · Mar 3, 2022

Ivan the Butcher said:
Soon it will be anyone's guess how they will enforce Constitutional Carry. But I will still have my permit, so I'm not expecting any additional problems!

Ivan

We've had constitutional carry in Texas for the last two years. To the best of my knowledge, it has been no big deal. Except the gun grabbers don't like the idea, and one of them running for Governor this year says he will have it repealed when he wins. I doubt he will win. The worst of the worst.

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