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Firearms brand From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harrington & Richardson Arms Company (or H&R) is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.[1][better source needed]
Company type | Subsidiary |
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Industry | Firearms |
Founded | 1871 |
Defunct | February 27, 2015 |
Headquarters | |
Key people |
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Products |
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Website | H&R Website |
The original H&R firm was in business for over a century from 1871 to 1986.[2]
Frank Wesson, brother of Daniel B. Wesson who co-founded Smith & Wesson, started a firearms manufacturing firm in 1859, sharing an early patent with Nathan Harrington. Wesson produced two trigger rifles and spur trigger pistols and pocket rifles/shotguns popular for short length holster models such as the discontinued topper compact pocket shotguns. He started a brief partnership in 1871 with Harrington's nephew Gilbert Henderson Harrington, as Wesson & Harrington, until Harrington bought him out in 1874.
In 1875 Harrington and another former Wesson employee, William Augustus Richardson, formed the new Harrington & Richardson Company. In 1888 the firm was incorporated as The Harrington & Richardson Arms Company. Their original capital investment was $75,000. Harrington was president, Richardson was treasurer, and George F. Brooks was secretary. After the deaths of Harrington and Richardson in 1897, Brooks became the manager and the company was held by heirs Edwin C. Harrington (Gilbert Harrington's son) and Mary A. Richardson (William Richardson's wife).
In 1894 the company opened a new facility on Park Avenue in Worcester, Massachusetts. The factory was expanded again after a few years. Original rifles and shotguns from these dates are scarce because of their limited production and discontinued parts.
In 1950 the company opened a new facility on Cockburn street in Drummondville, Québec, Canada.
In the 1960s H&R was acquired by the Kidde corporation and run by the Rowe family. Warranty cards were sent to 'Industrial Rowe', Gardner, Massachusetts.[3] The original H&R company went out of business in 1986, and the building was demolished.[4]
A new company, H&R 1871, Inc., was formed in 1991 and started production of revolvers, single-shot rifles and shotguns using original H&R designs. H&R 1871, Inc. assets were subsequently sold to H&R 1871, LLC., a Connecticut LLC owned by Marlin Firearms Company in November 2000. H&R 1871, LLC. did not extend their product warranty to H&R guns made prior to the LLC's takeover.
Marlin, including all its H&R assets, was later acquired by Remington Arms Company in December, 2007. H&R 1871, LLC production was moved to Ilion, N.Y. (the site of Remington's original manufacturing plant) in late 2008, while their corporate offices are co-located with Remington Arms in Madison, N.C. (HR1871.com and Remington.com).[citation needed] Remington, along with its Marlin and H&R subsidiaries, are now part of the Remington Outdoor Company. H&R 1871 production ceased 27 February 2015.
In the bankruptcy auction of Remington Outdoor Company the company was sold to JJE Capital Holdings, LLC.[5][better source needed] As of September 2020, this sale, however, still needs court approval.[6] JJE currently owns several firearms manufacturing companies, including Lead Star Arms and Palmetto State Armory.[7] Though there has been no official statement, Palmetto State Arms' social media indicates that JJE may produce M1 Garand rifles under the H&R brand.[8]
Some of the other factory addresses that Harrington & Richardson has used:
H&R built flare guns during World War I and a variety of military firearms during WW 2 including the Reising submachine gun, and a .22 cal training rifle for the USMC called the Leatherneck in several models. H&R was granted a contract to produce the M1 rifle during the Korean War, but the first deliveries of the rifles were not made until after the armistice. H&R was the exclusive manufacturer of the US test version of the FN FAL, designated the T48 rifle, in the trials to select a replacement service rifle for the M1 Garand, but the US Army Ordnance Department instead adopted the M1-derived T44 as "US Rifle M-14", awarding H&R one of three contracts to produce the M14 rifle during that rifle's production cycle (1959–1964). H&R also manufactured M16A1 rifles during the Vietnam War and is one of only four manufacturers (along with Colt, Fabrique Nationale, & GM Hydramatic Division) to have ever made an official M16 variant for the U.S. Military.[2] Due to their relative scarcity, all H&R military weapons are considered highly desirable by collectors.
