Heritage Rough Rider

Goony

Goony

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I think these are terribly underrated. Shooting tests consistently show them to be as accurate as many other .22 single actions costing far more. And yet, I've seen the Heritage Rough Rider on sale at that magical $99 price point. The video I'm including here shows the manufacturing process for these, and I was surprised how much old fashioned worker input goes into making them, which makes their low price all the more remarkable.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JzYA97qgpU[/ame]

I'm also attaching a photo of one of mine that I bought about 15 years ago (the holster that came with it might sell for as much as the gun). However, I just recently put the grips pictured on it. The Rough Rider can be modified to suit individual tastes via an enormous variety of grips and engraved cylinders that are available. It's also a fact that any Rough Rider is .22 WMR capable, all that's needed is to add the magnum cylinder. Feel free to share your experiences with the Heritage product, or show any you've spiffed up.
 

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Heritage Arms Rough Rider .22s are excellent little plinkers offered at a bottom dollar price, so what's not to like?

My Dad got one as a birthday gift back in 2017 and the quality honestly surprised me considering that it only cost him $130.

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The bluing on the frame turned plum over the years, but for me that's actually a plus.
 

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I don't know much about them. they are often on sale at Rural King at very low prices. A RK employe told me they outsold the Ruger Wrangler because many folks buy on price vs perceived quality. I lost interest when I read somewhere that the barrels were simply glued into the frame rather than being threaded like the Wranglers.
 
Heritages are probably worth the price, but my sincere question is why you would buy a Heritage when you have a Ruger Single Six or other quality single action revolver? Not to be a gun snob, but is there that much difference in 22lr single action revolvers? This from someone who has a bunch of 9mm pistols, but a Beretta 92, is in my thinking different from a 3913, Walther P1, or a Browning Hi_Power or a Star, S&W Model 915, 5906, etc. Are their collectors of 22 lr single action pistols who feel about them the way that I feel about my 9mm collection? Thank you for your thoughts and pictures.
 
...why you would buy a Heritage when you have a Ruger Single Six or other quality single action revolver?
Click to expand...
I treasure my Rugers, Colts, and other "better" .22 SA's, but in truth for the occasional purposes such a revolver is employed (generally plinking and pest control), how much should you have to spend? From what I can see, a Rough Rider convertible nowadays retails for $180 while the equivalent fixed sight Single-Six convertible is in the $600 range. That's not an inconsequential price difference, and for many people, their budget matters.
 
Goony said:
I treasure my Rugers, Colts, and other "better" .22 SA's, but in truth for the occasional purposes such a revolver is employed (generally plinking and pest control), how much should you have to spend? From what I can see, a Rough Rider convertible nowadays retails for $180 while the equivalent fixed sight Single-Six convertible is in the $600 range. That's not an inconsequential price difference, and for many people, their budget matters.
Click to expand...

$320.00 is a whole lot of .22 ammunition. For someone wanting a occasional plinker $320.00 buys a lifetime of ammunition. I have been tempted to buy one more than once.

Ruger has just announced the Super Wrangler. With a msrp of $329.00 it is intended for a different market than the Rough Rider.
 
BSA1 said:
$320.00 is a whole lot of .22 ammunition. For someone wanting a occasional plinker $320.00 buys a lifetime of ammunition. I have been tempted to buy one more than once.

Ruger has just announced the Super Wrangler. With a msrp of $329.00 it is intended for a different market than the Rough Rider.
Click to expand...

Actually a $420 difference. Coincidentally, I was looking at an article on the Super Wrangler this morning and posted it in the recent Ruger Wranger thread of this subforum. At the moment only a small fraction of Heritage revolvers have adjustable sights, something for which the emphasis may have to change in order for their product line to stay competitive.
 
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I think the Rough Rider versus Wrangler debate is an interesting one (it's often conjectured that the impetus for Ruger to introduce the Wrangler was to have something with which to compete for Heritage's overwhelming share at the low end of the market). The choice might come down to a preference for Heritage's traditional action and blued finish against Ruger's advanced loading system and cerakote exterior. But I absolutely agree that the Ruger product reeks of quality that you've really no right to expect at its price point, and have nothing bad to say about it other than it may prove to be the death of the Single-Six.
 
I bought one just before the end of the year when they were offering the $30 rebate on them.
I wasn't able to find one locally for less than $130, but the $30 rebate knocked it down to $100 and I used the rebate to buy the 22WMR cylinder for it.
Unfortunately, the barrel on mine was clocked a few degreee counter-clockwise (viewed from the muzzle) so it hit about 6" left at 25'.
I sent it to the mothership and they returned it in about a month.
I believe they replaced the barrel, because when I took it to the outdoor range I was hitting pop cans and clay targets at 25'-30' offhand with it.
So I'm a happy with my purchase, and their customer service.

