Curious Relics #068: Not so Young Anymore – H&R Young America Part III
Sam.S 07.12.23
Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! The last time around I covered the history and variations of an American revolver (cracks up). I of course am referring to our not-so-young H&R Young America. The irony here is that today we are going through its dating, specifications, and a list of after-market parts and accessories. Let’s dive right into the H&R Young America!
Welcome to our recurring series of “Curious Relics.” Here, we want to share all of our experiences, knowledge, misadventures, and passion for older firearms that one might categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that is at least 50 years old according to the ATF. Hopefully along the way you can garner a greater appreciation for older firearms like we do, and simultaneously you can teach us things as well through sharing your own expertise and thoughts in the Comments. Understanding the firearms of old, their importance, and their development which lead to many of the arms we now cherish today is incredibly fascinating and we hope you enjoy what we have to share, too!
Dating: H&R Young America
Like a lot of older more economical firearms, the H&R Young America falls into the trap of there being little to no information regarding dating. In fact, any data regarding early solid frame revolvers before the 1940s is mostly lost. Any resource that holds data on these guns before them likely retrieved it from the masses. People like you and I share our information on our particular guns. Luckily I had some very well-done literature on my side.
The book H&R Arms CO. 1871-1986 A Historical Reference for the Modern Collector by W.E. “Bill” Goforth was extremely helpful with clearing some of the fog and not just in the sense of dating these old guns. Thanks to this book I know that my particular H&R Young America is a Second Model. For more on variations check out this article. This means it was produced between 1905 and 1941. Better yet I know that these guns started with consecutive serial numbers starting at number 1 and going up to 500,000 or more. My revolver falls into the 330,000 range which by sheer guesstimation puts it in the 1930s at the very least.
Specifications: H&R Young America
The H&R Young America was made from 1884 until 1941. There were several “models” and variations. This included slight changes, black powder to smokeless, 32 S&W and 22lr, hammerless, pocket models, and so on. Towards the end of its production frames from the Young American were used for the Young America. Several sources list this gun’s ideal range as “card table distances”.
- Years Produced: From 1884 to Roughly 1941
- Number Manufactured: 1 Million+ (the real number is unknown but each variation and sub-variation had production numbers of 100,000 at least)
- Operating System: Revolver, Double Action/Single Action
- Chambering: 32 Smith & Wesson (Short)
- Barrel Length: ~1.5 – 2 Inches
- Overall Length: 5 inches from heel to crown
- Weight: Roughly 9.2 oz
- Capacity: 5 Rounds (32 S&W) 6 Rounds (22lr)
- Front Sight: Fixed Front Half Moon
- Rear Sight: None
- Grip: Checkered Black Plastic/Horn
After Market Parts & Accessories: H&R Young America
Surprisingly these little guys do not have a lot of parts support despite the extremely high production numbers. Unsurprisingly this is likely because of their rather budget nature. If they broke they were thrown away, discarded, or no one bothered to part them out. However, sources for new grips are common (32 models and 22 models). A reputable source would be TripleK, I have ordered from them before and most of the time some fitting or filing may be necessary. The old faithful Numrich has a few small pieces but a majority are out of stock. eBay has and will have parts here and there. Since these revolvers do not hold a lot of value or collectability (to each their own, collect them all!) in most cases it is more cost-effective to find a used revolver on the market than locate spendy parts to repair an existing one. No accessories are currently offered for these revolvers that I could locate.
End of Part Three: H&R Young America
Despite this revolver’s rather cheapness if you pardon my usage of the word, it should not take away its quality for the time. H&R was trying to provide security and safety to millions of people and make the effort to make it affordable. Yes, by today’s standards, they are nothing more than a Saturday night special or that old gun found for $150 at an estate sale. It is a blink in Harrington & Richardson’s history but a very large footprint in their portfolio. I can hear you all now. “How does it shoot”? More on that to come! See you next time.
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics segment informed as well as entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We did not just realize how guns were supposed to look and function. It was a long and tedious process that has shaped the world we live in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm out there that you feel does not get much notoriety? What should our next Curious Relics topic cover? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
