Harrington & Richardson Aetna No. 2

About the Harrington & Richardson Aetna No. 2

The Harrington & Richardson Aetna No. 2 is a single-action, spur-trigger pocket revolver chambered in .32 rimfire, produced by Harrington & Richardson of Worcester, Massachusetts in the late 19th century. Built on a small solid frame with a five-shot cylinder, an exposed hammer and a short octagonal barrel of about 2.5 inches, it was factory nickel plated and fitted with hard-rubber (gutta-percha) grips. The Aetna was one of the inexpensive concealable 'suicide special' revolvers sold under a trade name for personal protection, marked simply 'AETNA' on the top of the frame.

The Aetna was one of the many low-cost 'suicide special' pocket revolvers that flooded the American market after the Rollin White cylinder patent expired in 1869. Harrington & Richardson, like rivals Hopkins & Allen and Forehand & Wadsworth, turned out these cheap nickel-plated rimfire revolvers under colorful trade names aimed at buyers wanting an affordable concealable arm.

Harrington & Richardson Aetna No. 2 specifications

Sold under the 'Aetna' trade name in graduated sizes: the No. 1 in .22 rimfire, the No. 2 in .32 rimfire and the No. 3 in .38 rimfire. Many examples carry no serial number, only the 'AETNA' marking and a barrel-length stamp. The Aetna name was also used by Aetna Arms Co. of New York, but the H&R-made guns are the more commonly encountered.