H&R 642 – A Little Cutie . . .

Let’s kick this off with the almost obligatory glamour shot . . .

I found this little darling languishing away in a pawn shop – a deal was negotiated – and just like that my H&R 732 had somebody to hang out with . . .

The 642 is a .22 Magnum versus the 732 chambered in .32 S&W Long – the .22 Magnum out of the 2 1/2″ barrel – think less than .22 long rifle performance out of a 16″ barrel. The serial number date code puts both of these as last year year of production ( 1982 ) guns – some date code info for H&R firearms can be found here.

The 2 “big” visual differences – the parkerized finish vs blue on the frame and the non-fluted cylinder – not real sure the reasoning behind the finish – and the cylinder looks good without flutes – and you are just not generating enough pressure ( with .22 Magnum ) to make it a necessity to not flute the cylinder – but without the flutes it does makes it more cost effective to produce.

The 642 is a push/pull revolver – to remove the cylinder you push the button and pull the pin – if the fired casings don’t drop free? You use the pin to push them out of the cylinder.

The 642 – unlike a lot of H&R’s other .22 long rifle offerings – came with just the magnum cylinder – cost saving measure? 3 pieces is about as simple as it gets . . .

The only other “visual” difference between the two are the sights and the size of the hole in the end of the barrel. As far as shoot-ability? Haven’t had a chance to shoot it yet. From what I have read on forums the 2 1/2″ barrel prefers 40 grain CCI Maxi-mag – and one guy tried about everything and was about to give up and dump his in on a trade until he tried Armscor 40 grain soft point – according to what he said he ended up with 2″ groups at 10 yards! I’ve said this multiple times – sometimes you have to try different brands of ammo in a given piece to find just “the” brand / weight / bullet type in order to find exactly what you need to feed it.

I’m pressed for time – down to gathering up kibbles and bits to finish the SWL antenna project – but I will try to get to the range and shoot the little darling – and if you are interested in diving in to start chasing down old Harrington and Richardson’s stuff – here is a link to Gunbroker H&R auctions <<<CLICK HERE>>>

Here it is hanging with some new friends – top to bottom : H&R 732 / Taurus 605 / the new kid in town – the H&R 642 / and the S&W 642.

Damn snubbies are like Lays Potato Chips – betcha can’t eat just one! If I can talk them all into it – and if they all promise to behave – maybe I can get all of them to pose for a group photo . . .

Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!