Walter F Roper H&R U.S.R.A Model 195 10” Single Shot Tip-Up Pistol C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,025
WOA#: WY240318RU032
Make: Harrington & Richardson (H&R)
Model: 195, 3rd Variation
Serial Number: 1241-R
Year of Manufacture: 1931-1942, C&R
Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
Action Type: Single Action, Single Shot, Tip-Up
Markings: The left side of the barrel assembly is marked “H.&R.22 SINGLE SHOT / LONG RIFLE CARTRIDGE / U.S.R.A. MODEL”. The top of the barrel is marked “HARRINGTON & RICHARDSON ARMS CO. / WORCESTER, MASS. U.S.A”. The left side of the grip frame is marked “1241”. The underside of the barrel assembly is marked “R / 1241”.
Barrel Length: 10”.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a patridge blade pinned to the barrel rib. The rear sight is a rectangular notch leaf screwed to the top of the barrel in front of the latch.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grip is one-piece checkered wood with smooth borders and checkered backstrap. The checkering is crisp with faintly worn peaks. There are no chips or cracks. The grip is in Excellent overall condition. This grip is screwed to the frame from the Back.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 10/10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 99% of its metal finish.The finish is very strong throughout with no visible thinning. There is minor operation wear on the hinge. There are a few sparse scratches. Overall, this handgun is in Excellent condition for C&R.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: The finest, most highly evolved and developed single shot match target pistol produced in the U.S. from 1880 to 1940 was the H & R “U.S.R.A.” Commonly called “U.S.R.A. Single Shot Pistols”. The U.S.R.A. marking did not appear on the early models. Production began in 1928 or perhaps 1929 and ended in 1941 with about 3300 of the pistols produced. The factory records were destroyed in a fire and this pistol of constant evolution and change makes an interesting study. Officially it was the Harrington and Richardson Model 195 although it appears that the model number was never put on a pistol. After about a year or so of production, in 1930, Harrington & Richardson hired Walter F. Roper, a talented mechanical engineer, designer of custom target grips and an expert pistol shot with many years experience in the firearms industry. For the last 10 years he had worked for Smith and Wesson. H and R wanted the Model 195 developed into the best single shot target pistol. This was an era when competitive pistol shooting in this country was largely conducted under the auspices of the United States Revolver Association (U.S.R.A.) Roper was provided with adequate funds to experiment and develop the pistol. This he did with a passion. Sometimes, only 8 or 10 pistols were produced with a certain feature. Sometimes only one! Besides some of the readily visible features discussed below, there were features not readily apparent to the naked eye. There were combinations of bore size, rifling twist rate and chamber design. The rifling equipment used in making the barrels for this match pistol cut the grooves while simultaneously scraping the top of the lands to remove marks. Barrels for this pistol were so smoothly rifled that lapping was unnecessary. The American Rifleman in the March, 1930 issue announced and described an improved model now called the “U.S.R.A. Model” and so marked on the left side. From this point on, it is inconceivable that H and R made any profit directly on the sale of this pistol. With the limited production on a no costs spared constant design change basis, any direct profit from the sale of the pistol was probably not achieved. What H & R wanted was a reputation for the best single shot pistol, which they achieved.
This is a Harrington & Richardson “U.S.R.A. Model” single-shot .22 Target pistol is considered by many to be one of the most accurate handguns of all time! It features a break-open action with 10-inch barrel and one-piece walnut target grips, automatic ejection and an extremely crisp/creep-free trigger. The barrels were so precisely/smoothly rifled that they required no lapping and had a zero free-bore. These guns were used to set National and World Records in their day and were the first to be carried by British “Bobbies”. This model with s/n 1241 with “R” marking indicates that it was engineered by none other than Walter F. Roper himself. This gun is in excellent, might I say mint condition. Mechanics and bore are perfect. It will make a crowning piece to any fine collection. Please see our photos and good luck on your bid! – L.S.
