.22 Hornet Revolver

[timmy]

Apparently, we may all be talking past each other a little bit. My comments and posting of pictures simply intended to convey that solid farme double actions pistols loaded through loading gates existed.

The post reporting that said example was made of stainless steel undoubtedly indicated relatively modern manufacture.

In my suppositions regarding the origin of said example, I should have made it more clear that I was:

1, considering the possibility of a manufactured gun that was converted to .22 Hornet caliber (and thus not present in any manufacturer's catalog)

2. Considering the possibility of an illegal gun made in an informal workshop, which could have had any configuration, modern or not.

[TwoRivers]

I saw the weapon for not more than 15 minutes at the gunsmiths. And it was loooong ago.. Wish I could trace the weapon today and offer some more information.
I would however not agree that all H&R revolvers were paperweights. One of the handguns my father owned till his early death was a Model 999 Sportsman. It was a superb revolver and gave me years of joy. Sure it was no Smith or Colt but it was a delight-to-shoot plinker.

Cheers.

TC

That Hornet revolver would an interesting gun to see.

No, H&R put out some very serviceable .22 RF revolvers. I owned a 999 Sportsman for a while, found in pristine condition on a hill side, but traded it off, not being happy with the stiff trigger. Had actually been contemplating getting one for a trail gun when I stumbled across it. The team leader had walked right by it, and then insisted the next gun we found should by rights be his, as he had for a long time been wanting to own a Purdy SxS. Never stumbled across one, though.

When taken apart by the owner the 999 usually ends up as "shoe box" gun, brought to a 'smith for reassembly. Paperweights are the old pocket revolvers, found for $5 at any gun show not all that many years ago. Now they are "entry level collector" guns, and go for ten times as much.

Cheers.

[Safarigent]

A friend was selling one of these!
INR 350,000/-
And he got it.
In a fortnights time!!
Imahine the difference between here and there.
:/

[TC]

That Hornet revolver would an interesting gun to see.

No, H&R put out some very serviceable .22 RF revolvers. I owned a 999 Sportsman for a while, found in pristine condition on a hill side, but traded it off, not being happy with the stiff trigger. Had actually been contemplating getting one for a trail gun when I stumbled across it. The team leader had walked right by it, and then insisted the next gun we found should by rights be his, as he had for a long time been wanting to own a Purdy SxS. Never stumbled across one, though.

When taken apart by the owner the 999 usually ends up as "shoe box" gun, brought to a 'smith for reassembly. Paperweights are the old pocket revolvers, found for $5 at any gun show not all that many years ago. Now they are "entry level collector" guns, and go for ten times as much.

Cheers.

Two Rivers
Nice story there. Think its time I visited that hill side... had been wanting a Smith Model 29 ever since I saw a tall guy getting lucky with one of those
This thread is making me miss that hornet revolver. The gunsmith is dead. I talked his son yesterday. He too could not say who owned the weapon and where it could be now. In fact the incident took place such a long time ago that it is pointless going through his shop's old registers and look for an entry/ address etc. But I would still go ahead and do that if I could remember the year. But I can't.

Yes the 999 did have a stiff DA pull and I always preferred to fire in SA mode. Ours was in pristine condition and we never really had to dismantle it completely. For basic maintenance only taking off the cylinder was enough and pushing that little tab in would do the job. I found this part really handy. Do agree on the paperweight value of the old pocket models, especially the ones that came in nickel finish. There are no takes for those even in India.

Cheers
TC

[miroflex]

That Hornet revolver would an interesting gun to see.

No, H&R put out some very serviceable .22 RF revolvers. I owned a 999 Sportsman for a while, found in pristine condition on a hill side, but traded it off, not being happy with the stiff trigger. Had actually been contemplating getting one for a trail gun when I stumbled across it. The team leader had walked right by it, and then insisted the next gun we found should by rights be his, as he had for a long time been wanting to own a Purdy SxS. Never stumbled across one, though.

When taken apart by the owner the 999 usually ends up as "shoe box" gun, brought to a 'smith for reassembly. Paperweights are the old pocket revolvers, found for $5 at any gun show not all that many years ago. Now they are "entry level collector" guns, and go for ten times as much.

Cheers.

Two Rivers
Nice story there. Think its time I visited that hill side... had been wanting a Smith Model 29 ever since I saw a tall guy getting lucky with one of those
This thread is making me miss that hornet revolver. The gunsmith is dead. I talked his son yesterday. He too could not say who owned the weapon and where it could be now. In fact the incident took place such a long time ago that it is pointless going through his shop's old registers and look for an entry/ address etc. But I would still go ahead and do that if I could remember the year. But I can't.

Yes the 999 did have a stiff DA pull and I always preferred to fire in SA mode. Ours was in pristine condition and we never really had to dismantle it completely. For basic maintenance only taking off the cylinder was enough and pushing that little tab in would do the job. I found this part really handy. Do agree on the paperweight value of the old pocket models, especially the ones that came in nickel finish. There are no takes for those even in India.

Cheers
TC

TC,

What you call the paperweight models packed quite a punch for their size. They could conveniently be carried in a coat or trousers pocket and brought into action very quickly. A very handy weapon when one was in a tight corner. Reloading through the side gate was of course a slow process.

I was a taker for one of those ones.

Regards.

[TC]

Miroflex,
I only used the word 'paperweight' to draw a reference as far a commercial value of the nickel finish small H&R revolvers. I completely agree with you otherwise. They were great value for money and could be deployed fast. It is a pity that very few are around. Last week a dealer in Kolkata showed me a top break, blued, seven shot double action H&R with a three inch barrel. He had told me over phone that it was a 22 LR but one look at it and I knew he it was a 22 short. The chamber was TINY. He agreed and gulped. In less than 48 hours the revolver was gone. Sold for 1.10 lakh!

TC

[miroflex]

Miroflex,
I only used the word 'paperweight' to draw a reference as far a commercial value of the nickel finish small H&R revolvers. I completely agree with you otherwise. They were great value for money and could be deployed fast. It is a pity that very few are around. Last week a dealer in Kolkata showed me a top break, blued, seven shot double action H&R with a three inch barrel. He had told me over phone that it was a 22 LR but one look at it and I knew he it was a 22 short. The chamber was TINY. He agreed and gulped. In less than 48 hours the revolver was gone. Sold for 1.10 lakh!

TC

Dear TC,

Thank you very much for your very interesting remarks on the compact Harrington and Richardson revolvers. I quite agree on their value for money aspect. There is a cheap and cheerful side to their chararacter that may not appeal to the purist or to the connoisseur of firearms.

Your anecdote about the .22 Short seven shot revolver is most interesting and quite revealing about the shortage of handguns in India and the absurdly high prices they command, be they Short, Long or Long Rifle.

Regards,

[jaskaran.dhindsa]

Hi Tc,

Is this .22 hornet you've been talking about


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[marksman]

I have read of this H&R double action revolvers made to look like single actions but these were made in .22lr configurations only. S&W did make a batch of revolvers, but those were in ,22 Jet, a bottle neck cartridge design which didn't sell well and hence they stopped the production. There are a small number of them still floating in the American market I assume.

Marksman