I have an H&R 676 revolver that I know isn't worth too much to most, but would really like to have in working order. The problem (which I understand is common for these) is indexing of the cylinder. I have had 3 gunsmiths give up on this, and have bought an extra cylinder and an extra pawl. Nothing seems to work.
A gentleman who has tried to help suggested finding someone who knows these particular pistols like the back of thier hand, and would also have to have a multitude of patience. I live in Southwestern Ohio, and would like someone local, but am willing to send it off to see it done right.
Any suggestions?
The bigest problem I have found with these guns is the properly fitting of the hand/pawl. If the bend in the pressure spring is not exact it wll not work properly. Several models will have a round hole to fit the spring in but the spring may be square stock with sharp edges not allowing it to move freely up and down in the hole. The spring will move up all right but get stuck on the down stroke and cause it to freeze out of position. The edges need to be rounded in this instance even if the bend in the spring is correct. The other main thing is that the pawl moves off the ratchet right after the cyl locks up. This will be hard to time if the cyl and hand are replacements. Bench time labor charges in this instance might cause you to reach for an oxygen bottle when you get the bill......
Yep, the problem is how much "multitude of patience" you are willing to pay for at $60 an hour. I have spent hours (on my own time) on one of those guns; I can fix most of the problems, but I still advise that they are generally not worth the cost of the work. I have responded to tearful pleas about heirlooms, fixed old guns and, when I presented the bill, been told to "keep the $%^& thing."
Unless you want to put money up front, most gunsmiths won't touch them. If you can DIY or find a hobbyist to whom a challenge is more important than money, the gun is fixable. If not...
Thanks for the input, guys...maybe I will take a step back and re-evaluate. My money might be better spent elsewhere right now. With the 12 inch barrel, it might be a good lookin' wall hanger.
A 12in bbl?????? I think I might get that one repaired if I could. In all my years I have never seen aa H&R of any model with a tube that long on a handgun. I've seen about everything else, but not that. I put a red dot on a 929 with a 9in bbl for a **** hunter once and that is the longest I have personally seen. Cool..........
Gunplumber,
Yep, H&R made them.
Model 676, and 686.
The 686 was the replacement to the 676. It was basically the same revolver, with improved target sights.
Here's a couple pics of my model 686's. One with 10" barrel, one with 12".
chunkymunkey,
I think you may have bought that cylinder from me.
I also had a lot of trouble finding someone to work on one of my Sportsman's
2 guys took it and let it set around for months before finally telling me they didn't want to work on it. Finally the third guy I took it to fixed me up. He also had it a few months, but, he did an excelent job repairing it.
told me he had 3 hours work in it, and charged me $ 60.
It had the same problem as your 676, cylinder would not rotate. A friend installed a new hand, and it still didn't rotate. This started my hunt for a gin smith.
Finall, I founf this guy, and he told me it was all just a fitting problem.
My Model 999 now works like new.
He is located in Nebraska. If you would like, I will contact him, and see if he is willing to work on yours.
I know he has a pretty long backlog of work, but it was worth the wait for me!
Let me know.
Jim
chunkymunkey,
I think you may have bought that cylinder from me.
I also had a lot of trouble finding someone to work on one of my Sportsman's
2 guys took it and let it set around for months before finally telling me they didn't want to work on it. Finally the third guy I took it to fixed me up. He also had it a few months, but, he did an excelent job repairing it.
told me he had 3 hours work in it, and charged me $ 60.
It had the same problem as your 676, cylinder would not rotate. A friend installed a new hand, and it still didn't rotate. This started my hunt for a gin smith.
Finall, I founf this guy, and he told me it was all just a fitting problem.
My Model 999 now works like new.
He is located in Nebraska. If you would like, I will contact him, and see if he is willing to work on yours.
I know he has a pretty long backlog of work, but it was worth the wait for me!
Let me know.
Jim
Jim, sorry it took so long for me to reply...was this site down for a while? I could not get it to come up on either one of my computers. Anyway...yes, I bought the extra cylinder from you. If your smith only charged $60, I would be tickled to have mine back in working order for around that. Thanks for the offer to contact him and see if he would be interested...I'm certainly willing to send it to him if he will look at it. I'll wait to hear from you.
chunkymunkey,
OK,
I will try and give him a call tomorrow evening. He only answers the phone then.
I will post here or PM you if I can find something out.
Jim
p.s. Yeah, I thought it was only me, but I couldn't login here for a couple days either.
Glad it's back up.
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