A good cheap gun - H&R 929 Sidekick, circa 1979

[sigp220.45]

I'm a sucker for utilitarian guns, the cheaper the better. I've owned several H&R .22s, but this is my first 929.

Six inch barrel, 9 shots, swing out cylinder.

Hey, its pinned and recessed!

That's a lot of holes.

Sights are kind of semi-adjustable.

The grips feel great, and the action is tight and crisp. The double action pull is stout but smooth. The single action pull is really nice. It should be a good shooter - I'll know on my next range trip.

Any other H&R revolver fans here?

I remember poring over old copies of the Gun Digest when I was kid, and looking at the prices on guns I saw on TV, like Hutch's Colt Python and thinking I could never afford one. I would take solace in the poor guy section where I could at least imagine being able to buy an H&R Defender .38 or a 929 Sidekick.

 

[DWalt]

I had one with a 2" barrel back in the early 1960s, and I liked it. It's one of several guns I have owned that I have no idea about what happened to it. I do not remember selling it or giving it to anyone, but I no longer have it.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I had a 2" and a 4" M929. I liked them both but I gave the 2" to my then father-in-law about 20 years ago and I gave the 4" version to my present girlfriend a couple of years ago. She still has it somewhere in her house. Probably never loaded it!

 

[dmthomp32]

I have always loved the H&R revolvers as well as the High Standards. Unique styling, utilitarian design and function. I've owned several 999 sportsmen, several of the DA cowboy style (649?) and several sentinels (.22 high standard snubbies). While I always get drawn to them, it's kind of like a moth to the flame mentality. I get excited over them, looking and fondling but when I make the purchase something always let's me down and I feel burned. After owning 6 different examples I personally have sworn them off. Im always hopeful though that others will appreciate and enjoy them as they need some love too! Nice example OP!

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[thadheth]

I have a couple of H&Rs - top-breaks, a 922 (similar to yours, but without a swing out cylinder - remove the cylinder pin and it drops out), and a 999 Sportsman (certainly no K-22, but a solid and decently-machined firearm).
H&R's were the average person's guns. As a basis for comparison, the 1936 Stoeger catalog shows the following prices:
$35 for an S&W 22/32 Heavy Frame Target;
$21 for an H&R Sportsman; and
$9.25 for your H&R 922.

 

[sigp220.45]

I have always loved the H&R revolvers as well as the High Standards. Unique styling, utilitarian design and function. I've owned several 999 sportsmen, several of the DA cowboy style (649?) and several sentinels (.22 high standard snubbies). While I always get drawn to them, it's kind of like a moth to the flame mentality. I get excited over them, looking and fondling but when I make the purchase something always let's me down and I feel burned. After owning 6 different examples I personally have sworn them off. Im always hopeful though that others will appreciate and enjoy them as they need some love too! Nice example OP!

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Haha! I know exactly what you mean!

I’ve probably owned a dozen over the years, but the only ones to stick around are a 1940s 999 and an even older 4” topbreak .38 that supposedly belonged to a mine worker’s union boss’s bodyguard.

I have a good friend who really loves H&Rs and he tempts me to trade for shiny things. Maybe I’ll hang on to this one for a while.

 

[DWalt]

The only H&R I presently have is a ca. 1964 4" Defender top break in .38 S&W (the one with the strange bird head grip). It shoots as well an any other revolver I own.

 

[Old Corp]

I currently have a 4" M929. Came to me after my Dad died. But what makes it a memorable piece is that I was working my first real 'paycheck job' at an LGS as a 16 y.o. and sold it to my Dad there. I think he was tickled to do the deal with me, his son. (IIRC, they were about $80 in the mid-70's)
Still shoots great.

A couple years ago I wanted a M999 and a friend sold me his 6" c.1970 model. Like it, but it does shoot a bit higher than the range of adjustment can cope with in the weird adjustable front sight.

 

[ColbyBruce]

sigp220.45 I am constantly amazed at what you bring home. My first used handgun was the version of that revolver that had the removable cylinder and no ejector; I think it was a H&R 622.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Okay, I actually cannot tell you if I had two 929s or 999s. The ones I had look like the one in the OP's post. How would I tell the difference?

 

[Old Corp]

Okay, I actually cannot tell you if I had two 929s or 999s. The ones I had look like the one in the OP's post. How would I tell the difference?

The M999 'Sportsman' was a break-top, whereas the 929 was a basic swing-out cylinder hand ejector.

