Heritage Mfg. Rough Rider: One Of 2020's Top-Selling Revolvers

by
posted on April 24, 2021
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
rough-rider-1.jpg

A lot of the fun and excitement of the Old West is alive and well on ranges and in the backwoods of our nation, thanks to the resurgence in single-action revolver popularity. Luckily, war parties, bandits and saddle sores haven’t rejoined the mix.

Nostalgia isn’t the only reason the early wheelgun design is back in fashion. Modern manufacturing techniques make them better and safer than ever, and taking one home is almost embarrassingly inexpensive. Those that chamber .22 LR, in particular, are ideal for practice, plinking, informal competition and dispensing ear-to-ear grins. It’s not just new enthusiasts behind the trigger, either.

Last year Heritage Manufacturing’s line of Rough Riders claimed third-place honors in GunBroker.com’s annual list of top-selling revolvers. The company has a growing reputation for American-made quality, and there’s no shortage of models available today.

Rimfire versions dominate the Rough Rider line and include several models that ship with a spare .22 WMR cylinder, however the company also offers several chambered for .45 Colt and .357 Mag. Capacities vary from six to nine cartridges. Barrel lengths also depend on choice, from 3" to more than a foot long in the attention-grabbing 16" Rough Rider model. That one’s chambered in .22 LR and, and depending on your preference, comes with or without the spare WMR cylinder.

The company’s guns wear a variety of different grips, everything from wood laminate to pearl in a variety of colors, or special-edition paint jobs with a theme—like the currently available Joker or Betsy Ross—and cocobolo. Metal finishes are also diverse, creating a line with something that appeals to every taste. As if that isn’t enough, there are even Bird Head Rough Riders.

A 16" Rough Rider with a spare .22 WMR cylinder has an MSRP of $218. Add adjustable sights and the price goes up to $233.

The Big Bore lineup includes .357 Mag.- and .45 Colt-chambered revolvers. Barrel lengths are 5.5" and 4.75", respectively. Four models are available, and regardless of your choice the suggested price is $515. Those rimfire-digesting birdshead models start at only $187.

Latest

Hearing Healthy
Hearing Healthy

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Rifleman Report: Defending Freedom For 250 Years

"Anyone who claims not to understand the plain and simple intent of the Second Amendment—especially if that person happens to be a constitutional law professor, Supreme Court justice, congressman, senator or president—is likely hiding nefarious intent: to strip individual liberty from American citizens for the express purpose of making them susceptible to a tyrannical government."

Book Review: 2025 Traveler’s Guide To The Firearms Laws Of The Fifty States

Newly updated for 2025, the 29th edition of the Traveler’s Guide To The Firearm Laws Of The Fifty States is packed with all the need-to-know information for cross-country trekkers seeking to bring their arms along with them and remain legal in all localities.

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.