Harrington & Richardson Model 900 Revolver: Old-School

Not long ago I spotted a revolver that just looked a little off compared to the dozens of Harrington & Richardson revolvers I’ve seen over the years. The Model 900 looks like a swing-out-cylinder revolver, but it also resembles the Harrington & Richardson with a removable base pin. The truth is it is neither.

The Model 900 was produced from 1964 to 1976, and at the time of introduction Harrington & Richardson offered two basic revolver lines. The less expensive one was a double-action/single-action nine-shot .22 rimfire that had to be loaded and unloaded by removing the cylinder base pin and pulling the cylinder—unloading accomplished by knocking spent cartridge cases out one at a time with the cylinder pin.

The more expensive double-action revolvers with swing-out cylinder operated much the same as any other swing-out-cylinder revolver, except there was no cylinder release. Pulling the ejector rod forward released the cylinder for loading and unloading.

The Model 900 was an attempt to simplify production of the more expensive type of revolver while providing a more attractive option than the base-pin gun.

Features

It features an easily removable cylinder, but there is no crane. The cylinder is removed by pulling forward on the combination base pin/ejector rod and pushing the cylinder from right to left out of the frame.

The ejector rod is pressed to the rear to eject spent cases. I found that for the most part even high velocity 40-grain .22 Long Rifle spent cases are easily ejected. For some brands, and especially with a dirty chamber, a little more effort is needed to dislodge the empties.

To reinstall the cylinder, the base pin/ejector rod unit is pulled slightly forward. The cylinder cannot be placed in the frame unless the hammer is on the safety notch.

As I mentioned, this unique design was intended to cut manufacturing costs, but it is interesting that the frame retained the cartridge loading cutout common to the less-expensive revolver.

Unique Design

While not the handiest system, this opening in the right-hand recoil shield allowed cartridges to be loaded without removing the cylinder. And if you had a long pin or rod, spent cases could be ejected without the hassle of removing the base pin. The opening was tight enough that loaded cartridges would not fall through the opening with the muzzle elevated, per my testing.

The Model 900 was offered with 2.5-, four- and six-inch barrels; the 2.5-inch gun shown here was more scarce. Some people have mentioned a chrome-plated version. Many Harrington & Richardson revolvers featured large grips and a long barrel, but this one has the shortest barrel and a small grip.

The trigger trips an external sear that is exposed just behind the trigger. The double-action trigger is fairly smooth, and the single-action trigger is crisp and breaks at less than four pounds.

The Model 900 did not prove to be popular and is far less common than the base-pin models or the swing-out-cylinder revolvers. Prices for the 900 vary depending on condition, and the one pictured here was purchased for $150.

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