Harrington and Richardson Experiences?

3

38splfan

New member
Do any of you fine fellows have any experience with the H&R Sidekick muzzleloaders?
They appear to have the same general features and appearance as the other H&R single shot rifles and shotguns.
I would assume they are made to similar standards resulting in the same quality as the other H&R products, which are usually decent.

I am looking for a fairly inexpensive replacement for my Hawken. My grandfather built it from a DGW kit in '74, and it is time to pass it down to my youngest brother.
H&R has always served me well, but I would like some input, good or bad, if anyone has any to share.
I really prefer the look and feel of a wood stock and a hammer, while retaining a closed breech system that would seem to be more reliable than some of the other low-budget muzzleloaders available.

I'm just tired of toting my '53 Enfeild repro to the deer woods :D
 
Thank you.

Thank you for the information.

Quite informative. I will do a bit more research, but those are definitely a step in the correct direction.
It is unfortunate to hear of the problems with them, but not completely discouraging.

Thanks again for your help.
 
I have an older H&R Huntsman .58 cal that I picked up at a yard sale for $35. It's basically the same frame as the shotguns, with one minor exception. The slot where the barrel lug mates to the frame is slightly narrower than the lug on the shotgun barrels, so the shottie barrel lugs have to be thinned a few thousandths on each side to be fitted. DON'T fit a rifle barrel to the shotgun or blackpowder frames! They're only case hardened and not made for the higher pressures. I fitted a 20g barrel to my Huntsman frame, and the flat BP firing pin has been 100% reliable in setting them off so far, so I never bothered with buying the proper firing pin. I've also fitted a 209 nipple to the breech plug, spacing it out with a washer of the proper thickness, and can use shotgun primers with it too.
I've used up to 140 grains of FF in it, then read one day in Lymans Black Powder Handbook that H&R only recommended a max load of 100 grains with ANY projectile in the .58. :eek: One bad thing about the older H&R version is that the breech plug is not threaded and screwed into the barrel, it's a finger tight, press fit and sealed with a teflon ring and a second O ring. You definitely want to wait a full minute or two to open the action in the case of a missfire! People have been severely injured and even killed by this setup.
With the 140 grain load, I can put five patched round balls into about a 2 1/2" group at 50 yards, and sometimes less than 2".
 
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