Harrington & Richardson - The Firearms Forum

Ramrod · 08-16-2006, 07:26 PM

I hope some one here has a wealth of knowledge of the old Harrington & Richardson Revolvers.

I recently purchased an old revolver that is marked "The American Double Action" just in front of the hammer. There are no other markings on the revolver with the exception of the number (61) under the left grip. This revolver is a 5 shot 44 cal, I believe 44 short.
It has a 4.5" octagon barrel with no normal marking such as company name or patent dates.
The best I can determine from all of the books I have it has H & R grips.

I have been unable to find any information on the production of a 44cal manufactured by H & R.

Does anyone have any information that would be helpful in identifying the little revolver/

b.goforth · 08-16-2006, 11:50 PM

ramrod,
the 'h&r american double action' was manufactured between 1884 and 1941. it had a very long and profilic production. there were two model first model 1884-1904 and second model 1905-1941. the only external differences between the two is the second model has the company name and address marked on the left side of the barrel. the second models are the only ones that are safe with modern ammo. the american double action was offered in three calibers 32 S&W 6 shots, 38 S&W 5 shots and 44 webley/44 bulldog 5 shots. the 44 caliber model were built on a slightly larger frame than the 32 & 38 (i call it a extra large frame) and it was actually manufactured for a shorter time. the 44 caliber was discontinued in 1920. barrel length available were 2 1/2, 4 1/2 & 6 inches with the short barrel models being more common

i have not gathered enough information yet to determine if the 44 had its own serial number series or not but i do know that the first model 1884-1904 did have several different serial number series, each starting at 01 and going to 99,999 and then starting over again at 01 (these were more of a batch number than a serial number). the second model seems to only have one series for all calibers and goes to over 500,000. without the company name and address of the left side of the barrel your revolver is a first model and the only era i can give you for sure is 1884-1904. your revolver is manufactured for black powder cartridge pressures and should not be fired with smokeless ammo

this model shows up quite often on the auctions sites and i suggest you check them out to get a value. general figures are $40 for poor condition to $200 plus for excellent condition.

bill

Ramrod · 08-18-2006, 01:16 PM

Thanks Bill, Thats a great deal more information than I could find. The old revolver is still in good condition. The surface is smooth and the action crisp. Grips are in excellent condition.
Not concerned too much about value, I will just throw it into the collection. I liked it mainly because of the caliber and its different from most H & Rs

Thanks again

Have a great weekend

08-16-2006, 07:26 PM	#1
Ramrod Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: North Georgia Posts: 15	Harrington & Richardson I hope some one here has a wealth of knowledge of the old Harrington & Richardson Revolvers. I recently purchased an old revolver that is marked "The American Double Action" just in front of the hammer. There are no other markings on the revolver with the exception of the number (61) under the left grip. This revolver is a 5 shot 44 cal, I believe 44 short. It has a 4.5" octagon barrel with no normal marking such as company name or patent dates. The best I can determine from all of the books I have it has H & R grips. I have been unable to find any information on the production of a 44cal manufactured by H & R. Does anyone have any information that would be helpful in identifying the little revolver/ -->

08-16-2006, 11:50 PM	#2
b.goforth Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: houston, tx Posts: 3,174	Re: Harrington & Richardson ramrod, the 'h&r american double action' was manufactured between 1884 and 1941. it had a very long and profilic production. there were two model first model 1884-1904 and second model 1905-1941. the only external differences between the two is the second model has the company name and address marked on the left side of the barrel. the second models are the only ones that are safe with modern ammo. the american double action was offered in three calibers 32 S&W 6 shots, 38 S&W 5 shots and 44 webley/44 bulldog 5 shots. the 44 caliber model were built on a slightly larger frame than the 32 & 38 (i call it a extra large frame) and it was actually manufactured for a shorter time. the 44 caliber was discontinued in 1920. barrel length available were 2 1/2, 4 1/2 & 6 inches with the short barrel models being more common i have not gathered enough information yet to determine if the 44 had its own serial number series or not but i do know that the first model 1884-1904 did have several different serial number series, each starting at 01 and going to 99,999 and then starting over again at 01 (these were more of a batch number than a serial number). the second model seems to only have one series for all calibers and goes to over 500,000. without the company name and address of the left side of the barrel your revolver is a first model and the only era i can give you for sure is 1884-1904. your revolver is manufactured for black powder cartridge pressures and should not be fired with smokeless ammo this model shows up quite often on the auctions sites and i suggest you check them out to get a value. general figures are $40 for poor condition to $200 plus for excellent condition. bill __________________ Author: Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works 1871-1993 H&R Arms Company 1871-1986 (due spring 2010) available from www.gunshowbooks.com website; iverjohnsoncollector.x10hosting.com

08-18-2006, 01:16 PM	#3
Ramrod Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: North Georgia Posts: 15	Re: Harrington & Richardson Thanks Bill, Thats a great deal more information than I could find. The old revolver is still in good condition. The surface is smooth and the action crisp. Grips are in excellent condition. Not concerned too much about value, I will just throw it into the collection. I liked it mainly because of the caliber and its different from most H & Rs Thanks again Have a great weekend