H&R 732 Problem, AKA Bad Gunbroker Experience

T

TruthTellers

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I won an auction on a used H&R 732, my first ever used gun I've bought on Gunbroker.

It had a broken grip and some nicks and scratches, but I expect to see that from a used gun. What I don't expect when it's not mentioned anywhere in the listing is a revolver that has a timing issue.

From what I can gather the issue is related to the cap of the cylinder crane being bent and it causes enough interference with the hand rotating the cylinder that it doesn't rotate the cylinder enough until the bolt locks in place.

It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens whenever the end cap is in the same two positions. I know this because I made a little line with a colored pencil and when the line is at the 5 or 7 O'clock position, the cylinder does not fully lock into place.

So, is this something I should send back and eat the money on or do those hear with some gunsmith knowledge think it's possibly fixable?
 
If you can return it, you should.
Then save up more money and buy a good quality gun.

It could probably be fixed, but you'd still have a cheap gun.
 
i will agree that an H&R 732 is an economy gun, but it is actually heavier than an S&W Model 30, has a heavier barrel and better sights with some adjustability. Mine shoots pretty well but I admit I would give it up before my 30-1.

Failure to come into complete lockup is common with economy revolvers, and I have a Colt Police Positive 32 that has the syndrome, although it is a quality piece but it is old and this is an issue of old guns.

Couple questions. Does this happen in both single and double action mode? Sometimes this will happen in single action mode but the trigger pull for firing will index and lock the cylinder before the round fires. In which case the gun is safe to fire. Another thing you can do is, after cocking the hammer, simply manually advance the cylinder until the bolt catches, then it will be entirely safe to fire.

I can't tell from your description exactly what might be bent or damaged. If something is bent, then repair is the thing to do.
 
It happens in either single or double action. I'll do a DA pull and test the cylinder after the hammer drops and it's the same two positions relative to the orientation of the bent cylinder cap.

If I could figure out how to take the end cap off I could test it and see if the issue is still there, but like others said, it's a cheap gun. I wasn't looking for amazing quality, I just wanted a .32 S&W Long that was safe to shoot.

4 out of 6 cylinders being safe doesn't cut it. I'd rather buy a shotgun chamber adapter for the money I spent than have this sit around waiting to get fixed.

What I wonder now is if this is an issue that's going to effect all models of the H&R 732 and 733 and if it is, I'm not going to bother with them and I'll have to find another .32 revolver.
 
I contacted the seller and had no issues getting a shipping label to return the gun. Great service, but I expect that from one of Gunbroker's top 100 sellers.

Now I'm stuck wondering whether I should ever buy a used revolver online again. I mean, even if I paid $100 more for the same model, but in better condition, I'll have no way of knowing if it's any good until I pick it up at my ffl. I could buy a Colt Police Positive and still have the same issues.

*sigh*
 
I have bought several guns off GB and never had a single issue. Don't give up. But you might save a little more money up and buy a better 32 long. Its hard to go wrong with a J Frame 32 from S&W. I have 6 of them. Everyone was bought used and they all work just as they should.
 
I bought 2 732's and a NEF 32 Mag off of GB. They were all fine and with 32 S&W L were very nice to shoot. The 732's were NOS in the boxes with papers. They left me in a trade for 2 642 Smiths, no regrets.
 
Now I'm stuck wondering whether I should ever buy a used revolver online again. I mean, even if I paid $100 more for the same model, but in better condition, I'll have no way of knowing if it's any good until I pick it up at my ffl. I could buy a Colt Police Positive and still have the same issues.
Click to expand...
Find a good used Ruger and you won't have to worry about the quality.
Ruger will repair or replace their guns free, forever.
 
I've had similar problems with a couple of guns I bought off gunbroker. But not all of them. You really have to find a good seller who post good deals and then keep them in your search list.
I bought a gun from a seller on GunBroker who lists lots of very cheap guns many of which have issues listed in the description. The gun I got was a charter undercover that ended up having lots of light primer strikes. I don't think the seller knew of that problem because I don't think they fired it at all before reselling it. Luckily charter stands by their guns and fixed the problem for free under warranty.
This is just a problem with used guns in general. Some of them may have issues which is why the original owner got rid of them but a pawnshop or GunBroker seller won't know enough to do a significant inspection and uncover the problem that exists. I don't see it so much as a problem with GunBroker as it is a problem with buying used guns online with no ability to conduct a physical inspection.
If the manufacturer of the gun does not have good warranty policies I generally will not buy the gun without being able to do a very in-depth physical inspection. I'm much more willing to take risks if the manufacturer still stands by their guns. Like Ruger, Smith and Wesson or charter. And I think that's a major reason why I think those brands command better prices in the secondary market.
 
Those H&R revolvers have a chronic problem with timing, due mostly to the simple fact that the cylinder ratchet teeth are quite small and prone to wear; the matching hand must also be small to engage the ratchet teeth and thus is also more prone to wear than larger hands on other revolvers. Obviously, the nine shot cylinder makes things worse, since the ratchet must be reduced in size, making it even more prone to wear.

This is just another case where H&R never was able to get the cash for a complete redesign of their revolver; they tried upgrades, but the gun remained basically an 1890 design.

Jim
 
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