 

[HughD1]

As accurate as I am. Goes bang most of the time. Double action trigger pull will test the strength of your trigger finger! I usually just shoot it single action.


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[Qc Pistolero]

Lots of guns have a price that's right but the H&R,while not being the most beautiful piece of artillery around sure has a price that is right and a clockwork that'll make it go bang everytime.And the few that I've tried at the range did it with more than enough accuracy.

 

[swsig]

I currently have a 4" M929. Came to me after my Dad died. But what makes it a memorable piece is that I was working my first real 'paycheck job' at an LGS as a 16 y.o. and sold it to my Dad there. I think he was tickled to do the deal with me, his son. (IIRC, they were about $80 in the mid-70's)
Still shoots great.

I also inherited mine from my Dad. He bought his H&R "Expert" .22lr target model (10" barrel) around 1938. He rarely shot it, so it is in excellent condition. Its only drawback is its rear sight, which is an itty-bitty notch in the top-break latch. Unless you're shooting in bright daylight, it is very difficult to see it well enough to align it with the front sight. I shoot it a couple of times a year, 100-150 rounds at a time, and it's never missed a beat. Double action is pretty tough, with maybe a 15-lb. pull, but single action is great, a short, smooth 3.5-4 lb. pull. I've attached a photo below.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

I also inherited mine from my Dad. He bought his H&R "Expert" .22lr target model (10" barrel) around 1938. He rarely shot it, so it is in excellent condition. Its only drawback is its rear sight, which is an itty-bitty notch in the top-break latch. Unless you're shooting in bright daylight, it is very difficult to see it well enough to align it with the front sight. I shoot it a couple of times a year, 100-150 rounds at a time, and it's never missed a beat. Double action is pretty tough, with maybe a 15-lb. pull, but single action is great, a short, smooth 3.5-4 lb. pull. I've attached a photo below.

When I started shooting in the mid '70s,we had a member who was a judge who showed up at the range with one exactly like that one.
We had a range of but 50 yards and had reduced metallic silhouettes made.Of course it didn't take long to organise some saturday afternoon competitions shooting at those,sometimes with a few $ or beers as a trophy(of course when Your Honour wasn't there!T'was illegal.).I remember the first time he showed up with his gun,there were lots of grinning and some low voiced remarks about the looks of the ''assembly of heteroclite metallurgy''.Of course,there were no mention about any money prize;we were all doing it for the sole recognition of being a good shooter.
Well,when his turn came,he cleaned up the small chickens at 50yds single handed.
After it was all over and he was declared winner,some of us overheard him say to his brother in a muffled tone:''too bad we didn't put some money on the exercise''!!!!

 

[KarmannGhia]

I grew up shooting my dad's H&R 929. I have had a few different H&Rs in 22 LR and 32 S&W long over the years. They were affordable enough that I have since gifted them away to siblings. My only current one is a 999. Very good gun for the price.

 

[dmthomp32]

Has anyone paid attention to the prices of the 999, especially the early ones? They have been steadily rising. Out of all the HR and High Standard revolvers I've had, my favorite feature has always been the break-top with the 9 round cylinder. While the double action pull isn't in the game of other revolvers, once you break the action and fling out all those little empties it is pure joy!

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[Wee Hooker]

Anything with a swing out lender was the Cadillac of the H&R line. I used to have a REAL basic 929 with the pull pin cylinder when I was a kid.
Later on in my 20's, ( just about 1979) I bought a 939 target model with real polished bluing , vent rib, thumb rest grips and slab sided barrel. I thought it a Mercedes at the time!

 

[MNruss]

The H&R numbering system confused me

To the point I made a spreadsheet with features.
In general :
500’s
586 32 HR Mag western frame Adj Sight
600’s
622-633 22,32 Classic H&R DA solid-frame pull pin to load
649-676 Western frame various finishes , windage sights
686 Western frame Adj sight
700’s
732-733 DA 32 side swing HE windage sight
767 Western frame groove sight
800’s
826-833 DA side swing HE adj sight
900s mostly 9-shot if 22lr
900 DA goofy semi-solid crane-less side swing/pop-out cylinder groove sight
903-905 DA side swing HE adj sight
925-926 Top break NOT Auto-eject
929-940 DA Side swing groove or windage sight
949 western frame windage sight
999 the well-known sportsman
This is based on watching GB auctions for a few weeks.

 

[mtgianni]

I prefer the High Standard 22 revolvers. The H&R I owned and another I shot both spit to the side and I didn't want to deal with timing issues. Mine was more accurate with the 22 mag cylinder.