Underhammer Rifles?

[CoyoteJoe]

They made one with a .45 caliber long heavy barrel (relative to most H&As) with those sights which they called a traget rifle. If that is what it is grab it. H&A/Numrich had excelent barrels though the bore tends to run a little undersize. The guns are simple but parts can be a little hard to find at times. Take a VERY close look at the "hook" on the trigger. This is the part that engages the notches on the hammer and they are sometimes found broken off. It should be quite long and have a finished end, it is the equivalent of the nose of the sear. A broken one will often still function and pass a quick inspection but it will dammage the notch in the hammer and could also cause an unsafe situation. After you have bought it and found out how well it shoots be prepared to spend a lot of time defending your choice to your friends at the range, you are about to become an outcast.

I'll second that, I've seen several with the broken trigger. Also, as mentioned, some people have replaced the 1/4x32 nipple with a "standard" 1/4x28 and the threads are stripped and dangerous. Main thing to consider is that they have been out of production for about 40 years so there is no telling how many owners it has had and what kind of care or abuse it may have experienced so do look at every detail very closely.

 

[hanshi]

This is their Heritage model from 1966. It has a globe front with several inserts and an adjustable tang peep. It's a .45. I seem to have lost the tang sight. They will spatter your wrist and forearm if you don't wear long sleeves.

 

[Zonie]

Zonie: Thank you for adding the verb "to frinkle" to my vocabulary!

:haha:

Interestingly, although some may consider it not to be a word, every time I've used it everyone understood exactly what I was saying. Even the women who would object strongly to a similar word would nod their heads in agreement when it was used in statements like, "Someone frinkled with it."
Other statements like "Don't frinkle with it." readily gets the point across. :grin:

 

[buffler]

frinkling aside, AFIK 'most all of the really massive slug guns such as those made by Resor were/are underhammer rather than side or back action locks. Of course, far from offhand :wink:
I'm trying to put one together now, using Billinghurst castings.
Don

 

[SgtSchutzen]

Well folks I`m SOL :cursing: . Been pumping myself up all weekend over this rifle and somebody beat me to it. Went back today to buy it and it was gone. Guy in the shop told me he just sold it. Can`t win all the time I guess. Didn`t need it anyway.

 

Sgt,
Keep looking. I have made chunk guns, offhand rifles and even a trap gun in 12 ga out of them. They can also be shot LH or RH.
Mark

 

[F.G. Ford]

Just a little tip.
IF you see a gun you might be interested in, leave a small deposit $10 or so, that way you keep first call on it, and if you don't want it.
You have not lost much, hardly the price of gas to retreive your $10.
I often do this if I don't have enough money on me, to make the sale, or to give me time to think about it.
Old Ford

 

[FRJ]

If memory serves me right they were made with gain twist barrels.They used to be relatively inexpensive and were good shooters. FRJ

 

[Rifleman1776]

If memory serves me right they were made with gain twist barrels.They used to be relatively inexpensive and were good shooters. FRJ

If by "they" you mean the H&A underhammers, that is not correct. Ordinary twist, not gain. I agree they were good shooters. In fact, H&A sold barrels to many makers for their guns.

 

[dennis john]

I have one in 58 cal that I bought a while ago on a whim. It is very heavy, with a 1 1/16 barrel and is a rather odd looking rifle. It definitely gets some odd looks at the range. I would imagine that if you did not want to keep it you would have no problem reselling it. They do not come up very often

 

[Pete44ru]

They're VERY nice game-getters !

i was lucky enough to stumble across a .36 cal Heritage for $100 last Summer, and found it to be so sweet-shootin' that I've been using it for Squills ever since.

I dismounted the forend wood on mine, & made a rear ramrod thimble which I attached just ahead of the nipple, to make it look even more like an ol-timey target rifle, except lighter/handier.

The issue RR came up short, though - I hadda made a new one slightly longer.


:thumbsup:

 

[Sinner]

Dang! I hate it when people frinkle with anothers gun getting!
Sorry you missed out. I had one years ago in Kodiak, Ak and often wonder why I ever sold it. It was a great rifle. I will definitely buy another if I get the chance!

 

[sutherland]

Those Hopkins & Allen underhammer rifles came in .45 and .50 and perhaps smaller calibers. Last one I saw was a very rusty .45 at a gun show with a price sticker of $300 on it. A buddy has owned one in .45 caliber for years. He says it's quite accurate for targets and he hunts deer with. I've never heard him complain about caps falling off the nipple. If I saw one in decent shape priced fairly, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[M. De Land]

I have never had a cap fall off my H&A. They fit very snugly and some times(rarely) don't split and I have to take them off with my leathermen. MD

 

[asbrown]

:cursing: That sucks. Been there myself. Check out Pecatonica River Longrifle Supply. They have all the parts you need to build one yourself. Then you can choose the calibre. I have one with a .36 7/8ths 36" Rice barrel that will punch the scoring numbers off the target circles at 25yds. :thumbsup:

 

[hanshi]

My old H&A .45 Heritage UH rifle has been fired so much over the decades that it's worn out. Not the barrel; it's as crisp and accurate as ever. In this case the half AND full cock don't work properly or safely and the tg return part of the spring is dead. It's still too good not to get shot from time to time so I may have to save my pennies and get a new spring, hammer and trigger (the only moving parts in the whole rifle) from one of these sources.

 

[RedFeather]

It probably had a worn out notch, bad barrel and fine crack in the wrist that will surely get worse over time. Sights were off, too, and it shoots way left.

Heck, someone's gotta say something negative about this gun so he stops kicking hisself! :grin:

I've missed more than one by hesitating. And have entered the shop while the gun's new owner was going out, too. Usually it's when I see a gun at a show, walk around convincing myself that I can't live without it, it's the last one, for sure, etc, then return to find it gone. Comes with the used gun territory. Believe me, there are plenty of fish in the sea. At least now you know about these if and when you come across another.

 

[Billnpatti]

If it is in good shape, grab it! I have one and really like it. The ignition is a nanosecond faster than a regular lock due to the fact that the flash goes directly into the chamber in the same manner as a "side slapper" lock. I have found one negative thing about an underhammer rifle is that occasionally bits of the fired cap will sting your arm. When I shoot mine, I wear a long sleeve denim shirt. If it is too warm for a long sleeve denim shirt, another thing you can do is use an archery arm protector. I think this is a small price to pay for such a nice light weight good shooting rifle. I think you will really enjoy it.

 

[hanshi]

That's also my only complaint with underhammers. As a humorous aside the last time I fired mine at the range (quite awhile back) I'd draped a towel over my arm since it was summer and I was wearing a short sleeve shirt. Well, the first shot set the towel on fire and I had to stomp that sucker out. Fortunately for my street creds no one else was around.

 

[MSW]

Nope. SgtSchutzen messed up. Don't get too terribly upset about it- such is part of life (which nobody survives anyway) and besides, the last perfect guy got strung up between a pair of thieves.

(That's about as religious as I get these days)

Console yourself with the ceremonial burning of a bunch of powder... use your favourite rifle to do it. This will make you feel much better!