# Heritage Arms revolvers



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Does anyone have a Heritage Arms revolver? If so, what is your opinion of it. The one I recently tried was a piece of junk. Brand new but in serious need of cleaning before it could be used. The factory set sights are also off quite a bit. No, it wasn't just me. A few other people experienced the same issue with the same firearm. Maybe this one was just a lemon.


----------



## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

Yep. Bought one a number of years ago as my "beat around" snake pistol. As you've found, they can be hit or miss. My LGS let me pick through the selection they had, and I picked the one I liked best. Mine has the interchangeable 22/22 mag cylinders...and I've probably put 1000 rounds of long rifle and 2 or 3 hundred rounds of magnum through it with minimal problems. For the $100 I gave for it I'm well pleased.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

This was the .22/.22 magnum, 9 shot. It might be ok for shooting trapped varmints but not for anything over 30 feet.


----------



## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

Danaus29 said:


> This was the .22/.22 magnum, 9 shot. It might be ok for shooting trapped varmints but not for anything over 30 feet.


Yeah it definitely isn't a long range gun. Then again, I've never wanted a .22 handgun to be.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

many people find them serviceable as trap line guns but they are cheaply made if you don't want to drop your expensive gun in the creek or have it get banged up or get blood on it.

however for every guy I have heard who loves their Heritage RR on the trap line because it is cheap and they don't have to feel bad about banging it up , there is someone with a bearcat or single 6 who says pay once for quality and have a tool for a lifetime.

the Ruger wrangler would be a good compromise now at 195.99 street price Ruger quality in less expensive alloy metal

the RR6 shot was selling for 129.99


with any of these low dollar guns or tools they are what is referred to as OTDIG out the door it goes the QA is very lacking because any amount of QA that would find the lemons would also significantly increase the cost of the gun

the one RR I shot you could hit a half dollar from 30 feet if you did your part it may have been the exception it was at a pistol instructor training I took several years ago and it was an example gun owned by the instructor giving the class.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

crehberg said:


> Yeah it definitely isn't a long range gun. Then again, I've never wanted a .22 handgun to be.


22lr starts dropping a lot at 100 meters but it is a lot of fun to shoot that far 
a 12 inch steel plate at 100 yards , standing one hand if you can hit 9 out of 10 it is a fairly good test of if the person has pistol marksmanship down

I wouldn't shoot game at that distance with a 22lr pistol


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I got all the rounds into a man sized target at 50 feet, just not where I wanted to put them. They were hitting several inches too low. I was using Federal target rounds since my usual Stingers have become very hard to find.

As much as I like revolvers, I really do prefer a rifle for long distance. I can shoot a squirrel out of a tree at 100 feet with my 10/.22.


----------



## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

I've looked at the Heritages, but never pulled the trigger.

Ended up with a Taurus Tracker .22/.22 magnum.

It is a bit hit or miss with shorts, but dead on with magnums or LR rounds. Minus the occasional flyer which seems to be the norm for consumer grade .22 rounds.

It is really inaccurate when you forget to swap cylinders and shoot shorts out of the Magnum cylinder. You might hit a broadsided barn if it stands very, very still. Oops.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

LOL, about the cylinders. I checked to make sure I was using the right one before I loaded it. But that would be a valid concern. 

I tried it standing at first. Then I tried sitting at the table with my elbows on the table. Then hubby tried it, then his brother. Still hit way too low and all over the place. It's a very pretty piece with rosewood grips, but obviously looks aren't everything.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

does it have adjustable sights?

the 22lr/22mag conversions often have a difficult time with accuracy in 22lr 

not just when the 22 mag cylinder is in 

22 mag is a .224 bullet and 22lr is a .223 bullet 

you also have a long jump to the rifling in anything with a long jump to the rifling it can be an accuracy issue 

it is particularly bad when you forget to use the LR cylinder because the round slops around in the chamber then can be hitting the forcing cone off center , well not good alignment

have you tried it with 22mag yet?


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Unfortunately the sights are not adjustable. Sigh. Should have looked at it closer.

.22 magnums are real hard to find here since Gander Mtn closed. I have a few boxes but didn't try them with this revolver. But, I was fortunate enough to find an unspent round someone dropped at the range. I fired that one but didn't see where it hit, or if it hit the target.


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

The Heritage .22 I picked up on sale for $89 plus tax a few years back does good for me in shooting the possums and armadillos that dig up my property in after dark swarms during summer months at distances from 10 to 40 feet or so.

