I have been looking around for a good .22 Revolver for my first gun. The Ruger Single Six looks excellent, but a bit pricey. Then I found the Heritage Arms Rouh Rider. It comes in blued or satin finish and a variety of barrels and is quite cheap at about $160.00 It also goes with a .22 Magnum cylinder for a bit of extra kick. I have read a few good reviews of it, but I would like your opinions.
Heritage Arms Rough Rider
- Thread starter Dan*Smith
- Start date
I own one. Perfectly suitable. Great plinker. Nice and small, lightweight. Mine is the 6.5" barrel, aluminum frame, blued, fixed sights, with the extra .22WMR cylinder. They have some with a sort of stainless look, which are painted a metallic silver color. I thought they looked funny.
I shoot .22LR almost exclusively. I've only put a half dozen .22WMR rounds through it. They are painfully loud, more expensive, and don't really offer much advantges for my plinking. I guess they'd be a little better for self defense than LRs, more likely to deafen your assailant into submission. Aside from the noise, I didn't notice much difference in accuracy or kick.
Accuracy is fine. It has a safety that blocks the hammer. Or you can ignore it and carry on a empty chamber. The trigger on mine is quite nice. I susually use bulk Federals, but have also shot Velocitors, CBs and Colibris. No problems whatsoever. Don't know how many hundreds of rounds I've gone through. My son likes to shoot it, too. Even though it's like a scaled down SAA, it's still a bit big for his 8 year old hands. Cocking is a two-handed affair for him.
http://www.budsgunshop.com seems to have a 3.5" barrelled version (probably without the extra .22WMR cylinder) for $100 delivered.
They also have the inexpensive Comanche revolvers, which I've never handled or even seen.
I shoot .22LR almost exclusively. I've only put a half dozen .22WMR rounds through it. They are painfully loud, more expensive, and don't really offer much advantges for my plinking. I guess they'd be a little better for self defense than LRs, more likely to deafen your assailant into submission. Aside from the noise, I didn't notice much difference in accuracy or kick.
Accuracy is fine. It has a safety that blocks the hammer. Or you can ignore it and carry on a empty chamber. The trigger on mine is quite nice. I susually use bulk Federals, but have also shot Velocitors, CBs and Colibris. No problems whatsoever. Don't know how many hundreds of rounds I've gone through. My son likes to shoot it, too. Even though it's like a scaled down SAA, it's still a bit big for his 8 year old hands. Cocking is a two-handed affair for him.
http://www.budsgunshop.com seems to have a 3.5" barrelled version (probably without the extra .22WMR cylinder) for $100 delivered.
They also have the inexpensive Comanche revolvers, which I've never handled or even seen.
DonR101395
New member
I bought one New Years weekend and put 550 rounds through it. It's a fun little pistol. Reasonable accuracy for fixed sights, no failure to fires. Had a blast with it so much I'm taking it out again tomorrow.
I thought the silver one looked funny. From a distance, it looked like bead blasted stainless, up close, too much like paint. IMO, of course.
I thought the WMR rounds were very loud. Being a revolver makes this characteristic very noticable. You might be able to shoot LRs without hearing protection. Not so WMRs. I am unable to verify the difference of velocity of WMRs vs LRs.
I thought the WMR rounds were very loud. Being a revolver makes this characteristic very noticable. You might be able to shoot LRs without hearing protection. Not so WMRs. I am unable to verify the difference of velocity of WMRs vs LRs.
Apple a Day
New member
I've had one for years, fired who-knows-how-many thousands of rounds through it. Nearly all of those were cheap bulk ammo with one box of magnums thrown in just to see how they'd do. I'd get one with adjustable sights; I had to bend my front sight over a little to match POA with POI. IMHO it's a fun, cheap plinker. 
You might also check into a Ruger Bearcat. I don't own one but they seem very nice, just a little more expensive but higher quality.
Cheers
You might also check into a Ruger Bearcat. I don't own one but they seem very nice, just a little more expensive but higher quality.
Cheers
toofarjuan
Inactive
Durable?
I have one of these in blue with the 6.5" barrel. I have both the .22 LR and the .22 WMR cylinders but use only .22 magnum hollow point ammunition. I was surprised to see that someone says that part of the pistol is made of aluminum. It definitely doesn't feel like it. Mine has a nice solid feel and I would recommend it as a good snake charmer (I use mine mostly for rattlesnakes and other varmints).
I shoot rabbits with a single-shot .410 shotgun and a semi-auto .22 rifle. I use a Remington 700 in .30-06 caliber for deer and shoot dove and other birds with a double-barrel 20 gauge and a variety of 12 gauge shotguns. I also own a couple of semi-auto pistols that I might describe as a better choice for self defense than the Roughrider. But, my .22 WMR Roughrider is the pistol that I carry with me for herding rattlesnakes. I recommend it.
I have one of these in blue with the 6.5" barrel. I have both the .22 LR and the .22 WMR cylinders but use only .22 magnum hollow point ammunition. I was surprised to see that someone says that part of the pistol is made of aluminum. It definitely doesn't feel like it. Mine has a nice solid feel and I would recommend it as a good snake charmer (I use mine mostly for rattlesnakes and other varmints).
