Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5920
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by JimT »

I took the H&R to the Range today. Considering what it looked like when I started on it, the gun is now beautiful in that it actually shoves projectiles downrange in the general direction you want them to go!
BEFORE
1.jpg
TODAY
IMG_5057.JPG
I shot the round ball load .. the 96 gr. Bear Creek bullet (.361" diameter) ... and the Bear Creek 124 gr. 9mm bullet. I used 3.0 gr. Bulllseye and 10.0 gr. FFg Black Powder with the 96 gr. bullet and 2.5 gr. Bullseye with the 124 gr. bullet. All targets were shot at 20 feet offhand.
Lazarus 1.JPG
IMG_5062.JPG
IMG_5063.JPG
IMG_5065.JPG
I had real issues trying to see the itty bitty front sight .. and the so-called rear sight notch.
IMG_5066.JPG
It hits quite a ways to left ... but at the ranges it was intended it don't make a lot of difference. Considering where it came from until now and how pitted the bore is I believe it is doing right well.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
gamekeeper
Spambot Zapper
Posts: 17682
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: Over the pond unfortunately.

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by gamekeeper »

All things considered that's pretty neat.... :mrgreen:
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
Pisgah
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1838
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:01 pm
Location: SC

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by Pisgah »

Pretty nice results! I know what you mean about the sights -- a pimple up front and a faint wrinkle in the back...
User avatar
AJMD429
Posting leader...
Posts: 32800
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:03 am
Location: Hoosierland
Contact:

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by AJMD429 »

Pisgah wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:43 pm Pretty nice results! I know what you mean about the sights -- a pimple up front and a faint wrinkle in the back...
….it needs to see a dermatologist… :lol:
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.


Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
Bill in Oregon
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9426
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:05 am
Location: The Land of Enchantment

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Jim, this has been a really fun project. Thanks for seeing it through.
User avatar
GunnyMack
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 10702
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:57 am
Location: Not where I want to be!

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by GunnyMack »

Jim , you did one heck of a restoration on that old shootin iron ! It's certainly happy to go bang again.
So is it your new carry gun?
BROWN LABS MATTER !!
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5920
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by JimT »

GunnyMack wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 5:31 pm Jim , you did one heck of a restoration on that old shootin iron ! It's certainly happy to go bang again.
So is it your new carry gun?
Only to play with. I would hate to have to trust my life to it. :lol:
User avatar
Ysabel Kid
Moderator
Posts: 28220
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: South Carolina, USA
Contact:

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by Ysabel Kid »

What a transformation! :) Well done!

Do you know when the gun was originally made? I doubt you'd shoot it enough that the smokeless loads would be a problem, but a lot of those pocket top-breaks were never rated for smokeless powder, as I am sure you know.

Happy Shooting!
Image
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5920
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Range Time With The Old H&R .38 S&W

Post by JimT »

Ysabel Kid wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 8:27 pm What a transformation! :) Well done!

Do you know when the gun was originally made? I doubt you'd shoot it enough that the smokeless loads would be a problem, but a lot of those pocket top-breaks were never rated for smokeless powder, as I am sure you know.

Happy Shooting!
I am not sure when it was made. Definitive information on these old cheap guns is hard to nail down and I haven't taken the time to do so. I have old reloading manuals going back to 1940 and the load data even then for the old top breaks was pretty light. I plan to stick with the round ball or the 96 gr. Bear Creek bullet. They will do everything I want it to do.
Post Reply