Not the best small caliber revolver I have , but as mentioned above, for what I use it for I figure it was worth the cost and when not in use for varmit control, I keep it loaded and stashed in case my larger caliber arms are further out of fist fill distance if needed.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

oh all sights are adjustable some just need a file 

too low is better than too high

too low is a front sight that is too tall 

clean out the action well with a dry lube like Hornady one shot , if the rest of the gun was a mess it likely has a bunch of oil that is getting sticky in the lock work also 

the Hornady one shot often makes the trigger feel better when you get it in the sear and it doesn't dry out and gum up over time like WD-40 or other oils 

it can't hurt and it puts good corrosion resistance in the action where it is not easy to clean regular

fire off a cylinders worth of rounds leave the cases in , hammer back and work on your dry fire leaving the cases in to catch the firing pin dry fire a bunch it will help slick up the action and help you get better trigger control use a target in a safe direction an 15-20 minutes of dry fire a day for a week or two 

find an ammo that does the best group shoot with the front sight equal height equal light at 1 inch dots with the dot setting on the post at about 25 feet is good this isn't a long range shooter for your other reasons 

when you have a group but it is low try bringing the front sight up out of the notch and fire a few try and keep it the same above the notch each time see how far you need to bring it up

now you put it in a padded vice and file down that front sight a little at a time , shoot some groups then file as needed

when you get the bullet impacting exactly where the top of the front sight is at 25 feet you may want to shoot it at a few other distances 10 feet , 20 , 30 , 40 , 50 the question is do you make it a 6 o'clock hold so that the top edge of the front sight at 25 feet on the bottom of a 1 inch dot hits the center of the dot or not 

if your happy where it is you finish up the top of the front sight with 1200 grit and some cold blue or if you prefer a bright color of nail polish , paint marker ect... if you don't like your color choice you can sand it off and try another 


we do this with muzzle loader front sights all the time they generally come too high , with a muzzle loader we do get a do over on the oops by driving out the old sight and driving in a new sight 

pick your ammo and go slow shoot several groups


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

when you dry fire (with spend cases in the cylinder ) you focus in keeping that sight on the target all the way through the hammer fall 

you always do a safe direction because should a loaded round find it's way in it is a safe direction


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

It was cleaned really well. Hubby spent a couple hours on it, but I don't know what he used. Probably Hoppe's because that is what is in the case. 

I'll have to try practicing with it more. It is not as accurate as the jumpy SW 9 mm I used a few years ago which is pretty sad.


----------



## weaselfire (Feb 7, 2018)

If you don't like a gun, sell it and buy something else. Nobody is forcing you to keep it. Yet.

Jeff


----------



## Cairnstone Farm (Apr 30, 2020)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> many people find them serviceable as trap line guns but they are cheaply made if you don't want to drop your expensive gun in the creek or have it get banged up or get blood on it.
> 
> however for every guy I have heard who loves their Heritage RR on the trap line because it is cheap and they don't have to feel bad about banging it up , there is someone with a bearcat or single 6 who says pay once for quality and have a tool for a lifetime.
> 
> ...


Not many people can shot a 22 pistol that good. Most 22 ammo isn't that good.


----------



## Cairnstone Farm (Apr 30, 2020)

Danaus29 said:


> Does anyone have a Heritage Arms revolver? If so, what is your opinion of it. The one I recently tried was a piece of junk. Brand new but in serious need of cleaning before it could be used. The factory set sights are also off quite a bit. No, it wasn't just me. A few other people experienced the same issue with the same firearm. Maybe this one was just a lemon.


I have a few and recommend them to others. They're not an $800 revolver, but for under 200 it's great. Here's a well written article on them. 








The Heritage Rough Rider, $130 Astonishment | Gun Tradition


I have owned a Heritage Rough Rider 22lr revolver for years. It is the cheapest gun I’ve bought, and one of my favorites. I have…




guntradition.com


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

most 22lr ammo is within 5MOA or about 1 1/4 inches at 25 yards CCI standard velocity is closer to 1-1.5MOA some guns are not good shooters and some ammo just isn't a good fit for some guns.

with the youth I have trained as my only example , my sample size is only a around a hundred with a little training hitting a 6 inch plate at 25 yards is quite doable with a 22 pistol we shot pistol silhouettes and if they wrest their wrists on a bag sitting at a bench they were hitting rams fairly often a ram is about the size of a 2 liter bottle laying on it's side at 100 meters.

had a young lady about 16 who was all over a 8.5x11 target paper at 30 feet with her first magazine after safety briefing, 20 minutes of instruction on grip , sight focus , and trigger squeeze and she was running through magazine's on a 10 inch steel plate at 65 yards all hits. She had never shot a handgun till that day. when she started to miss we found she had let her grip get off , fixed the grip back to hits.

my opinion is people expect too little of themselves and the pistol once they are shown what that gun and ammo can do and trained on how to do it themselves , the extraordinary is now quite possible.

