Need help identifying H&R revolver

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  • S&W19

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2013
    1,210
    Baltimore County
    Hopefully C&R is the best place to put this..
    Does anyone here have a good resource to help me ID an old H&R revolver?
    If anyone with knowledge of these wants to take a stab at it, here's what I do know:
    H&R revolver chambered for 38 S&W, top break 5 shot 6 inch barrel, blued. It has black plastic grips with the H&R logo and is the square butt style. It looks alot like their Defender model, but my references show that as out of production since the 1940's. It's also not marked Defender.
    Has 4 digit number on the butt, followed by the letter "S". My understanding is the S may indicate it was manufactured in 1956. It was aquired in Baltimore in 1968 as used and hidden away mostly untouched for the last 47 years.
    It's probably not a high valued item given that it's H&R, but bluing is 95-98%, locks up tight and is perfectly timed.
    The person who owns it says he was told it an MSP issued firearm at some point, which I highly doubt. I have no idea what they were issued over the years, so take that for what it's worth. Also, I didn't see any holster wear except maybe a very small amount around the muzzle.
    Any help would be very appreciated.
    Thanks.
     

    StantonCree

    Watch your beer
    Jan 23, 2011
    23,932
    They did have a model called the "Top Break" in that caliber. I don't know the dates it's in the price range of less then 200. They made it in a longer barrel (the 6 inch) and a 4 inch.

    The defender had that funky barrel so that would be a dead give away.
     

    StantonCree

    Watch your beer
    Jan 23, 2011
    23,932

    Boom Boom

    Hold my beer. Watch this.
    Jul 16, 2010
    16,834
    Carroll
    They did have a model called the "Top Break" in that caliber. I don't know the dates it's in the price range of less then 200. They made it in a longer barrel (the 6 inch) and a 4 inch.

    That's my guess. Some variant of 2nd Model Top Break.

    OP, even in excellent condition, they don't sell for much. They are a dime a dozen. $150-$200 maximum. Even NIB wouldn't help much.
     

    mdram

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Nov 2, 2011
    2,014
    Eastern Shore of Maryland
    Additionally that website has nothing that would answer the OP's question! I more or less pertains to H&R's history and war related items!

    really?
    the page i linked had this

    Harrington & Richardson Defender

    The Defender has a 5-shot, later 6-shot, cylinder firing the .38 Smith & Wesson round. The pistol initially had a bird’s head style grip before H&R revamped their catalogue in the late 1940s and designated the Defender the Model 925 “Defender” - these were available with the 4 inch barrel (shown above) with a full grip and a snub-nosed 2 ½ inch barrel with a rounded grip. The earlier Defenders shared the same frame as H&R's 9-shot .22 pistol, the Sportsman.

    The flat sided barrel bears a passing resemblance to the British Webley revolvers. They can be fired in both single and double action and have an auto-ejector. While they were really intended for the civilian market as a home defence weapon there is some evidence showing that the US Coast Guard used some during World War Two. There is also a possibility that some were bought by the British in 1940 as a stopgap to ease the shortage of service revolvers for frontline forces. The Defender was in production until 1984, H&R no longer make pistols.
     

    S&W19

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2013
    1,210
    Baltimore County
    Thanks all.
    It looks a lot like the Defender, but isn't labeled as such. Very similar, including the full sized grips. The latch isn't as robust or square looking as the Defender.
    I'm not really interested in the value, because I know they aren't worth very much. Definitely more interested in the history, when it was manufactured, etc.
    Any additional info would be appreciated as well. Thanks again.
     

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