Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR Revolver 6-Shot Black Polymer Grip – Superb Single Action Plinker

Description

The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR is the long-barreled version of the cheapest honest revolver on the market, and the extra inch and three quarters of barrel buys you something real. Model RR22B6PG holds six rounds of 22 Long Rifle, measures 11.78 inches overall, and wears black polymer grips with the Heritage name pressed into the panel.

That barrel length is the whole argument. The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR has a sight radius roughly a third longer than the 4.75 inch gun, and on a fixed-sight revolver sight radius is the single biggest thing standing between you and a hit. It also puts a little more weight out front, which steadies the muzzle for offhand shooting at cans, and it looks the part in a way the short gun does not quite manage.

Everything else is Rough Rider as it has always been: single action only, loading gate on the right, ejector rod under the barrel, and a price that makes the decision easy.

Features of the Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR

• 6.5 inch black steel barrel, which is a third more sight radius than the 4.75 inch model
• Six-round cylinder chambered in 22 Long Rifle
• Zinc alloy frame and alloy steel cylinder, both finished black
• Black polymer grip panels with the Heritage name pressed in and a brass-finished grip screw escutcheon
• Manual hammer safety on the left of the frame, alongside the traditional exposed hammer
• Single action only: the hammer is thumbed back for every shot
• Loading gate and ejector rod, loaded and unloaded one chamber at a time
• 11.78 inches overall, 5.25 inches tall, 1.5 inches wide

What the six and a half inch barrel actually changes

• Sight radius grows from roughly 6 inches to roughly 8, and on fixed sights that is the difference between a tight group and a wandering one
• The six and a half inch barrel adds weight ahead of the cylinder, which damps the small wobble that spoils offhand shots
• Velocity gains from 4.75 to 6.5 inches in 22 LR are modest, perhaps 40 to 60 feet per second, so this is about control rather than power
• The longer gun balances muzzle-heavy, which most shooters find easier to hold steady and some find tiring over a long session
• It is a poor choice for a holster gun and an excellent one for a range, a camp or a truck

Heritage RR22B6PG specifications

• Model: RR22B6PG
• Caliber: 22 Long Rifle
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Action: single action only, exposed hammer
• Barrel: 6.5 inches, black steel
• Frame: zinc alloy, black
• Cylinder: alloy steel, black
• Grips: black polymer
• Front sight: fixed blade
• Rear sight: notch in the topstrap
• Safety: manual hammer safety, plus half-cock
• Overall length: 11.78 inches
• Overall height: 5.25 inches
• Overall width: 1.5 inches
• UPC: 727962708385

Loading and the manual safety on a single action rimfire revolver

The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR carries a manual safety lever on the left of the frame, which is not standard on a single action rimfire revolver of this pattern and is there for a good reason. Revolvers built on the old Colt single action layout are not drop-safe with a live round resting under the hammer. The long-standing practice, and the one we recommend, is to load five and leave the chamber under the hammer empty, treating the manual safety as a second layer rather than a substitute for that habit.

Loading is through the gate on the right side with the hammer at half cock, one chamber at a time. Unloading is the same in reverse with the ejector rod. Heritage stamps READ MANUAL BEFORE USING on the frame, and on a single action rimfire revolver that is worth taking literally, because the loading sequence is the part people get wrong.

Why a black polymer grip revolver wears better than a wood one

A black polymer grip revolver is the sensible choice on a Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR that is going to get used for a gun that is going to get used rather than admired. Polymer does not swell in damp, does not crack when the panel takes a knock against a rock, and the pressed checkering holds in a wet hand better than smooth wood does. It is also lighter than cocobolo, which on a 6.5 inch gun helps offset the extra barrel weight.

If you want wood, Heritage builds the same 6.5 inch gun with cocobolo panels and publishes the full specification for it on the official Heritage 6.5 inch Rough Rider page. Heritage lists a black oxide finish on the zinc alloy frame and the alloy steel cylinder of the 6.5 inch Rough Rider.

Ammunition and what to feed it

The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR is entirely indifferent to what you put in it, which is the quiet advantage of a revolver over a semi-automatic. Federal AutoMatch 40 grain is the sensible bulk choice and we keep it deep, and Remington Golden Bullet 36 grain plated hollow point in the 525-round box is the other classic. The plating on the Golden Bullet keeps the cylinder face cleaner than bare lead.

On a Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR there is no magazine to please and no extractor to time, so ammunition that gives a 10/22 indigestion will usually run perfectly here.

Barrel lengths across the Rough Rider range

If you want the same gun shorter, the 4.75 inch Rough Rider with the same black polymer grips is the direct twin of this one, and the 4.75 inch version with cocobolo grips is the wood-handled alternative. The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 Inch 22 LR is the one to pick if the gun is going to live at a range or a camp rather than on a belt.

Why this firearm earns its place

• The longest sight radius in the Rough Rider line, which is what actually improves your groups on fixed sights
• 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
• Polymer grips that will outlast wood on a gun that gets carried in a pack or a tackle box
• Cheap enough to hand to a beginner without worrying about the first scratch

This suits the plinker who wants the most accuracy a fixed-sight rimfire will give, the camper or angler who keeps a simple revolver in the pack, and the parent teaching a first handgun where a long sight radius makes the lesson easier. It is not a carry gun 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.