it does help to work with solid equipment also


----------



## Cairnstone Farm (Apr 30, 2020)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> most 22lr ammo is within 5MOA or about 1 1/4 inches at 25 yards CCI standard velocity is closer to 1-1.5MOA some guns are not good shooters and some ammo just isn't a good fit for some guns.
> 
> with the youth I have trained as my only example , my sample size is only a around a hundred with a little training hitting a 6 inch plate at 25 yards is quite doable with a 22 pistol we shot pistol silhouettes and if they wrest their wrists on a bag sitting at a bench they were hitting rams fairly often a ram is about the size of a 2 liter bottle laying on it's side at 100 meters.
> 
> ...


That's very true. Alost all the time we are the biggest part of our inaccuracy. CCI standard velocity and Aguilla super maximum ( the 100 round box, not loose packed bulk) are pretty darn consistent.
I admit that it's just easier and lazier to blame inaccuracy on the tool instead of the man.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Cairnstone Farm said:


> I admit that it's just easier and lazier to blame inaccuracy on the tool instead of the man.


I am of 2 opinions on this statement. Part of me wants to argue and say this particular revolver is junk or the ammo is junk without any other consideration. The sights are way too low. Line up the dots and it hits about 6 inches below where I aimed. And when it was new (before it got a good detailing) it had a bad habit of misfiring. Every few rounds it wouldn't fire. The gun was dirty and had shavings in bad places right out of the box. Heritage Arms is not like Ruger where you can take a brand new piece and go through several cylinders without any trouble.
The other part of me says I just might be out of practice. The grip is not like other revolvers I have handled so I may be twisting or dropping the barrel. I may be slightly prejudiced against this piece after having so many misfires the first time out. I may have been slightly distracted by the other shooters in the next lane. The ammo is not a brand I usually shoot.
This was an "oh how pretty" purchase. I liked the rosewood grip and the shiny stainless barrel. The dual barrels were nice too since at the time magnums were plentiful and long rifle ammo could be bought only after standing in line for 2 hours before the stores opened on stocking day.


----------



## Cairnstone Farm (Apr 30, 2020)

Sounds like you got a bad one. As far as aiming, I aim with the blade high in the notch. I thought that's how most blade sight revolvers are. Sight picture is an easy adjustment.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

This one has 2 dots on the rear sight and one on the front sight. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, I thought the dots were supposed to line up. Anyway, as suggested earlier the front sight can be filed off. The way it is now the front sight blocks the target.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Danaus29 a SS barrel with 3 dot sights it sounds like you got maybe a special run 

this is typical of a adjustable sights model 









while this is most common for non adjustable sights a notch and blade 
I haven't seen any with a 3 dot type sight and non adjustable


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

It's the bottom one with 3 dot sights.
My 10/.22 has adjustable sights. Got them set exactly the way I like them.


----------



## Big_Al (Dec 21, 2011)

I enjoy single action revolvers, have them ranging from 22 to 44 magnum to 45 Colt with a couple 357's in the mix.
While I had two Single Sixes, I wanted something cheaper and not as "pretty" for farm duty.
I bought my first Heritage Rough Rider in 2004, a 6.5" combo model.
10 years later, I bought one of my favorites - Heritage Birds Head grip 3.5" barrel. It wears the magnum cylinder and usually rides in my jeans back pocket around the farm.
Last year, I bought the 4.75" model.
My Single Sixes are Range Queens, my Heritage's are solid companions. With the 22 magnum cylinder I have more power than a 22LR out of a rifle in a much more convenient package.

Final thought - whenever you buy a factory new gun, you should ALWAYS clean it before firing, no matter who made it.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Big_Al said:


> Final thought - whenever you buy a factory new gun, you should ALWAYS clean it before firing, no matter who made it.


Yep, I know that now. The Ruger was the first I got new. This was the second. Never cleaned the Ruger, didn't think about cleaning this one until I looked at it after the misfires.


----------



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I think this is really just a "you get what you pay for scenario". Heritage is a very inexpensive handgun, probably about as cheap a revolver as you can buy in the U.S., so you really shouldn't expect first rate performance out of it any more than you would expect one of those $295 black plastic Savage rifle scope 30-06 combos to be a 300 yard tack driver. If it functions properly, is safe, and goes bang every time you pull the trigger, you got what you paid for.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

So true. Since it no longer misfires I plan to use it to shoot trapped raccoons. It's easier to carry than the rifle.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Danaus29 said:


> So true. Since it no longer misfires I plan to use it to shoot trapped raccoons. It's easier to carry than the rifle.


they are a very common trap line pistol. they work well for that. and if you scratch it no worries.


----------

