New Ruger Revolvers Introduced

[fatelk]

I was much happier with my Rough Rider before the barrel came loose all on it's own on a brand new gun a few months old. It shoots fine so long as I'm careful to pull the hammer all the way to the rear, otherwise on occasion it won't lock the cylinder and it will keyhole. I still like it and shoot it, but honestly it's not a quality firearm. It just isn't. If you get a good one that holds up then it's a better value than mine has been.

For at least the basic model that I have, it's hard not to compare the Wrangler when one is $130 and the other is $190. They're very similar guns in a similar "budget" price range. From what I've seen so far though, the quality of the Ruger is head and shoulders above the Rough Rider, hence my comment about it being a far better value. Based on my own personal experience with each so far, I have to stand by that comment. I stopped by the range this afternoon to shoot a box through the Ruger, and I like it a lot.

[arcticap]

The Rough Rider does come with a 1 year warranty and could be fixed for the cost of shipping.
Heritage will even send a discounted shipping label for $50 which probably covers shipping both ways.
See their FAQ's page for more info. --->>> https://www.heritagemfg.com/faq.cfm
Their repair & warranty policy states that all parts & labor are covered while under warranty:--->>> https://www.heritagemfg.com/repair_policy.cfm

[rfd]

heritage/rough-rider is taurus owned - ever try to deal with taurus on a gun issue? ever have them actually FIX a gun issue?

[arcticap]

heritage/rough-rider is taurus owned - ever try to deal with taurus on a gun issue? ever have them actually FIX a gun issue?

Are you trying to say that Heritage won't promptly repair their Rough Rider .22's or honor their warranty?
The Heritage website states that they have a 2 week turn around time for repairs.

Heritage was described as being run as a stand alone company, which kept operating with the same staff and equipment from before the buyout, except with a larger facility. --->>> https://www.guns.com/news/2012/05/02...ugh-rider-sass

Heritage has expanded their products, but they're still distinct from Taurus since they their own separate line of .22 revolvers and other guns made in Brazil.

[fatelk]

I’m not going to spend $50 shipping to fix a brand new gun that’s just a few months old (and worth barely double that) when I can fix the barrel myself with a little Locktite. If the Ruger had such an obvious defect at the same point, I have no doubt they would fix it AND cover shipping, hence the better value part again.

[mac60]

I bought a Rough Rider about 20 years ago with a 6.5" barrel, adjustable sights, a .22 WMR cylinder and laminated grips that I think was a good value too.
People who buy a Wrangler are also getting a good value.
If everyone is getting there money's worth then they're both good values and neither is a "far, far better value" than the other.
They're not the same price and they each have different features and designs.
There's no reason to rank the value of a Rough Rider against the Wrangler because it's like comparing apples to oranges.
If someone wants an affordable model with a birdshead grip, a longer barrel or adjustable sights then that's what they will buy, and it will be a good value.
I don't see a Wrangler being made with a 9 inch barrel.
I hope that you enjoy yours as much as I have enjoyed mine.

Not intending to hijack the thread - just a question. Do you still have the Heritage Rough Rider? If so, how has it held up?

[fatelk]

I don't mean to bash Rough Riders or the people who own a good one and like them. If you have a good one that shoots well and hasn't broken, then it's a good value for you. I know there are lots of folks out there that have been shooting them for many years. At one point what I really wanted to find was one in .32 H&R Mag. Like I mentioned, I was a big Rough Rider defender right up until mine broke after only a couple hundred rounds.

Yes, I know I could have sent it back for repair, and I expect I would have gotten it back with a tight barrel, and maybe even the minor timing issue fixed. Honestly I just had a bad taste in my mouth about it, two factory defects in such a new gun and it would cost be nearly half the purchase price to get it fixed. Logically I understand that there are a lot of good ones out there that hold up well, but I had lost confidence in the brand, especially after searching online and finding that my experience is not terribly uncommon. I made my decision to just repair it myself and keep it for a cheap range toy. When I compare the Rough Rider and the Wrangler side by side, the difference in quality is very clear.

At this point if I knew anyone that was considering a Rough Rider, I would have to strongly recommend they save up the extra $60 and buy the Ruger, unless they were wanting one of the other models that Rough Rider makes but Ruger doesn't. In that case, buy the Rough Rider. It might be just fine, but you're taking a bit more of a chance, in my mind at least.

