difficult slide on small H&R 25 auto

[stonefooting]

hello
this is my first post
i found this site after a google search and was very much helped by one of your members
owen meany in his 2008 post:
"Field Stripping the H&R .25 Self-Loading pistol"
i have a harrington and richardson 25 auto with a two inch barrel
it was a challenge field stripping, i'll tell you what
i don't know how long it would have taken me without that post
but i was able to get the slide and barrel off and cleaned and oiled them well
but the slide is still very difficult to draw back
most so after it has been dry fired
it takes a great deal of force to draw the slide back over the hammer
but even when the slide finally depresses the hammer, it is still difficult to work the slide
there are two recoil springs on either side of the firing pin
and it feels as though they are part of the problem
if not all of it, they're so tight
this gun is going to be a gift to an older woman
i wonder if it will be too much for her
this gun sat for a long time
does it just need to be shot . . . a lot . . . or what
thank you all for your time and attention

jim in nc

 

[wiscoaster]

I would suggest just abandoning your generous thought of gifting it to an older lady. That's a blow-back action and they require a heavy recoil spring(s) to operate properly. I would suggest not dry firing it either, as with those older guns you can damage the firing pin doing that. Anyway, welcome to the forum.

 

[stonefooting]

thank you for responding.
you know i see all these videos of guys working the slides on little autos and they all seem so easy.
is there no way this little gun could ever be made to operate with less strength . . .
and thanks again, nice to be here

 

[BBBBill]

is there no way this little gun could ever be made to operate with less strength .

Not with any reliability and certainly with detrimental effects to the longevity of the gun. Reliability is everything. If it won't shoot when you need it to shoot then you havea gun shaped paperweight. Many of those older pistols were not made of the quality steels that we have available today. Their useful lifespan is very limited compared to a modern gun and a modification such as you propose would certainly shorten that as well as make it unreliable. Probably the best modern pistol for someone like her would be the currently made S&W M&P Shield EZ in .380. They are specifically designed to be easy to operate for people with limited hand strength. Parts will be availble for repairs and they have a warranty.

 

[stonefooting]

ah well, at least i've got it operating.
the gun belongs to a friend who gave it to that woman.
she fired it a few times and the slide just seized up, couldn't hardly move it at all.
my friend brought it over and asked if i could do anything to loosen it up.
i broke it down and cleaned it . . . at least it chambers now.
thanks for your time.

 

[wiscoaster]

... Probably the best modern pistol for someone like her would be the currently made S&W M&P Shield EZ in .380. ...

I second that recommendation.

 

[stonefooting]

thank you both for your advice. i look forward to spending more time here . . .

 

[Johnm1]

The H&R Self Loader was actually one of the better productions from H&R. It was made under License from Webley & Scott (sp?). They are a neat little gun not known for their accuracy but when new were reliable. 100 years of wear and tear can make even the best firearms unreliable. I'd never use mine for a real self defense firearm, but I enjoy mine for what it is.

I don't find mine unreasonably hard to cycle. Keep in mind that when pulling the slide back the first time you are also cocking the hammer and it does take a little bit more force to cock compared to pulling the slide back when the hammer is already cocked.

That said I can offer a few things that might make the firearm in question function a little better. Both of those springs reside in an enclosed 'tunnel'. I found mine was full of grease/oil rust and just general junk that would in essence make the 'tunnel' shorter' thus compressing the spring more. It took quite a bit of degreaser and probing to remove all of it. Believe it or not, there is a replacement for those springs available. Jack First sells a firing pin spring for the H&R Self Loader in 32 ACP that is almost an exact duplicate of the 2 recoil springs used in the H&R 25 Self Loader. Here is a link to the spring.

https://jack-first-gun-parts.myshop...oducts/h-r-self-loading-firing-pin-spring-7-9

You will of course need 2 of them. I say nearly exact as when I compared my existing springs to the ones I received from Jack First the replacement spring had 1 additional coil but was the right diameter and apparently the correct spring rate. I have 2 of the Jack First springs in mine and it functions just fine.

Finally, the hammer spring is another small spring that resides in a 'tunnel' that also gets full of junk that isn't removed in normal cleaning. This one is a bugger to get our and even more of a bugger to get back in.

Lastly, the hammer when cocked is held below the slide rails by a cocking notch on the hammer and a sear bar (for lack of a better term). If this is worn the hammer will remain above the slide rail and offer resistance against the then mostly compressed hammer spring and the force needed to pull the slide back would be greater than normal.

All that said, I have done some research on this site with the help of some of the gunsmiths here and the following thread has some really good pictures and descriptions of how this firearm actually works.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/amateur-lesson-learned.871157/

Hope this helps.