H&R have been around for a long time, originally the heirs to Frank Wesson's gun making enterprise. It would seem that Frank - brother to Daniel B. Wesson of S&W fame - had approached Ballard & Fairbanks with a patent he owned (1868) to manufacture his revolver. After some consideration (S&W still owned the Rollin White patent), F&B declined. They probably did not want to take the risk that S&W would get an extension on the patent, and render their new venture in contravention of the patent. Frank Wesson, perhaps relying on family ties to Daniel, went ahead with the venture, bringing in his nephew Gilbert Harrington. Frank probably thought that if his brother's patent had been extended, he would be able to negotiate an exception for himself. Wesson & Harrington bought up the machinery from F&B, and began producing breech loading revolvers in 1871. Frank Wesson was already getting on in years, and worked more in a supportive, advisory capacity, while Harrington supervised the day-to-day operations. William Richardson, Frank's son-in-law, was in charge of production. By 1874 Frank had decided to step back even further, and sold his share in Wesson & Harrington to William. The firm of Harrington & Richardson was born. Wesson & Harrington and Harrington & Richardson co-existed for a while, until in about 1877 or 1878 Frank's interest in W&H had been fully transferred to Richardson.
H&R's first products were the common, and widely popular pocket revolvers we know as "suicide specials", although H&R products are generally of better quality than your typical suicide special. By the late 1870's single-action spur trigger revolvers had become obsolete, as the new double-action bulldog types were all the rage. H&R made their last single action spur trigger in 1883. After that, as a collector in Canada, things become complicated...
The first double action revolvers were of a solid frame design. The model of 1880 came out in 1879, and was made only for a few years, until 1883. Since then, a variety of H&R double action revolvers entered the market in quick succession, proving to become one of the most popular products in the firms history. From 1880 until well into the early 20th century, H&R solid frame double action revolvers changed little. Some, like the "American Bulldog", "Young America", "Victor", and "H&R Bulldog" may, or may not, be bonafide antiques in Canada. Careful examination, and knowledge of model types and variants is necessary to make the distinction. It becomes even more confusing when H&R introduced their top break models. The earliest, the "manual extraction" was made only from 1885 to 1888, and as long as it is of the proprietary .32 H&R caliber, it would be considered an antique in Canada. The .38 caliber variant is a .38 S&W, and therefore excluded. Once the "automatic ejecting" and "hammerless" models came on the market, it became even more complicated. All in all, there are 26 variants of the top break revolver, with over 600,000 made from 1888 to 1941. Although the RCMP FRT's show many a variant, and how to tell the difference, I have found it to be unreliable, and fraught with inconsistencies. Serial number ranges are approximate, with the first 100,000 made before 1896. In 1897, a new series was begun, starting at number 1 again. So, it could be argued that a certain serial number below 100,000 was either made before 1896, or until 1903...
H&R remained in business until 1985, expanding their line to include semi-automatic pistols, shotguns, rifles, flare guns, starter pistols, and handcuffs.. During the war years of 1940 to 1945 H&R secured multiple military contracts for rifles, sub-machine guns and M-1 carbines. H&R had previously avoided government contracts for the simple reason that they had seen many an arms maker suffer, even go bankrupt, trying to fill these military contracts - companies invested heavily in machinery, staff and physical plant only to see the current "conflict" suddenly end and contracts being cancelled. Colt, Remington, Rogers & Spencer, Savage, and others all struggled to make the final days of their government contracts profitable after the Spanish-American War, Civil War, and WW I.
The H&R brand was "revived" in 1991, purchased by Marlin in 2000, by Remington in 2007, and finally by the retro-arms maker Palmetto State Armory. Since 2015 no products bearing the H&R brand have been made.
In general, H&R revolvers are not of the same quality as a Smith & Wesson or Colt. I would put them into the same class as a Merwin, Hulbert & Co. It has only been recently, in the last 10 to 15 years, that the interest in these guns has improved. Previously, they were thrown into the category of cheap "Saturday Night Specials", and could be had for under $300. Today, an excellent variant with antique status can fetch north of $3,000 in Canada...
H&R "Shell-Extracting Double Action", aka Model 1
H&R Brand Marks used over the years
H&R's first products were the common, and widely popular pocket revolvers we know as "suicide specials", although H&R products are generally of better quality than your typical suicide special. By the late 1870's single-action spur trigger revolvers had become obsolete, as the new double-action bulldog types were all the rage. H&R made their last single action spur trigger in 1883. After that, as a collector in Canada, things become complicated...
The first double action revolvers were of a solid frame design. The model of 1880 came out in 1879, and was made only for a few years, until 1883. Since then, a variety of H&R double action revolvers entered the market in quick succession, proving to become one of the most popular products in the firms history. From 1880 until well into the early 20th century, H&R solid frame double action revolvers changed little. Some, like the "American Bulldog", "Young America", "Victor", and "H&R Bulldog" may, or may not, be bonafide antiques in Canada. Careful examination, and knowledge of model types and variants is necessary to make the distinction. It becomes even more confusing when H&R introduced their top break models. The earliest, the "manual extraction" was made only from 1885 to 1888, and as long as it is of the proprietary .32 H&R caliber, it would be considered an antique in Canada. The .38 caliber variant is a .38 S&W, and therefore excluded. Once the "automatic ejecting" and "hammerless" models came on the market, it became even more complicated. All in all, there are 26 variants of the top break revolver, with over 600,000 made from 1888 to 1941. Although the RCMP FRT's show many a variant, and how to tell the difference, I have found it to be unreliable, and fraught with inconsistencies. Serial number ranges are approximate, with the first 100,000 made before 1896. In 1897, a new series was begun, starting at number 1 again. So, it could be argued that a certain serial number below 100,000 was either made before 1896, or until 1903...
H&R remained in business until 1985, expanding their line to include semi-automatic pistols, shotguns, rifles, flare guns, starter pistols, and handcuffs.. During the war years of 1940 to 1945 H&R secured multiple military contracts for rifles, sub-machine guns and M-1 carbines. H&R had previously avoided government contracts for the simple reason that they had seen many an arms maker suffer, even go bankrupt, trying to fill these military contracts - companies invested heavily in machinery, staff and physical plant only to see the current "conflict" suddenly end and contracts being cancelled. Colt, Remington, Rogers & Spencer, Savage, and others all struggled to make the final days of their government contracts profitable after the Spanish-American War, Civil War, and WW I.
The H&R brand was "revived" in 1991, purchased by Marlin in 2000, by Remington in 2007, and finally by the retro-arms maker Palmetto State Armory. Since 2015 no products bearing the H&R brand have been made.
In general, H&R revolvers are not of the same quality as a Smith & Wesson or Colt. I would put them into the same class as a Merwin, Hulbert & Co. It has only been recently, in the last 10 to 15 years, that the interest in these guns has improved. Previously, they were thrown into the category of cheap "Saturday Night Specials", and could be had for under $300. Today, an excellent variant with antique status can fetch north of $3,000 in Canada...
H&R "Shell-Extracting Double Action", aka Model 1
H&R Brand Marks used over the years
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