H&R Pistol Need Help!

[STUGOTZ]

Picked this pistol up the other day, I believe it’s a 38 S&W however it does not have any caliber markings on it nor a serial number. I know it’s an H&R 5 shot revolver nickel-plated composite grips and looks to be in great condition. I was wondering if any one could give me any information on this piece, history, and value? It has marking on the top of the barrel mostly dates that the camera would not capture, it reads as follows.
HARRINGTON & RICHARDSON ARMS COMPANY WORCESTER. MASS.U.S.A.
PAT.OCT.4;87.MAY 14& AUG.6;89.APRIL 2;95.APRIL 7,1896.

Any help would be appreciated

33938
33939
33940

[Echo]

From the looks, it looks like it is chambered for 38 S&W, but i would like to see some measurements before loading it up...

[steg]

The Revolver is at my Son's Place, STUGOTZ is my Son, I can't give a measurement of the cylinder bores, but a .38 special will go in like it would any .38 special would, evidently when they were bored they weren't planning on someone coming along and lengthening the casing, so I'm pretty sure about the .38 S&W caliber. He did find a serial number after pushing a small button on the top of the frame, close to where you would lift to break open the revolver and removing the cylinder, their were actually three serial numbers two of which were abreviated, one was on the extractor, and I don't remember where the third one was. The full serial number was under the strap on the frame.........................steg

[Wayne Smith]

Actually rather well made little guns. A little complex in the internals if they are like the .22's. I doubt that they were chambered for the Special in the top strap frame, but I've been wrong before!

[Jal5]

Check out the Graybeard webpage under H&R subforum there is a section on these guns if I remember right. go2gbo.com

Joe

[JIMinPHX]

There are a bunch of those little H&R top breaks floating around in .38S&W cal. I've come close to buying one several times, but never actually taken the plunge. I've seen them in both blue & nickle finishes going for anywhere from $100-$250 in decent condition. I probably should have bought the nice shiny blue one that I saw for $125 down in Tombstone a few years back, but I didn't.

,38S&W is a much shorter cartridge than a .38 Spl. The S&W is also slightly larger in diameter. I've spoken to several people who have tried to make S&W brass by cutting down Spl. brass. Some reported success. Others reported split cases. The nominal boolit diameter for the S&W is .360".

As a rule, the top break revolvers are considered weak by design. The H&R is one of the better ones though. The only factory ammo that I have seen was loaded with a cast boolit. I've seen factory ammo in Sportsman's Warehouse as recently as a few years ago, but I'm not really looking for it. The industry pressure limit for that cartridge is only 13,000CUP (per Speer #13). Take it easy on that old girl if you decide to shoot her.

[bhn22]

It's a 38 S&W alright. The breaktops were the weakest action that could accept the 38 S&W, which began life as a blackpowder cartridge in 1877, IIRC. Except to possibly pop off a couple of rounds of factory 38 S&W, I personally wouldn't fire it. 38 S&W bullets are normally about .361 in diameter, as opposed to the nominal .358 of the 38 SPl. The cases are larger in diameter than 38 Special too, and my efforts in the past to make cut off cases work consistently failed, and I abandoned the practice. I just to accumulate H&R revolvers, one of the first things you learn about them is that the flat leaf springs used in them break under regular use, the trigger return spring was the worst offender, followed by the hand spring. Value is not high, check the auction sites for realistic street prices. Don't look at what people ask for things, look at what they actually sell for.

[steg]

Thanks for the info guys, still don't know what were going to do with it, I'd say the Nickel is at least 99.5 intact, I'ts a pretty little thing, but were just into shooters, so were probably goiing to sell it...

[bhn22]

I ended up selling all of mine, although I still get tempted from time to time.