.22 caliber revolvers

A bucket for anything that does not fit the above forum categories, both longgun and handgun.
massmanute
Founding Member
Founding Member
Posts: 69
Joined: 23 Feb 2012 23:34
Location: USA
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 8 times

Re: .22 caliber revolvers

Post by massmanute »

I ended up buying the Heritage Manufacturing Rough Rider. It's a single action .22 caliber revolver. The model I selected has a 6.5 inch barrel, adjustable rear sights, laminated grips, and a faux case hardened frame. It is a proprietary version sold at Bud's. Price was good (roughly $190).

Fit an finish were better than I expected for an inexpensive gun. Hand feel is really good, and the trigger is nice and crisp and not too heavy. I have not fired mine yet, but my son has fired his and he really likes it, and he said the sights were right on the money without needing adjustment.

You might ask how I can comment on the trigger if I have never fired the revolver. Being a rimfire, dry firing this gun is a no-no except for two subtleties. One, if there is a fired shell in the cylinder it will protect the cylinder from being hit by the firing pin. Two, there is a hammer-blocking safety that keeps the hammer from striking the firing pin, so if the safety is placed in the "safe" position it will keep the firing pin from hitting and damaging the cylinder.

Deficiencies? So far not many. There is one plastic part on the gun that I am a little skeptical about. It is the piece at the end of the ejector rod that you push with your finger when you eject the shells. I am not sure if that part is sturdy enough to last. Also the frame is not steel but some other alloy of (presumably) lower strength, but there are a lot of guns these days without a steel frame, and they seem to be working OK, so I am not too worried about this. There is actually a model available with a steel frame, but it was more costly.

There are a lot of accessories available for this gun. One of the more interesting is that spare cylinders chambered in .22 magnum are available, and the company claims that in more than 90% of the cases it is a drop in replacement requiring no regulating of the gun for the new cylinder. That would give you a .22/.22 magnum pair of cylinders for the same gun. A new cylinder only costs about $30. A lot of the models already include a spare cylinder chambered for .22 magnum, but not the one I bought.

Another interesting twist is that the company also makes a version of this gun chambered in .32 H&R magnum. A pair of these revolvers, one chambered in .22/22 magnum and the other chambered in .32 magnum would be an interesting and fun combination to have.

This is quite far from my original concept of a single/double action revolver of more modern design, but I am happy with the choice.

By the way, on a slightly different topic, what do you think about the North American Arms mini-revolvers?
User avatar
Rooster59
Founding Member
Founding Member
Posts: 366
Joined: 08 Jul 2012 21:51
Location: East Central Missouri
Has thanked: 184 times
Been thanked: 33 times

Re: .22 caliber revolvers

Post by Rooster59 »

My wife bought a Heritage a couple years ago. She fell in love with the feel of one she found in our local LGS and brought it home. It has the LR and mag cylinders. It's the bird's head grip in 3.75" barrel length.

It only comes with fixed sights and yes, regulating the sights took some filing, bending, and re-bluing. It shoots fine now after the tweaking. Not sure if that mag cylinder will ever be taken out of the plastic wrap though. Can't see shooting a 22WMR out of a 3.75" barrel with that small BH grip.

Jeff
"I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." Willard Duncan Vandiver
User avatar
Tazman1602
Posts: 96
Joined: 04 Nov 2012 06:10
Location: North Woods of Michigan
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: .22 caliber revolvers

Post by Tazman1602 »

Hey thank you for that information Mass! I wasn't aware you could buy a .22 mag cylinder...................for $30!!! I went to Heritage yesterday after reading your post and promptly ordered one for my 6.5" barrel Rough Rider. That was a steal! I know the Rough Riders have gotten some bad press, but mine has been extremely accurate and has a nice trigger pull. It isn't a $500 Ruger, but it isn't half bad either!

Art
Pappys Rifle Shop
Alanson, MI
"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. "
---Theodore Roosevelt
Pepe Ray
Founding Member
Founding Member
Posts: 55
Joined: 11 Feb 2012 14:14
Location: Piscataquis County, ME.
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: .22 caliber revolvers

Post by Pepe Ray »

Rooster59 wrote:My wife bought a Heritage a couple years ago. She fell in love with the feel of one she found in our local LGS and brought it home. It has the LR and mag cylinders. It's the bird's head grip in 3.75" barrel length.

It only comes with fixed sights and yes, regulating the sights took some filing, bending, and re-bluing. It shoots fine now after the tweaking. Not sure if that mag cylinder will ever be taken out of the plastic wrap though. Can't see shooting a 22WMR out of a 3.75" with that small BH grip.
barrel
Jeff
Rooster , you sure got that right!! I had a S&W kit gun w/a 3"HB. Lovely to hold. BUT the meanest ,ugliest, nastiest @#$%^&* thing to shoot that I EVER experianced. Because it was such a delight to holster and fondle it took me a whole box of ammo to convince myself that it HAD to GO.
If you decide to try the mag cylinder, be extra carefull of hearing protection.
Pepe Ray
Salvation is ONLY through JESUS.
Freedom is ONLY through ETERNAL VIGILANCE and SACRIFICE.
User avatar
Rooster59
Founding Member
Founding Member
Posts: 366
Joined: 08 Jul 2012 21:51
Location: East Central Missouri
Has thanked: 184 times
Been thanked: 33 times

Re: .22 caliber revolvers

Post by Rooster59 »

Thanks for the warning Pepe. That grip feels so good but I'd only have it on a 22LR revolver. My wife doesn't buy ammo and I have no 22WMR rifles so it is doubtful that cylinder will ever get out of it's cosmolene wrapper.
"I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." Willard Duncan Vandiver
Post Reply