[arcticap]

Not intending to hijack the thread - just a question. Do you still have the Heritage Rough Rider? If so, how has it held up?

I haven't shot it a whole lot but it's held up pretty well.
It lost a grip frame screw which I simply ignored and continued to fire it as is until it gets replaced.

Once in a while the cylinder will get stuck and lock up which I attribute to probably needing a simple trigger spring adjustment or trigger spring screw adjustment.
Instead of breaking the gun down, I simply remove the cylinder and reinstall it and everything will work as it should.
I don't like to experiment with gunsmithing only to make things worse.

I needed to put a small drop of blue Loctite thread lock on the brass hammer screw to keep it properly adjusted so it doesn't back out from its proper adjustment.
The hammer works best when the screw is in a particular spot and since using the blue Loctite, the screw hasn't moved.

And the only other issue was that the 1st time that I cleaned it, I used some Hoppe's solvent on the ejector rod housing which softened up the paint and left a small
surface area a little bit rough.
Ever since then I've used rubbing alcohol to clean powder residue off the painted finish and have wiped it right off without any more problems.
That was my fault since I should have read the manual first about not leaving a solvent on the painted surface.
Hoppe's can only be used to clean the blue and steel surfaces of the gun.

Having mentioned those issues, the gun has always shot well and has been accurate enough to break some of the clay pigeons laying on a berm at 25 yards.
And when I miss hitting the birds or their fragments, the shots are often close misses.

I mostly shoot double action revolvers and have had probably 8-9 different ones over the years.
The most notable lemon that I had was a new original Ruger SP 101 6 shot .22 that had a very bad cylinder rubbing problem at the cylinder gap and back of the frame.
It rubbed so bad that it would stiffen and lock up after a number of shots which powder fouling also contributed to.
The cylinder or cartridges also rubbed on the back inside of the frame at times.
I sent the gun to Ruger and they replaced more parts than necessary, which they finished so sloppily that the cylinder notches were getting all dinged up.
Compared to that relatively expensive 4" SP101, the Rough Rider had been less problematic and shoots with better accuracy.

The S&W 617 10 shot 6 inch that I bought used has been my favorite revolver and shoots like a dream.
My 2nd favorite is a stainless Taurus Tracker 9 shot with a full lug barrel similar to the gun in the video
I bought it in like new condition for $300.



For $167 cash from Bud's, a person can buy a case colored steel frame, 9-shot Rough Rider that's configured much like the Wrangler with wood grips and a .22 WMR cylinder.
I don't care that much for single action .22's, especially 6 shots when a DA can be fired in both single and double action and have larger capacity than most single actions.
But it just shows that there's different good value options for about the same price as a Wrangler. --->>> https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...s_id/415006436

[rfd]

black wrangler arrived this morning, immediately pulled off the grips and found to my delight that the altamont faux ivory grips i had preordered were a drop-in fit. cut down a leather holster i had from TOTW and the pistolo fits fine - will water soak it next. fired off a box of cci standards at my 10 yard home range and she's a shooter for sure.

[Love Life]

Fit of the ears to the frame looks horrible. Are the screws loose?

[rfd]

Got of the ears to the frame looks horrible. Are the screws loose?

not a clue what yer referring to ....

[Love Life]

I had a typo. I meant the fit of the ears on the grip frame.

[rfd]

the fit is just fine, the gun is just great for the price and, having already owned a rough rider, the wrangler is the better buy - at least for me.

[Love Life]

Sounds good and thank you!

[Texas by God]

not a clue what yer referring to ....

I believe he is referring to the fit of the grip frame near the hammer. It looks like a gap there.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Texas by God]

Those grips look good, great that SS/ Blackhawk grips will fit!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[rfd]

altamont ruger vacquero grips.

[Tracy]

I looked at one yesterday. Not a fan.
I can see the draw for those who are in the market for an inexpensive .22 revolver.
The Heritage still has the advantage of an available .22 Mag cylinder, though.

[rfd]

I believe he is referring to the fit of the grip frame near the hammer. It looks like a gap there.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

NO gap. the edges of the pieces have a slight radius, that's all. this gun blows away the rough rider in every respect. ymmv.

[Love Life]

I like it!