Heritage Rough Rider

[gonzoman1]

Sooo...After much debate, I finally got rid of my .32 Guardian and ended up trading it in (even swap) for  Heritage Arms Rough Rider w/.22mag and LR cylinders. I wanted a cheap/reliable .22 revolver to throw in the go/zombie bag and from what I have read, these seem to be pretty decent. The Guardian had given me nothing but problems since I bought it, fail to feed, stovepipes, mag falling out while firing etc., so it was the only logical gun in the safe to downsize. Anyway, my question is that it is marked on the barrel to only keep loaded over an empty cylinder, however, the gun has a hammer block safety as well as a half cock feature. With the safety engaged and the weapon on half cock, how is there any real danger of an accidental discharge? I plan on loading it and throwing it in the bag with a few hundred rounds just in case...Anybody see any issues with this?

[louiethelump]

It is a cheapie gun and they are covering their tracks.  You better listen to them too, they KNOW the quality of the parts that are keeping that gun from firing with a round under the hammer BETTER than you do, and they know from where they speak.

   

   Not that it matters at this point, but a used Guardian is worth a lot more than a new Heritage. If this was at a gunshop that would explain this as he needs to make a profit on the Guardian as he already made it on the Heritage, so trading that way at a dealer you always take a beating.  Maybe it will shoot fine and you will be delighted.

   

   Here is a new convertible at Bud's for $169 shipped:

   

   http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/577/products_id/87978/Handguns/Heritage/Heritage%20Rough%20Rider%2022/22M%204.75%20BL%20BHG/">http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/577/products_id/87978/Handguns/Heritage/Heritage%20Rough%20Rider%2022/22M%204.75%20BL%20BHG/

   

   I would follow their advice about not carrying a live round under the hammer.

[gonzoman1]

Louie, thanks. I saw them on buds but they didn't have the exact one I wanted. 4.5" satin/stainless with birds head grips (they are a wierd colored camo but oh well). MD has to have a fired casing with handguns and Ive found that Buds doesn't always do this...Anyway, the shop had the exact one I wanted and I would'nt feel comfortable selling the Guardian to someone I know, being as it would'nt run a full mag without probs, so I figured I'd swap it and see how I like the Heritage. I paid 325 gor the Guardian new and the shop  wanted 240 for the Rough Rider (MD is a little higher I have found with any firearm)so I'm ok with taking a little hit as long as it WORKS. I don't know about you guys, but the last  5 or 6 guns I have bought have been junk, wtf is going on with quality control these days...

[widow420]

i have the rough rider conversion with 4.5 barrel.  i love it.  i can't see how it would possibly discharge with that safety on, but it's up to you.  taurus just bought heritage by the way.

[gonzoman1]

Widow, thx. Im goin to keep it  loaded and see what happens. Short of me dropping it off a building or beating it against a wall, I can't see how it could go off with it on half cock and the safety on. I carried my mini loaded on half cock MANY times before I had the safety notch update done and never had an issue. I would'nt recommend that, but I wouldn't really recommmend anyone do anything I do so...

[heyjoe]

Gonzoman this is not an attack on you and you have good posts, but why ask the question if you have your mind made up already?  

   You are going to throw it in a bag, isnt that going to increase the chance of an accidental discharge? plus you will be keeping hundreds of rounds with it, is it really that important the one round you leave out?  

   i have a couple of older striker fired semi-autos that i wont leave a round in the chamber.

[gonzoman1]

Heyjoe, I see what you are saying, I guess I was looking for someone to ease my mind a little. I just can't unserstand why the manufacturer would go through the hastle of installing a manual safety if they  themselves don't fully trust it to prevent a misfire? Just hoping that someone else has done this without issue. I'll do a thorough function test before I decide to keep it loaded in that fashion and be the test case I suppose...Anyone had a misfire with single actions by keeping the hammer on a live round on half cock? To elaborate, the bag it is going in is  my SHTF, survival/zombie apocalypse, Myan end of world bag. If it has reached the point where I need that bag, I'm goin to need every round I can...

[gonzoman1]

Please excuse the grammatical errors, I  type about as good as I sing opera.

[Uncle_Lee]

So far there are no grammer police here.

   So far.

[gonzoman1]

Well if there ever are, Im focked.

[leafhopper]

I have two Heritage firearms, Rough Rider Convertible and the 45/410 and I bought a convertible for my wife (and the holster rig also from Heritage)  We love'em. Just don't look at the finish...obviously spray painted from about 30ft away with an empty paint gun!  But, as far as reliable and accurate firearms, I have no problems.  I trust the hammer block safety IF I make sure it is fully on or fully off (it can be in between and fire!, or, maybe not!), so, an empty chamber is the best practice.

[heyjoe]

"Just don't look at the finish...obviously spray painted from about 30ft away with an empty paint gun!" ..........funny

[Uncle_Lee]

Old habits are hard to break.

   For many years I carried a single action with the hammer down on an empty chamber.

   Too late to change now, safe or not. I don't feel safe with all the chambers loaded.

[westerly1965]

I bought one of these for my wife a year ago.  Had 500 rounds through it before I cleaned it the first time.  Has never FTF or any other problem.  It is also very accurate and fun to shoot.  Fun with Mags in it to.  Enjoy it.  I looked at my paperwork and that warning is not anywhere I can see on it.  But I have single actions and I carry all of them with the hammer down on an empty cylinder.  Like Lee said old habits die hard..

[mndoug]

Quality will probably improve now that Taurus owns them.  They'll move the empty paint gun to only 15 feet away!  (Kidding. - I like Taurus.)