h&r handy gun harrington&richardson

Question
Arms co worcester,mass u s a.     Just looking up some of my guns I a younger old school minnesota boy major hunter and fisherman got librarys of fish grams under record average 12 to 15 coon a night with my dog. Bird hunt like crazy and use my handy guns to there mint condition n they work great just got to know how to aim them I guess I just want to know the history on them and what u could tell me about them and what to do and what not to do thank you RM jr

Answer
AKA Elvis...

Here is what I wrote about the Handy gun when a previous questioner had his stolen.  It should give you what you are looking for in the way of info about the gun.  Be sure to read the part about the National Firearms Act of 1934...

Best regards,

Doug



Too bad the Handy gun you had was stolen.  They are quite collectable and depending on the condition of the gun, the values can be pretty high.  In 80% condition, the they can go for as much as $300.  If you can find one in 98% condition, that price tag can go up to $500 or more.  You can certainly buy another one, subject to the legal limitations of both federal law and state law in your state of residence.

These guns were outlawed by the National Firearms Act of 1934 which bans shotguns with a barrel of less than 18 inches or a length overall of less than 26 inches.  If you are looking to acquire one of these, it must be currently registered with the ATF or it cannot be legally owned and is subject to seizure.  Only Handy guns that were registered prior to 1968 can be legally owned.  If you find one that is not registered, buying it could get you a felony conviction and up to 10 years in prison.  

Since you had a permit for the one you purchased in 1965, I'm guessing that it was either a .410 gauge or .28 gauge smooth bore.    When you start looking for one, bear in mind that the serial number range is from 1 to 53,933.  The serial number on the barrel lug and frame should match.

In order to acquire one, should you find it, you will need to complete a new application for transfer (Class 3 Weapons Transfer) using ATF Form 5.  This assumes that state law in your state of residence still permits private ownership of Class 3 Firearms.  

I wrote an article about Class 3 transfers previously and have included the link to that discussion below.  Don't pay any attention to the gun cleaning discussion, just scroll to the part that discusses class 3 firearms.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Guns-Firearms-Projectile-1501/2008/6/GUN-CLEANING-CLA...

As far as where to find one, I'd probably check with antique gun dealers as a first step.  You can also keep an eye out on Gunbroker.com as a potential source on the internet.  GunsAmerica.com is another source.  This is going to be a really tough one to come by since there were so few made since they must be registered to be transferred legally.