Puller said:
The funky and unnecessary thumb safety on the Heritage is a no-go for me.
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I didn't like it at first either, but it does make it easy to carry safely in a holster with one under the hammer, without the need to set the hammer in a notch between cylinders (like my HS Double Nine). I've been thinking of re-contouring the safety lever to blend better with the shape of the recoil shield.
 
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I like the configuration of my RR well enough and for under $150 after FFL fee and taxes I can’t scream about being badly victimized, but… not at all happy with performance or service. Using the 22Mag, I get 1 to at best 4 rounds out of 5-6 to go bang. With the LR usually it’s 1 or 2 that don’t go bang. Customer Service said send it back on my dime and include a check for $50 upfront so they would look at it. Add in the FFL fee penalties for living in Illinois and I’m about to double the cost of the gun. It’s not worth it just to have a knock around mowing and chore gun in 22 Mag. I’m not going to dump it on someone else so they can suffer the same frustrations.
 
JFthunder said:
I like the configuration of my RR well enough and for under $150 after FFL fee and taxes I can’t scream about being badly victimized, but… not at all happy with performance or service. Using the 22Mag, I get 1 to at best 4 rounds out of 5-6 to go bang. With the LR usually it’s 1 or 2 that don’t go bang. Customer Service said send it back on my dime and include a check for $50 upfront so they would look at it. Add in the FFL fee penalties for living in Illinois and I’m about to double the cost of the gun. It’s not worth it just to have a knock around mowing and chore gun in 22 Mag. I’m not going to dump it on someone else so they can suffer the same frustrations.
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Weird. How long have you owned it? Was it already past the warranty period when you contacted them? I believe the warranty is for one year?

I took mine out and shot it within a week or two of buying it, reported the problem within another week or so, and it was fully covered under warranty.

They sent me a prepaid label in just a couple of days, and I shipped it off within a week or so. Basically it was on its way back to the factory within a month of purchasing it and the Customer Service was better than I expected, especially for such an inexpensive gun.

Maybe it would be worth giving them another call? A different CS Rep might give you a different (better) answer?

I didn't have any 22WMR to test, so I shot 6 rounds of regular 22LR in the 22WMR cylinder (i know, I know) just to test it out. Worked just fine - except for swelling the cases a little. Now I'm thinking maybe I better pick up a box of 22WMR to test it too.
 
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I've owned several over the years. I can't say I've fired any of them a lot, but none of them has ever malfunctioned, and they seem to hit about where I'm aiming with them. They seem to be worth the money spent, and I never had any trouble selling them when I decided I wanted to.

I've looked at the Wrangler, but the fact that it's got an unfluted cylinder does it in for me. As a general rule, I don't like that...a revolver cylinder is supposed to be fluted, even the little ones on a Rough Rider are better than nothing. The safety doesn't bother me at all...like the keyhole on a Smith and Wesson revolver, it's just there. I don't use it but then I don't carry a S/A with six loaded anyway. A habit from long ago I suppose.

I've got a Single-Six, and have owned several others over the years. Most were the old three screw models that I acquired back when I fancied myself as a gun collector. Nice guns, but even back then I remember paying between 300 and 400 dollars for them.

The Rough Rider type have been around for years. Various similar revolvers have been made in Germany and other places in Europe. Even Colt made a Scout that was basically the same thing. Maybe a little more refined, but from the first time I picked up a Rough Rider, I thought of the Scout.

I've got one now. Actually it's my wifes. She saw it one day at the LGS and thought it was "cute" so I got it for her. I think it's a sherriff's or storekeeper model or something like that. Three inch barrel, plastic "pearl" grips. I doubt it's been fired a dozen times, but she's right, it is sorta cute.

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CajunBass said:
The Rough Rider type have been around for years. Various similar revolvers have been made in Germany and other places in Europe. Even Colt made a Scout that was basically the same thing. Maybe a little more refined, but from the first time I picked up a Rough Rider, I thought of the Scout.
Click to expand...
Dad had a Scout. The fact that the Rough Rider with the black grips reminded me so much of that old Scout is one of the main reasons I bought mine!
 
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For you Heritage fans Rural King has a sale on right now on the 6 1/2" barrel model for only $114.99. I think that might be because of a rebate on that model. They will probably sell a ton of them for that price so better hurry before they run out :p
 
CajunBass said:
I've got one now. Actually it's my wifes. She saw it one day at the LGS and thought it was "cute" so I got it for her. I think it's a sherriff's or storekeeper model or something like that. Three inch barrel, plastic "pearl" grips. I doubt it's been fired a dozen times, but she's right, it is sorta cute.
Click to expand...
Well, make it cuter yet. Go to Heritage Cylinder (shopheritagemfg.com) and scroll down. There's a .22LR cylinder engraved with roses, normally $34.99 but now 20% off if you use the code "SHOW20".
 
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