Need help identifying old H&R .22 pistol

[FertsinTX]

Howdy folks, I'm looking to identify a possibly very old H&R Arms Co., .22 cal. rim-fire, top release, auto-eject, 3"(ish) barrel, pistol. Other than the fact that we found it in my grandfather's belongings after his passing... I have no other information on this other than I found it with very old ammunition.







The numbers on the handle are 20939 and they're uneven which may mean they were hand stamped or engraved.

Any information the would help me identify the year, make, model, etc... would be helpful in attempting to have it identified. Also is someone would also help point me at collectors or someone who would know what to do with such an old weapon.

[Lanrezac]

I don't know much about these H&Rs myself, and our chief expert on them, Jim Hauff, appears to be ill. Here is what I can tell you:

A) Yours is the last version of the that size revolver that H&R made. This is determined by the flat sides of the grip frame. Earlier versions had the frame reduced in width there, so the grips had more of a flush fit.

B) Factory barrels (which yours definitely is) that short are scarce.

C) Hammerless H&R's in 22 caliber are also scarce, especially in nice condition. (Because the ammunition is so cheap, 22s tend to get fired more than other calibers.)

D) I've never seen those "Farm House" 22s before. There are collectors of 22 ammunition, so that box might be worth something itself. Not a lot, maybe, but a few bucks.

All the above is just my $.02. Hope it helps!

[FertsinTX]

It's not an ammunition brand... that is just the stuff that was inside a thick plastic bag that we found the gun in. We assume it belonged to my grandfather... we got some of his stuff sent to us when he passed... however as old as this gun seems to be... it might be my great grandfather's.


Also aside from the possibly broken firing pin... this gun is in firing condition. I've not tried to fire it as I live in a suburb... this is one of the rare times that being out in the country would have been beneficial. It's got no other identifying marks on it other than the ones I showed... and I've searched all over the net to find guns 'like this one' but all of them had hammers or were only 6 shots or 9 shots. So I've had a horrible time trying to track down what year this gun was made. Oh and the auto-ejector that spits out the rounds is still fully functional as well as virtually every other part.

[FertsinTX]

***UPDATE*** Took the gun to an old timer gun shop out in Dallas and he tested the gun to see if it was functional, everything is functional, the firing pin still works, and the gun is in firing condition. He said that he agreed that because of the lack of markings... this gun is from before the 1930s but has no way to find out how far back it is because of the lack of capability to contact H&R. This gun though DOES fire... and every part on it is stock and the bluing on it is still very nice. He said it looks like it was preserved in a time capsule to be that old and in such a good condition.

[Iron Eagle]

Neat gun.