Heritage Rough Rider Cost

[gbran]

This is a very short thread, but it has bugged me for so long, I just had to post my question;

How do they churn out $149 revolvers? Their business model has worked a long time. While I have no desire to replace my Smiths or Rugers, I do hear good reports on these guns.

 

[CraigC]

They make them as cheaply as possible, using the cheapest materials possible, with as low an overhead as possible. Casting parts out of pot metal doesn't require the expensive foundry that aluminum or steel does.

 

[MedWheeler]

I'm glad they do. You'd get another such report from me on mine, though I did pay more than that for my gun and both cylinders.

 

[Kiln]

They make inexpensive non heirloom guns from zamak and stamped steel wherever possible. Zamak is acceptable for low pressure rounds like the .22lr but will not hold up like good steel.

Overall they do seem to hold up pretty well with several people online claiming several thousand rounds through theirs. Mine works well and I like it but I know it probably won't last with heavy use and the warranty is only a year.

 

[jad0110]

I have close to 2,000 through mine with no issues. It does shoot about 2.5" left at 7 yards, but it does group well. Nothing fancy, not as nice as a Single Six certainly, but it is also close to 1/3 the cost of a Single Six in my area.

 

[Acera]

Academy usually sells them for $99 on Black Friday.




.

 

[Bama Drifter]

It is the closest thing there is to a disposable gun. I heard some gun shop commando claim it's the top choice for Cosa Nostra hitmen. Anyway, don't ever confuse cost with price. Their perennial cheapness costs them customers like me (not trying to sound snobby).

The sweetness of low price can never wash away the bitterness of poor quality. I've sold enough Heritage products to never want to own one. YMMV.

Sent from my HUAWEI G620-A2 using Tapatalk

 

[gbran]

Thank you all.

 

[CraigC]

Back when .22LR ammo was plentiful and I was shooting 2000-3000rds a month, I often thought about buying one to see how much it would take to wear it out. I decided I just didn't want to spend that much time shooting one when I could be trying (in vain) to wear out a Single Six or K-22 instead.

 

[Old Fuff]

Believe it or not, it started out as a Colt.

It was called the Scout, and was intended to compete against Ruger's Single Six. But at Colt prices it didn't make the grade.

Anyway, as is sometimes said "Companies come and go, but tooling goes on forever."

The Rough Rider is a good buy for the money, but you only get what you pay for - which isn't much in the long run. But for modest use it's fine.

Personally, I'd sooner invest in a used Ruger Single Six that was suffering nothing worse then finish wear. It's a far better revolver, and I could easily recover most or all of its purchase price if I chose to sell it later.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

I have had one for years. Good inexpensive fun and no problems yet. For all the snobs out there they do have a steel framed version that costs more but is still a lot less than a Ruger. Been thinking about buying one of the steel framed versions. I only wish they still produced the .32 version they had at one time. I passed on one 13 years and kicking myself every since.

 

[Coyote3855]

Lots of folks can afford the Heritage but not the more expensive options. I like the fact that these guns are available and have a fairly good reputation. I'm no fan of the posters who say "just save your money and get something better." This may not be possible for those living paycheck to paycheck but still in need of a handgun.

 

[CraigC]

Believe it or not, it started out as a Colt.

It was called the Scout, and was intended to compete against Ruger's Single Six. But at Colt prices it didn't make the grade.

That's not a very popular notion but it's true. The earlier Colt Scouts weren't really all that good and had Zamak parts. The later New Frontiers and Peacemaker .22's were much better but no better than a Single Six and at twice the price.

 

[Old Fuff]

This may not be possible for those living paycheck to paycheck but still in need of a handgun.

I understand what you are saying, but many (if not most) folks that meet that description take advantage of the second-hand market in things they buy - used cars rather then new for example, or computers, TV sets, tools, everything that's available.

So I've found that used better-quality/name brand guns that are suffering from nothing worse then cosmetic finish wear are priced in the same ballpark as lower quality brands when they are new.

The main reason I don't run out and buy a Rough Rider is not because I have serious qualms about the quality vs. price, but that over time used ones have very little resale/trade-in value. That's not the case when it comes to used Ruger Single Six's.

 

[HankC]

It is cheap because you don't pay the pride factor. You can't show off to your friends that it is a Colt. When you shoot it at range and folks ask you what it is, you can only say it is a poor man's S&W. I have one and like it. It does not feel and look like a pot metal gun and it shoot well. Mine was $99 with 2 cylinders bought many years ago. For a 22, you don't need steel frame.

 

[bannockburn]

CraigC

The later New Frontiers and Peacemaker .22's were much better but no better than a Single Six and at twice the price.

I loved the look of the New Frontier .22s with their color case hardened frame, blued finish, and hard rubber stocks, especially with the 4 3/4" barrel. They were definitely a substantial upgrade from the earlier Colt Scouts.

 

[Jim NE]

Some of us bought Heritage Rough Riders because we had poor luck with our Single Sixes, believe it or not. I got a blemish-new RR with magnum cylinder for $148 from Bud's, and it was a much better shooter than my Single Six, though I admit that's not typical. There is absolutely no problem with buying a gun like the RR .22 for casual shooting. It isn't a tack driver, but more than accurate enough to have a lot of fun with. They also have a safety on them, in case they are being used by younger shooters where parents want that feature. I bought a second non-mag RR from Bud's on sale new for $122, and I'll give it to my son when he's old enough. Maybe next year.

 

[bfox]

Do the single sixes line up for ejection perfectly ? Bought a use one at the Gun show yesterday and it does not .Firing it's perfect , loading and ejecting it is not .


Have a RR and it lined up for all perfect .