Heritage rough rider worth my $180?

When I had my gunshop in the late 90's, the Heritage .22 SA were not very good. We had 3 of them and I had 3 came back out of time. The internal parts were frail and not worthy of much use. I have a Ruger SA .22 and the internal parts are three times more sturdy than the Heraige parts. Buy the blued Ruger, used.


Doug
 
why does everyone need to pee on the heritage? its a good gun. sure the finish isnt the same as on a K22, but its not meant to be.

id much rather spend 180 on a nice 6.5 inch barreled heritage that shoots penny sized groups at 25 yards with the cheapest ammo you can find at kmart or walmart. Then to go spend 500 on a ruger that needs .40 cent a round target ammo so it can stay inside a softball at 25 yards.
 
id much rather spend 180 on a nice 6.5 inch barreled heritage that shoots penny sized groups at 25 yards with the cheapest ammo you can find at kmart or walmart.
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I'd love to see this. I've never seen a Rough Rider range report where one shot better than 3" at 25yds. If yours shoots into a penny with cheap ammo, that's better than 90% of K-22's and Colt's. Into Freedom Arms country. Which makes me think that this is just exaggerated BS.

I have four Single Sixes and not one of them cost me $500. They were $200, $225, $250 and $420 and all bought within the last ten years. The costliest being a rather scarce drift adjustable .32H&R Bisley. I looked at a new blued Single Ten this week and it was not much more than $400.

So the real question is, why would you waste $180 on a pot metal, spray painted el cheapo that won't last, rather than $250-$300 for a used Ruger that will last several lifetimes??? Dime smart and dollar stupid.
 
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id much rather spend 180 on a nice 6.5 inch barreled heritage that shoots penny sized groups at 25 yards with the cheapest ammo you can find at kmart or walmart.

I'd love to see this.
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Me too. In fact, I'd bet against it happening even if the Heritage (or, as you argue, almost any other high buck target revolver available today) was clamped firmly into a Ransom Rest. Credibility can get lost in the Sea of Exaggeration.
 
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Revolvers should be compared to other revolvers, not .22's to .22's. It is completely unreasonable to expect a $500 revolver to shoot as well as a $300 fixed barrel auto like the Ruger MK-series or Browning Buckmark. Hell, my Buckmark Bullseye will give me a quarter inch on occasion but it has always been exceptionally accurate, has a crisp 2lb trigger and wears a 4x target scope. In the revolver world, 1"@25yds is very, very good. Anything better is exceptional or the product of Freedom Arms. So a big fat red flag goes up when I hear somebody say they shoot half inch groups at 25yds with an el cheapo revolver shooting bulk ammo. Been around the block too many times to buy that story.
 
just have to dig my scanner up out of the junk pile.

strange, the only actual review ive seen of the heritage rough rider was in a cowboy magazine and it was compared against a ruger single action in 22, the little bearcat shot consistently larger groups.
 
With apologies for dragging up a two year old thread, I bought a Heritage Rough Rider yesterday, so wanted to add my 2c. There doesn't seem to have been another mention of this gun in the last two years on this site.

I'm interested in the history of firearms, so I wanted a single action 'cowboy' revolver. I also wanted a revolver in .22LR. After looking at other Heritage revolvers I allowed my LGS to order this for me, sight unseen. They got it in three days - I've been waiting weeks for a Ruger SR101.

This gun fills both holes for me, and for $215 I also got a .22 Magnum cylinder (I think that's standard for this gun now), so that's another caliber I can shoot.

It's not a Ruger Vaquero, but for the amount of shooting I expect this gun to get that's fine. I've seen reviews with over 2,000 flawless rounds shot, and that's good enough for me. I've seen one Youtube review with a complaint about a broken part, but a replaceable part so no big deal.

The safety that has been mentioned is a bit ugly, but I understand why it's there and I'm glad it is. You soon get used to it, and it's simple and functional.

I'm very happy with my choice, and looking forward to shooting it, taking it apart to see how it works, and enjoying the gun.
 
