H&R auto ejecting 38 S&W top break

[Breakaway500]

Went to a gun show today,and this little guy caught my eye. Granted,not a S&W..but made in Worcester Ma and seemed to be of good quality and in excellent condition. The gun is marked auto ejecting 38 S&W ctge. on the left side of the barrel and on top with the company address and patent dates.Serial # on heel 174363. It has a 3 1/4" barrel,nice shiny bore, times perfectly and is tight.It was marked $125(!) I offered him $100 and he said sold. I also got a bag of 38 colt ammo in the deal (65 rounds) that seem to fit the gun fine..but the gun is marked 38 S&W. Are they the same round? Is this a black powder cartridge gun? Was it made before 1898?(he sold it to me as such,but didn't really know) Thanks for any help.I did try google etc but didn't come up with anything firm.

 

[tops]

The .38 Colt short and .38 Colt long are the same dia. as the .38 Special. The difference is the length.
The .38 S&W and the .38 Colt New Police are the same dia. and length and a little larger in dia. than the above three. Larry

 

[sigp220.45]

Oh man, I would have definitely paid 100 bones for that!

You can shoot .38 S&W or .38 Short Colts in it. Both are in stock at most Cabelas and Gander Mountain stores.

Congrats on a cool gun.

 

[Breakaway500]

Thanks! Yes,ammo is easy to find and not pricey.Not a "power"round,but I would not want to stop one. I was surprised there is not more interest in H&R revolvers as they appear to be well built and have a good feel to them. Price is right too! A friend of mine paid more for a holster than I did for my gun and ammo.

 

[codenamedave]

You're GTG with smokeless loads. It's an easy tell on these H&Rs: If there are caliber markings on the left side of the barrel, it's been designed for smokeless rounds, if not it's BP only.

I got an earlier model .32 S&W BP, in worse shape, as part of a group buy and I put it's value at ~$100, so I'd say you got a dang good deal. From what research I've done, out of all the various non-S&W top-breaks from this period, the H&Rs are considered amongst the best.

 

[Breakaway500]

Took the revolver apart and gave it a good cleaning.Everything checked out,no cracks in anything and all parts matching. The stock grips have chips on the bases,so I was thinking of changing them. I can get a "new" set of the target original styles for $39..but for giggles tried on a set of J frame fake pearlies I had kicking around.Amazingly,they fit very close, and with some fitting might just stay on it.

 

[Drm50]

I get H&Rs and IJs all the time. Most have a broken spring or
broken grips. I use to get parts from Numerich and fix them for
trading stock. I don't bother anymore. Sell them for parts. They
are a pain to work on.

 

[Breakaway500]

I can imagine they are tough to work on without a side plate that removes. Hopefully I won't need to work on this one. J frame grips fit nicely with some fitting. Now I think I'll go shoot it. Best $100 I've spent in a while..

 

[Darkenfast]

With those grips, it looks like something you'd tuck in your boot for those "exciting" saloon card games! Good acquisition!

 

[thadheth]

To answer your question about whether or not the gun was manufactured prior to 1898........the answer is no. This particular model was manufactured from 1905-1940.