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Stopped at a local shop yesterday, and saw that Heritage makes big revolvers too, this one in .45 Colt. I didn't know they did, only ever saw the little Rough Rider .22s.
Are the big ones built to better standards than the rimfires? It looked better. For the asking price, I'd still go for a Ruger but I'm sure they can be had for less than this one was.
I've handled a few of their centerfire revolvers...........about the same quality of Pietta revolvers IMO!
Interesting. I've actually been contemplating getting one of the .22s even though I know the quality is poor. They're so cheap, and the local Orschelns sells them with various different nose art type grips. Would be a good little gun just for carrying around the place here.Quote:
Originally Posted by smithnframe
The heritage rough rider to me is not that bad of a 22 pistole. But I also like my high point pistole and carbine. The parts I thank are made by one of the Italian gun makers I thank Pietta and assembled in the us. The very few I have seen where decent. They also made one in 32 H&R a few years back. When I found out about it they quit making them.
I don't think the Heritage .22s are a bad revolver, although there have been those who had their problems with them. The company changed hands awhile back, so maybe some made right after the sale weren't so good, but currently made guns seem o.k. But, you might consider the Ruger Wrangler. As for the .45 Colt size revolvers, I've hear no complaints at all.
It's been my understanding also that the Heritage centerfire revolvers are assembled by Heritage, from parts made by Pietta. I was interested when I heard about the .32 version, and disappointed to find out the were discontinued.
The Heritage Rough Rider isn't particularly "bad", when compared to something like an RG or Jennings, but I would tell anyone thinking about getting one to well consider spending a little bit more and buying a Ruger Wrangler, especially if you plan on shooting it much.
I bought a brand new Rough Rider a couple years ago. The barrel came loose within less than 4 months and a few hundred rounds. Sure it has a warranty, but I had to spend a pretty penny to ship it to them for repair. Ruger will send you a label and have it picked up at your house. That alone is worth some of the difference in price. The RR came back with a new barrel on it, but with negative cylinder gap; yep, the cylinder was literally riding on the barrel face, instead of the frame. Amazing that they would let something like that out the door. I fixed it myself with the addition of a shim. I sure as heck wasn't going to spend another $50 to send it back to them again. That experience pretty much soured me on Heritage.
I have a couple Wranglers too. The overall quality of the Ruger is far and away better than the Rough Rider. If you just want a cheap gun to have around or keep in the barn or whatever, the Rough Rider will probably be fine. They are popular and most of them seem to work OK. I've heard a lot of reports of them wearing out, to suspect that if you're going to shoot a lot, the Wrangler will probably still be going strong once the RR has long fallen apart.
My RR is actually surprisingly accurate, but others on here have not been so lucky. Another member here had one that he tinkered with quite a bit to try to get it to shoot, with a lot of inaccuracy and key-holes.
If the Centerfire Heritage is built to Italian standards, it will be good to go. As far as the Rough Rider, I love my Ruger Wrangler. That replaced it!
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I have a pair of the 22's one I've had for several years and have put I couldn't tell you how many rounds through it.
I actually shoot it better than either of my single sixes.
The other is the little shop keeper version, but it hasn't seen near the use as the first.
I wouldn't mind picking up one of the Wranglers, maybe that'll be my next one.
I knew they made the 45's but I haven't seen one in person.
RP
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I have no issues with my Heritage .22lr/.22mag. It is what it is and it sells accordingly. You want better quality, pay more.
I thought about buying a .45 colt but I went with a .32 instead. Happened to be a Ruger NM Single Six in .32H&R mag that I have only shot .32sw longs in.
But it does those very well, and IMO was worth the money.
I had a Rough Rider 22 SA and for the money, it was good - an excellent knock around cheap 22 for killing critters on the farm. I sold it as it was no longer needed and I had plenty of other 22s to shoot if I wanted to.
I looked at a used Heritage SA 45 Colt a couple of years ago. Like already mentioned, these are basically a Pietta regardless of if assembled in Italy or here in the US. At the time, I also looked at a Uberti 45 Colt - put them side by side and while both would have been just fine, I would have taken the Uberti over the Heritage as I'm a "Uberti guy". I feel that comparing a Rough Rider to a Heritage big bore that is basically a Pietta is kind o like comparing apples to oranges - in the end, both will do what they are intended to to do.
When I was a young teen I started buying my first revolvers. 1st a Single-6 because it was cheaper than a Colt. 2nd was a Super Blackhawk because Colt didn’t have 44mag. 3rd was a Colt 357 which I kept for about 3months and traded off and replaced with Blackhawk 357. Then never looked back and bought all Ruger SAs. By the time I was 16 I had at least one of every Ruger SA made. Then I discovered S&Ws and did the full meal deal with them, which I still have. The point being unless it is a money situation I could never figure out why guys that own good quality firearms by stuff like Rough Riders. I’m sure that by fluke there are some that are accurate. I’ve never bought a new one but have taken several on trade. None of them were accurate enough to be practical. I have shot and inspected the Wrangler. I have no desire to own one but it is a way better gun than RR and is accurate.
In 60s and up into 70s, there were all kind of SA 22s being imported. Most from Germany and I’m only talking about the small frame models. The Italian models were junk and Brazil model was worse. The RR are not outright junk like these or the RG, but they aren’t the quality of a lot of the German imports. The very first thing to look at on cheap SAs is the cylinder / ratchet, this is were the cheap stuff just doesn’t make it.