H&R Muzzleloaders

The History of H&R

The history of Harrington & Richardson, shortly known as the H&R, began in 1859 when Frank Wesson started a firearms manufacturing company. He partnered with Gilbert Henderson Harrington in 1871 to form Wesson & Harrington.

By 1875, Harrington formed what later became The Harrington & Richardson Arms Company with a Wesson employee William Augustus Richardson.

Throughout its existence, H&R has presented various models of pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns like the Model 1 Handi-Rifle, H&R 330, H&R M12 5200, H&R Model 700 M1, and many others.

Following the deaths of the founders, the company passed to their heirs and opened new facilities in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Drummondville, Québec, Canada. The original firearms from 1871 to 1911 are considered highly valuable and collectable pieces today.

In the 1960s, the Rowe family acquired H&R, but the original company ceased operations in 1986. A new entity, H&R 1871, Inc., emerged in 1991 and continued the production of various firearms. The assets of H&R 1871, Inc. were sold to H&R 1871, LLC., owned by Marlin Firearms Company, in November 2000. However, product warranties were not extended to guns made before this takeover.

In December 2007, the Remington Arms Company acquired Marlin and all of H&R's assets together with it. H&R 1871, LLC's production moved to Ilion, N.Y., and its corporate offices joined Remington Arms in Madison, N.C. Remington, along with Marlin and H&R, became part of the Freedom Group. The independent manufacturing of H&R firearms came to a complete halt in 2015.

H&R Muzzleloaders Review

H&R also manufactured muzzle-loading firearms under the Huntsman and Sidekick models in the past. The first series of muzzleloaders was discontinued in the '70s due to safety concerns and reintroduced with a redesign in the '90s under both H&R and New England Firearms brands. The new threaded breech plug design was the foundation for both models.

Like all H&R shotguns and rifles, the Huntsman and Sidekick muzzleloader models come equipped with a transfer bar safety mechanism. When the hammer is not cocked and the trigger rests forward, the hammer does not contact the firing pin. When you set the hammer back by hand, it causes the transfer bar to ascend, bridging the gap between the hammer and the firing pin. If the hammer is drawn back and the trigger is activated, the hammer's impact is relayed to the firing pin through the transfer bar. Letting go of the trigger causes the transfer bar to descend, disconnecting the hammer from the firing pin.

The action is opened by pressing the release lever which is positioned on the right side of the receiver, next to the firing hammer. On the rear end, there is a breech plug that can be removed using appropriate tools. The ramrod is placed under the barrel which can be removed by undoing the breech plug, closing the action, unscrewing the forend screw and pulling the forend down. Neither of the models came with a rubber pad – they instead used a thin plastic plate at the end of the stock.

Figure 1: The H&R Huntsman, chambered for .58 caliber (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/harrington---richardson-rifles/h-r-huntsman--58-caliber.cfm?gun_id=101102225)

H&R Muzzleloaders Calibers

H&R Muzzleloaders are available in the following calibers:

• .58 caliber

• .50 caliber

• .45 caliber

Additionally, some models are available with 12 ga barrels.

The W209 shotshell primers are recommended for the ignition system.

The receivers of H&R muzzleloaders usually come without drilled and tapped holes for optics mounting purposes therefore they will have to be manually drilled by a gunsmith in most cases.

Figure 2: The receiver of H&R Huntsman muzzleloader, chambered for .45 cal (Source: https://www.armslist.com/posts/12054367/oklahoma-city-oklahoma-muzzle-loaders-for-sale---h---r---harrington---richardson-model-huntsman--blue--28---rifle--flinklock--45cal-ss2045)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With H&R Muzzleloaders

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With H&R Muzzleloaders 

For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With H&R Muzzleloaders

To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart.

Since the receivers of H&R muzzleloaders are not predrilled, there are no fixed dimensions of the holes, thus we cannot provide you with a list of interchangeable scope mounts.

Best Scope Mounts for H&R Muzzleloaders

Weaver Bases for H&R Muzzleloaders

If you are looking to add a scope to your H&R muzzleloader, then you might consider this one-piece Weaver base manufactured by the American company Leupold. Your gunsmith can use the base to easily determine the holes’ positions on the receiver before drilling. The base is made of high-grade aluminum and comes with a 10-year warranty.

Click here for Weaver bases

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu