H & R Firearms

H & R 1871, LLC
Type Subsidiary
Industry Firearms
Founded 1871
Headquarters Ilion, N.Y. (manuf.) & Madison, NC, (admin.) USA
Key people Nathan Harrington, William Augustus Richardson, George F. Brooks
Products Single-shot, pump-action, and semi-auto shotguns. Single-shot rifles.
Website H&R Website

H & R 1871, LLC (Harrington & Richardson) is a manufacturer of firearms under the Harrington & Richardson and New England Firearms trademarks. H&R is a subsidiary of the Freedom Group.

Contents

History

The original H&R firm was in business for over a century from 1871 to 1986.[1]

Frank 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 his 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 sister).

In 1894 the company opened a new facility on Park Avenue in Worcester, Massachusetts. The factory was expanded again after a few years. The firearms produced through this time to 1911 carry extreme value as original antiquities. 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 Cockbum street in Drummondville, Québec, Canada.

In the 1960s H&R was acquired by the Rowe family, and warranty cards were sent to 'Industrial Rowe', Gardner, Massachusetts. The original H&R company went out of business in 1986, and the building was demolished.[2]

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). Remington, along with its Marlin and H&R subsidiaries, are now part of the Freedom Group.

Locations

Some of the other factory addresses that Harrington & Richardson has used:

and

and

Military contributions

H&R built flare guns during World War I, and a variety of firearms, including the Reising submachine gun during World War II. H&R was granted a contract to produce the M1 rifle during the Korean War, although the first deliveries of the rifles were not made until after the Armistice. H&R manufactured 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 National, & GM Hydramatic Division) to have ever made an official M16 variant for the U.S. Military.[1] Due to their relative scarcity, all H&R military weapons are considered collectable.

Miscellaneous

Patents

Products

Revolvers

Solid Frame (All models discontinued)

Note: Many of the above guns are stamped as "H&R .22 Special" / ".22 W.R.F. or .22 Winchester Rim Fire

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.

Top-Break (All models discontinued)

Pistols

(All models discontinued).

Shotguns

Rifles

Military rifles

(All models discontinued).

References

  1. ^ a b "About Us" by Harrington & Richardson at the H&R 1871 web site
  2. ^ Walgreens Store locator
  3. ^ "243 Park Avenue"Advertisement showing 243 Park Ave as the address for H&R
  4. ^ "320 Park Avenue"Letter from H&R showing 320 Park Ave as the address for H&R
  5. ^ "439 Park Avenue"Advertisement showing 439 Park Ave as the address for H&R
  6. ^ "484 Park Avenue"Advertisement showing 484 Park Ave as the address for H&R
  7. ^ Warner, Ken (1990). Gun Digest 1991 45th Annual Edition. DBI Books. p. 292. 
  8. ^ Smith, Walter Harold Black; Joseph Edward Smith (1968). The W.H.B. Smith Classic Book of Pistols. Stackpole Books. p. 739. 
  9. ^ http://www.hr1871.com/Firearms/Combos/handislug.asp
  10. ^ 2010 Standard Catalog of Firearms copyright 2009 by Krause Publications, Inc.
  11. ^ Excerpted from The M1 Garand: Owner’s Guide copyright 1994 by Scott A. Duff.

External links