In my humble opinion Ruger makes the best single action revolvers when it come to durability, design and finish. I have a 9.5" bbl Single Six convertible and love it. My brother has a Heritage Rough Rider 22lr/22mag convertible and it does shoot very well, accurate and reliable. Sure, it's not up to the Ruger standards but only close inspection tells you this. Not a bad deal for the price if that's all you can afford. The one thing don't like is the silly safety on the Heritage. I saved my money for my Ruger and don't regret it.
For my money I think Smith and Wesson makes the best double action revolvers today and that is what I mostly have. I have to admit though my concealed carry gun is a Ruger LCR which I picked out because I thought the trigger was better than the Smith J frame Snubbie.
 
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FWIW, bbqbob51, you missed the record by 10 years, for reviving the oldest zombie post - which is AFAIK over 14 years old.


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I posted back in 2012 about my Rough Rider that I was happy with it and still am. I found a good deal on a little used stainless steel Single Six convertible that I talked myself into buying by covering at least part of the purchase price from getting money from selling the Rough Rider. I did not even get out of the store before I was talking myself out of selling the Rough Rider. I will be a great first gun for a Grandchild when we finally get one. The Rough Rider is one of my few safe queens but I am ok with that especially for no more cash than I could get for it.

I like the Rough Rider but I love the Single Six. No comparison on the quality of fit and finish or probably durability but at 3 times the price of course the Ruger is the better firearm.

Hope yours is as good.
James
 
I'm very happy with my Rough Rider (really like the case hardened finish). It will last far longer than I will live. For the price of a Ruger Single Six, I have a Rough Rider and a Henry lever action rifle. I always wanted a "cowboy" rifle and revolver in an affordable caliber.
 
I would save for the Ruger if it were my money. I have no experience with Heritage but I have had good experience with Ruger.
 
My friend and I often shoot together at a local club. His new Heritage model is quite un-impressive in the accuracy department. I would not buy it.

Jack
 
My wife bought one of those little Heritage Rough Riders in 32 H&R Magnum because it was "CUTE".

I don't tell here what guns to buy and she doesn't tell me what to buy.

But I found the little revolver a heck of a lot of fun to shoot. Wife's gun is pretty accurate. I'd probably be able to shoot it better if its grips fit my hands better, but its my wife's gun and it fits her.

I bought some factory loads when she got it, to tie me over until I found a good mold. But now, using cast bullets I find her gun likes lead better then jacket bullets.

I don't know what the wife paid for her RR, but I think it would be well worth $180. I paid 500 something for my Ruger and I think its worth the price.

Not saying there is anything wrong with the Ruger. I have a Ruger NV in 45 LC which I really like. No way you can compare the two, completely different.

Best case would to buy one of each and have fun.
 
I still can't appreciate them

The trigger pulls and they go 'bang', but Their design and materials make me question their long term reliability and value.
 
In my opinion, those Heritage revolvers are decent guns that do exactly what they are supposed to.

The Rugers have a clear quality and durability advantage. The Rugers, at least for me, feel better in the hand and I shoot them better.
 
Looks like Heritage is getting a bad rap here. I bought my Grandson a Heritage .22 revolver last fall for his birthday. That little gun is accurate. He is 11 yrs. old and was shooting eggs at 20 yrds. For the money, Heritage is a great little revolver. More accurate than the person shooting it.
 
Not an expert, by any means. Still learning with it, but I do believe it is more accurate than I am. I plan on shooting it as much as I can find ammo. I do not do competition, just wage war on tin cans and such. Maybe I'll wear it out in my lifetime, maybe I won't. If I do, a replacement is cheap.

It suits my purposes.
 
(Yes, I know this is an old tread, but the question gets asked all the time, so people are still interested.)

I've owned both Ruger and Colt (22's). And I've owned a Heritage Rough Rider. The Ruger and the Colt are both much nicer than the Heritage.

(NO KIDDING Captain Obvious. :eek:)

They also cost a LOT more. They had better be nicer.

But for what I paid for the Heritage I thought it pretty decent. Cans and pine cones were in just as much trouble as if I was shooting one of the high priced spreads. I don't know how long it would take to wear one out, but as inexpensive as they are, it wouldn't have killed me to buy another one.

All in all I'd rather have a Colt, but a Heritage would do if that was all I could afford.
 
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