[DankSinatra]

Hello i started a profile here mainly to get info on this, I have this 1895 H&R revolver like pic (pic is not of mine, i wish mine was that good)

(sorry for my ignorance)

mine when i dry fire wont spin, should i try to shoot it? I am wanting to take it into a gun smith and see if i can get replacement parts or what not(if needed).
I feel like if i put bullets into it, it will align and fire right, but I dont want to take a chance.
I am wondering if this would be worth it, i know its fairly a cheap gun, but it was my great grandfathers and I want this to be shootable. Can I still get parts for this, and does anybody else have one?

[danf_fl]

You can still get parts (or a good smith can make the parts needed).
If it will not rotate the cylinder to bring a new cartridge up, DO NOT SHOOT IT!
If it has not been checked out by a smith, DO NOT SHOOT IT!
If the cylinder does not index correctly to the bore, DO NOT SHOOT IT!

Some handguns (especially family heirlooms) are nice to have a little piece of history written about it. Put in on a small piece of paper and keep it with the handgun. Future owners will know then another item about their ancestors.

[c3shooter]

Agree with above 1000%.

Most likely, the hand or hand spring is bad. When you cock a revolver, the hand, a sliver of metal, is pushed forward againat the star on the rear of the revolver cylinder, making it turn. It is necessary that the cartridges be aligned rather precisely with the barrel (known as timing) otherwise, IF the gun fires, the bullet is not perfectly aligned with the forcing cone (entrance to the barrel) and smashes into the rear of the barrel, sending odd bits of metal here and there.

1895 was the end of the period of black powder, and the start of the era of smokeless powder. You will want to see that only appropriate ammo is fed to your little revolver, or it gets indigestion.

While these were not really high dollar guns, they were well made, and prolific. Very likely that a competent pistol smith can get your little H&R running again.

[hiwall]

The most practical advise is to put it in a shadow box frame and hang it up on the wall. There are many thousands of these revolvers around. Most are in poor shape like yours. They have basically no value($25 to $125). 95% of these guns should not be fired. If you want a gun to shoot,buy a modern gun. While I am an advocate of shooting old collectable guns, these are a different story. I have fixed a large number of these for people that I couldn't talk out of having them fixed. Just hang it on the wall as a tribute to your great grandfather.

[pmeisel]

A good smith should be able to get it safely shootable for you. Take it easy on the gun... it's old.

I have a couple 5 shot 32s like this, passed down through the family. Repair may cost more than the gun is worth, but your great-grandfather won't be leaving you any others, so it's worth it, right?

FWIW 1895 is the patent date, right, not the manufacture date. There was an H&R expert named Bill Goforth who passed on a little while back, but he did a lot of research and I believe his family/friends are publishing his book. He also published a lot of his research on line on another forum similar to this... google him and you should be able to narrow down the exact model and approximate date of manufacture.