In the mid-1880s, Harrington & Richardson developed the proprietary 32 Harrington & Richardson (.32 H&R) cartridge for their large frame 6-shot .32 cal revolvers, specifically the Manual Ejecting and Automatic Ejection Double Action Revolvers.[9][14] The 32 H&R cartridge was dimensionally longer than many other contemporary .32 caliber pistol cartridges, including the .32 S&W, .32 Short Colt, and .32 Long Colt, and was loaded with a stout 15 grains of black powder over an 88 grain projectile (compared to the 10 grain charge of the contemporary .32 S&W, or the 13 grain charge of the contemporary .32 Long Colt). This hot loading at the time made the .32 H&R almost as powerful as the .32-20 Winchester rifle cartridge. The cartridge can also be identified by a distinct groove cut into the lead bullet just outside of the neck of the case.
Like the .32 Long Colt, The black powder .32 H&R was eventually rendered obsolete by the popularity of the .32 S&W Long introduced in 1896 and the development of smokeless powders. Note that the black powder .32 H&R developed in the 1880s should not be confused with the modern smokeless powder .32 H&R Magnum, developed over 100 years later in 1984.
In 1983, Harrington & Richardson worked with Federal Cartridge Company to jointly develop the .32 H&R Magnum.[15] The .32 H&R Magnum is produced by lengthening the .32 S&W Long case by .155", to 1.075".
The .32 H&R Magnum offers substantially more performance than most other .32 caliber handgun cartridges, such as the .32 ACP, and is considered an effective small-game hunting cartridge. Its higher velocity[16] offers a flat trajectory, while the light weight of the bullet results in low recoil.
Note: Pre-1898 solid frame revolvers were designed for use with black powder loads. Using smokeless powder rounds with these revolvers may cause damage to the revolver and/or injury to the user.
Note: Many of the above guns are stamped as "H&R .22 Special"/".22 W.R.F." or ".22 Winchester Rim Fire"
H&R produced muzzle loading firearms under the Huntsman and Sidekick models, during two different periods. The first period of muzzleloaders used a push in style breech plug and was available in 12-gauge, .58 caliber,and .45 caliber. After reports of hang fires causing injuries and mishaps this model was discontinued in the late 1970s.
The Huntsman name returned on a newly redesigned muzzle loading rifle in the mid-nineties, there were two models produced in this period, marketed under both the H&R and New England Firearms brands as the Huntsman and the Sidekick. Both were based on the new threaded breech plug design; the Huntsman had the same lug pattern as the Pardner Shotgun and Handirifle lines produced at the time allowing for the Huntsman Barrel to be fitted to those actions while the sidekick had a shorter lug to pivot pin distance. The difference in the barrel lug position made the Huntsman applicable to standard firearms laws requiring a background check as centerfire and shotgun barrels could be exchanged on the same receiver, while the Sidekick was considered a muzzle loading firearm and did not require a background check for purchase. The Huntsman and Sidekick models were available in blued and stainless finish, fiber optic sights, and 24" or 26"(magnum) 1 in 28" twist barrels.
The Huntsman barrel was available through the barrel accessory program on rifle or shotgun frames
The Huntsman and Sidekick muzzle loaders used a telescoping threaded ramrod that was designed to be able to be placed forward of the forearm lug and still match barrel length. The rod would be used to place the projectile the majority of the way down the barrel with the rod collapsed, then the rod would be extended in order to fully seat the projectile on the charge.
The new breech plug design utilized an orange Zytel plastic primer carrier that aligned the primer over the breech plug, could be removed easily with gloved or cold hands, and served as a flag indicator that the firearm was primed. There were two different threaded breech plugs that were designed for the Huntsman and Sidekick lines, one 5/8 and the other 7/8 that utilized a proprietary tool to fit in a slotted head. The 7/8 was introduced first and was redesigned with the later production utilizing the 5/8 design.
Numerous aftermarket breech plugs were designed and marketed for the Huntsman and Sidekick line offering the ability to use a bare primer, percussion caps, musket caps, and primed pistol cartridges like the later introduced Remington 700 ML.
H&R1871 offered a barrel accessory program that allowed owners to send in and have additional barrels fitted to their existing frames. The program offered rifle, shotgun, and muzzle loading barrels to be fitted to receivers produced after 1987. The barrel accessory program was discontinued in 2014.
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