Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. 22 LR Revolver 6-Shot – Superb Single Action

Description

The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. is the long-barreled version of the cheapest honest single action on the market, and the extra inch and three-quarters of barrel does more than look good. Sight radius goes up, the muzzle settles down, and the whole gun points like something that costs three times as much.

Everything else is the familiar formula. The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. holds six rounds of 22 Long Rifle, loads one at a time through a gate on the right side, and carries cocobolo grips and a blued finish over a zinc alloy frame. It will not fire unless you thumb the hammer back first.

Why the longer barrel matters

• Sight radius grows by nearly two inches, which is the single cheapest accuracy upgrade available on a fixed-sight revolver.
• More weight out front steadies the hold and slows the wobble, particularly for a new shooter.
• A 22 Long Rifle round burns most of its powder in the first six inches, so a 6.5-inch barrel gets closer to the ammunition’s rated velocity than the short one does.
• The extra length makes the gun a plinker rather than a pocket piece, which is what most people actually use one for.
• It handles like a scaled-down Peacemaker, which is most of the appeal.

Loading, safety and the controls

• Load the Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. by opening the gate, half-cock the hammer so the cylinder turns freely, and drop rounds in one chamber at a time.
• Eject with the rod under the barrel, lining each chamber up with the gate in turn.
• A manual hammer safety sits on the left of the frame, which is unusual on a traditional single action.
• Even so, the old habit of leaving the chamber under the hammer empty is still the safest way to carry one in the field.
• Fixed sights: a blade front and a groove down the topstrap, regulated for standard-velocity ammunition.

Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. specifications

• Caliber: 22 Long Rifle
• Capacity: 6-shot cylinder
• Barrel length: 6.50 in, blued steel
• Frame: zinc alloy, blued
• Cylinder: black
• Grips: cocobolo wood
• Sights: fixed
• Action: single action, exposed hammer, manual hammer safety
• Manufacturer part number: RR22B6
• UPC: 727962500309

22 Long Rifle is a standardized cartridge with dimensions and pressure limits published by SAAMI. A revolver needs nothing from the cartridge except that it fire, so the Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. will shoot standard velocity, high velocity, subsonic and CB caps without complaint. No semi-automatic will do that.

For an afternoon of steel and cans with the Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in., a 1,500-round jug of Winchester Wildcat 40 gr is the sensible buy. Armscor 36 gr high-velocity hollow point is what to load when you are actually hunting something.

If the long barrel is more than you want on a belt, the 4.75-inch Rough Rider is the same revolver in a handier size. For the same action in a carbine, the Rough Rider Rancher with a 16-inch barrel takes both 22 LR and 22 Magnum cylinders. A DeSantis Wild Hog holster is cut specifically for the 6.5-inch gun, and the Heritage 92 lever rifle in 357 is the natural next step.

Worth saying plainly about the Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in.: the zinc alloy frame means this is built to a price. It will give many years of ordinary use and it is not a Ruger Single-Six, and Heritage has never pretended otherwise.

Why the Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. earns its place

• The longest sight radius in the range, which is free accuracy on a fixed-sight gun.
• Cocobolo grips and a blued finish that punch well above the price.
• Eats every kind of 22 ammunition made, including the quiet loads a semi-auto will not cycle.
• A manual safety, which traditional single actions do not offer.
• Slow, deliberate shooting that makes a new shooter think about every round.

Set your expectations properly. The Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 in. is a plinker and a teaching gun, not a target revolver. The trigger is what it is at this price, and the fixed sights mean you learn the hold rather than adjust the gun. If you want precision from a rimfire wheelgun, a Ruger Single-Six costs three times as much for reasons you can feel.

What this does is make an afternoon vanish. It is the revolver that comes out at a cookout, the one a teenager learns hammer discipline on, and the one nobody worries about scratching. Bought for that, it will not let you down.

In stock now at MAG5 Firearms in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Transfers to your FFL, and we answer the phone.