H&R Firearms


H&R 1871, LLC is a manufacturer of firearms under the Harrington & Richardson and New England Firearms trademarks. H&R is a subsidiary of the Remington Outdoor Company. H&R ceased production February 27, 2015.

History

The original H&R firm was in business for over a century from 1871 to 1986.
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 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 and Mary A. Richardson.
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 during this period are great values to collectors, selling at low to moderate prices. 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. The original H&R company went out of business in 1986, and the building was demolished.
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. in late 2008, while their corporate offices are co-located with Remington Arms in Madison, N.C.. 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.

Locations

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 manufactured the M14 rifle during that rifle's production cycle. H&R also manufactured M16A1 rifles during the Vietnam War and is one of only four manufacturers to have ever made an official M16 variant for the U.S. Military. Due to their relative scarcity, all H&R military weapons are considered highly desirable by collectors.

Miscellaneous

Revolvers

H&R model 504.32 magnum large-frame, bull barrel, SA/DA swing-out cylinder possibly the same gun as the NEF R73. Made in the transition period. I have this revolver, S/N BB034356
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"

Pistols