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Question on a old gun and ammo.

jericko
Hello

I recently acquired a H&R Premier which belong to my Grandfather who passed away in the mid 70s. While cleaning out my Grandmothers basement, I found the gun along with a half box of Remington 32 Short Colt bullets that are at least 40+ years old. You guys here help me identify the gun a month ago. My wife and I who previously did not own a gun want to use this as home protection.

In another forum, a few people posted this gun is from 1895 and CAN NOT shoot regular ammo, as it needs black powder. If thats true, why did my grandfather have a regular box of ammo with it? Do you experts think I can fire regular 32 short bullets?

Also, do you think the box of bullets that are 40+ years old are still good to shoot? I went to a few gun shops and it seems impossible to find these bullets anymore.

One last question, would this gun be good for home protection?

Thanks to all who reply, sorry for the novice level question.

http://www.tconl.com/~jericko/001.JPG

http://www.tconl.com/~jericko/HR1.JPG

Jason Norton
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • Hawk Carse
    1. The ammunition you have is not correct. A Harrington & Richardson of that type is chambered for .32 Smith & Wesson, not .32 Short Colt. The Short Colts will likely fire and not blow it up which was probably ok for Grandpa, but accuracy and performance will not be good.
    2. Here is what you need.
    http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,7770.html
    Note that the catalog description says .32 S&W Short which is not accurate. The box is labeled with the correct name, simply .32 S&W. (There is a .32 S&W Long, but the shorter cartridge is not named "short.") Modern smokeless powder ammunition will not blow it up... probably, but it would put more wear and tear on it than black.

    I don't consider an elderly .32 to be a very effective home protection weapon. The best buy in basic defense is a police trade-in .38 Special. The Smith & Wesson Military & Police Model 10 is the most common, but a Colt or Ruger of the same type would be good, too.
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  • partisan
    It's great that you and your wife want a firearm for home defense, but please invest a few hundred dollars and get a modern firearm. The .32 caliber round is NOT a good defensive round! If you get a revolver make sure that it will accept .38+P ammo at the very least. My recommendation for new gun owners is a .357 mag with a 4" bbl. You can shoot the less expensive .38 spl rounds for practice, and keep it loaded with the outstanding performing rounds of >357 Mag.
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  • coledigger4
    First off, I am definitely NOT an expert around here. I use this forum to learn. That being said, I think you should either hang on to this gun as an heirloom or sell it. Then, buy you something that is comfortable for you to shoot and get totally familiar with it. Most important though, get something that you can easily find ammunition for and practice. One last bit of advice, don't be a stranger here. There is a wealth of information here, use it to your advantage.
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  • CS8161
    I agree with the other responses, it would be foolish to rely on that caliber for self defense, its anemic and not very effective. (and it's expensive). Get yourself a used 38 or 357 revolver, 4" barrel and you will be much better served!
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  • beantownshootah
    001.JPG
    Very quaint.

    To answer backwards:

    Your gun won't make a very good choice for self defense if you can't find ammunition for it! How are you going to practice?

    Now, even if you could find ammo for it, this .32 caliber round is really weak and would make a pretty poor choice for self defense. As mentioned a relatively inexpensive .38 special revolver would work a lot better.

    Are the 40+ year old bullets still good? I'd actually bet they are, but there is really only one way to find out for sure.

    Still, rather than firing them, consider that they (and the gun) may have collector's value, and maybe you shouldn't fire them.

    I'd suggest retiring this old gun as a family heirloom (or selling it), and investing a relatively small amount of money in a better one.
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  • jericko
    I want to thank everyone for all the replies! I am going to take your advice and retire the gun. I need to start researching and figure out what type of gun I should get.

    Thanks
    Jason
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  • CS8161
    If you have a local range that will allow you to rent some different guns to try out, then you can see what fits you best, revolver or semi-auto. A S&W model 10, 13, 15, 19 or 66 will be a great, solid revolver for home protection.
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