I shoot rabbits with a single-shot .410 shotgun and a semi-auto .22 rifle. I use a Remington 700 in .30-06 caliber for deer and shoot dove and other birds with a double-barrel 20 gauge and a variety of 12 gauge shotguns. I also own a couple of semi-auto pistols that I might describe as a better choice for self defense than the Roughrider. But, my .22 WMR Roughrider is the pistol that I carry with me for herding rattlesnakes. I recommend it.
toofarjuan
Inactive
Safety?
As to safety mechanisms: the pistol has a safety switch on the left side of the block, but it is actually a bit of redundancy.
The pistol is equipped with a four-position hammer. The hammer is in contact with the firing pin only in the first position. The normal resting position of the hammer is at the first click (second position). This is a single-action revolver and the hammer must be pulled back to the third click (fourth position) before it can be fired. In order to get the hammer into the first position, the safety must be disengaged and the trigger pulled.
The cylinder can be turned (for loading) only when the hammer is in the third position (second click).
Familiarizing yourself with the use and manipulation of the hammer is something that takes some practice and is an exercise that I would definitely recommend. Don't be fooled into thinking that a single-action revolver is a simple handgun - the complexity of the single-action revolver is one reason that I recommend a semi-auto pistol for self defense.
The complexity of a single-action revolver like the Roughrider works two ways: On one hand it can make the gun difficult to operate in a panic, but it also makes it a bit more likely that the gun might discharge unexpectedly in the hands of a poorly trained user.
If your purpose, however, is self-defense against a human assailant, then there are a large number of semi-auto pistols that are safer and simpler to operate. My personal recommendation for that purpose would be that you save your pennies and get yourself a Colt Model 1911 or a Colt Commander.
As to safety mechanisms: the pistol has a safety switch on the left side of the block, but it is actually a bit of redundancy.
The pistol is equipped with a four-position hammer. The hammer is in contact with the firing pin only in the first position. The normal resting position of the hammer is at the first click (second position). This is a single-action revolver and the hammer must be pulled back to the third click (fourth position) before it can be fired. In order to get the hammer into the first position, the safety must be disengaged and the trigger pulled.
The cylinder can be turned (for loading) only when the hammer is in the third position (second click).
Familiarizing yourself with the use and manipulation of the hammer is something that takes some practice and is an exercise that I would definitely recommend. Don't be fooled into thinking that a single-action revolver is a simple handgun - the complexity of the single-action revolver is one reason that I recommend a semi-auto pistol for self defense.
The complexity of a single-action revolver like the Roughrider works two ways: On one hand it can make the gun difficult to operate in a panic, but it also makes it a bit more likely that the gun might discharge unexpectedly in the hands of a poorly trained user.
If your purpose, however, is self-defense against a human assailant, then there are a large number of semi-auto pistols that are safer and simpler to operate. My personal recommendation for that purpose would be that you save your pennies and get yourself a Colt Model 1911 or a Colt Commander.
If your heart is set on a single action .22 I'd seriously consider spending a few extra dollars and getting a Single Six. I had one (sold it recently) and it's a fine gun. It's sturdy and will no doubt outlive its owner. It's also quite accurate. As for shooting .22 WMR, out of the 3-4,000 rounds I fired out of that gun I shot exactly 50 magnum rounds. I see no real advantage for target shooting/plinking in shooting magnum. A box of 50 .22 magnum rounds costs $12 - $15. A box of 550 .22 lr rounds at WalMart (Federal) costs about the same. So, by my estimate, magnum is 10-11x more expensive than .22 lr. And, for what? It's louder, and it goes a lot faster than .22 lr, but the holes it makes in the target are the same size and it doesn't have a reputation for being inherently more accurate than .22 lr. I suppose it is a useful hunting round, but not so much for daily target practice.
Mine has been a good little gun for the money. I have never used the .22 mag cylinder but I have hundreds of LR rounds through it. Don't expect a match grade gun and you will like it. Also be sure to tighten all the screws on it every couple of range sessions. Mine have a tendency to work loose. I could loctite them but I just check them when I clean it. My only wish was that it had double action capability. Why does no one build a double action .22 that doesn't cost a fortune?
astromanluca
New member
Guys, this thread is over 2 years old.
Still some useful information, though.
Still some useful information, though.
Gaucho Gringo
New member
I have had mine over 2 years now and have had no problems with it. I owned a NIB Ruger SS that I sold about 30 years ago and even though it may last longer I really like my Rough Rider. Nowadays I couldn't afford even a used Ruger but the $150.00 new I paid for my Rough Rider was well worth it. Mine is a blued 6 1\2" barreled model with the .22 mag cylinder. It had nice checkered wood grips on it. I am very happy with it
I see that Cabela's has the 6.5" blued RR's on sale for $149 (and I have some Cabela's gift certificates to burn) Is that a good price, and is the gun accurate enough for bullseye target work?
I found this thread while searching to see if the RR's had a transfer bar; looks like they do according to a previous post
I found this thread while searching to see if the RR's had a transfer bar; looks like they do according to a previous post
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