Heritage Rough Rider 22 LR Revolver 4.75 in. 6-Shot Black Cerakote Polymer Grip – Superb Single Action Plinker

Description

The Heritage Rough Rider 22 LR is the rimfire single action that taught a generation to shoot, and model RR22B4PG is the plainest and most sensible version of it. A 4.75 inch black steel barrel, six rounds of 22 Long Rifle, a black Cerakote frame and cylinder, and black polymer grips with the Heritage name molded into the panel. Nothing on it is decorative and nothing on it is fragile.

This is a single action revolver in the old sense. You thumb the hammer back for every shot, the loading gate swings open on the right side, and an ejector rod under the barrel pushes the empties out one at a time. That deliberate rhythm is the whole appeal. A new shooter cannot rush it, an experienced shooter finds it relaxing, and a box of 22 rimfire lasts an entire afternoon.

At this price the Heritage Rough Rider 22 LR is also the least painful way to own a revolver. It does not care what ammunition you feed it, there is no magazine to lose, and if it picks up a scratch riding in a tackle box nobody weeps.

Features of the Heritage Rough Rider 22 LR

• 4.75 inch black steel barrel with a fixed blade front sight and a notch cut in the topstrap for the rear
• Six-round cylinder chambered in 22 Long Rifle
• Black Cerakote finish on both the zinc alloy frame and the alloy steel cylinder
• Black polymer grip panels with the Heritage name molded in and a brass-finished grip screw escutcheon
• Manual hammer safety on the left side of the frame, in addition to the traditional exposed hammer
• Single action only: the hammer is cocked by thumb for each shot
• Loading gate and ejector rod, loaded and unloaded one chamber at a time
• Roughly 10 inches overall and 5.25 inches tall

Why a single action 22 revolver still makes sense

• It is the cheapest honest handgun on the shelf, and it will outlast most of what costs three times as much
• A single action 22 revolver is the best teaching tool there is, because the deliberate cock-and-fire cycle forces good habits
• No magazines to buy, lose or wear out
• Rimfire revolvers are far less ammunition-fussy than semi-automatics, so bulk ammunition that chokes a 10/22 runs fine here
• It is quiet enough and cheap enough to shoot that people actually practice with it, which is worth more than any feature list

Heritage RR22B4PG specifications

• Model: RR22B4PG
• Caliber: 22 Long Rifle
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Action: single action only, exposed hammer
• Barrel: 4.75 inches, black steel
• Frame: zinc alloy, black Cerakote
• Cylinder: alloy steel, black Cerakote
• Grips: black polymer
• Front sight: fixed blade
• Rear sight: notch in the topstrap
• Safety: manual hammer safety, plus half-cock
• Overall length: about 10 inches
• Overall height: 5.25 inches
• Overall width: 1.5 inches
• UPC: 727962708392

Loading, unloading and the manual safety

Heritage fits a manual safety lever on the left side of the frame, which is unusual on a single action and is there for a reason. Traditional single action revolvers of this pattern are not drop-safe with a live round resting under the hammer. The long-standing practice, and the one we would recommend, is to load five, leave the chamber under the hammer empty, and use the manual safety as a second layer rather than a substitute. Read the manual that comes in the box before you shoot it, and note that Heritage stamps READ MANUAL BEFORE USING right on the frame.

Loading is done through the gate on the right side with the hammer at half cock, one chamber at a time, rotating the cylinder as you go. Unloading is the same in reverse, pushing each empty case out with the ejector rod. It is slow, and that is not a flaw. On a range with a new shooter it gives you six deliberate shots and then a natural pause.

The black Cerakote finish and how it wears

The black Cerakote finish on the frame and cylinder is a genuine step up from the plain black oxide on the older Rough Riders. Cerakote is a ceramic-filled polymer coating that is harder and far more corrosion resistant than a bluing salt finish, which matters on a gun that is going to live in a truck console, a range bag or a tackle box rather than a safe. The hammer spur is left bright, so there is a small visual contrast against the black.

The grip panels are polymer rather than the cocobolo used on some models. They are lighter, they will not swell or crack with damp, and they are checkered aggressively enough to hold in a wet hand. If you prefer wood, the cocobolo-gripped Rough Rider with the same 4.75 inch barrel is the one to look at.

Ammunition for a 4.75 inch barrel revolver

A 4.75 inch barrel revolver gives up very little velocity to a rifle-length barrel with standard velocity 22 LR, and it is genuinely forgiving about what you feed it. Federal AutoMatch 40 grain is the sensible bulk choice and we keep it deep. Remington Golden Bullet 36 grain plated hollow point in the 525-round box is the other classic, and the plating keeps the cylinder face cleaner than bare lead does.

Because there is no magazine and no extractor to please, ammunition that gives a semi-automatic trouble will usually run perfectly here. That is the quiet advantage of a revolver and the reason these guns end up as the first handgun in so many households.

Barrel lengths and the rest of the range

If you want more sight radius, the Rough Rider with the 6.5 inch barrel and the same black polymer grips is the direct twin of this gun. Heritage publishes the full specification line for the 4.75 inch Rough Rider on the official Heritage product page.

Why this firearm earns its place

• Cerakote on both the frame and the cylinder rather than a soft black oxide, at a price where nobody expects it
• Six shots of 22 LR with no magazine to buy, lose or feed
• A manual safety on top of the traditional half-cock, which is not standard on single actions of this pattern
• Utterly indifferent to ammunition brand, which is how a rimfire should behave
• Cheap enough to hand to a beginner without worrying about the first scratch

This suits the parent teaching a first handgun, the camper or angler who wants something simple in the pack, the small-game hunter working close, and anyone who just enjoys shooting a single action without paying single action prices. It is not a defensive handgun and we would not sell it as one.

Every firearm we ship goes to a licensed dealer in your state for the transfer and the background check. Call us if you are not sure which shop near you accepts transfers and we will help you line it up.