The author's original photo taken last Saturday while out on a target shooting trip with a friend. At top, the author's friend's six-shooter, equipped with a 22 Long Rifle cylinder. At bottom, the author's Heritage Rough Rider revolver, with a 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire cylinder installed.
When I was a kid, we loved to play cowboys and indians! We'd pretend to shoot each other and talk like John Wayne. I know it's not really politically correct to say so nowadays, but that's the way it was. Dad would rent VHS tapes with old western movies and we'd watch them until we fell asleep on the living room floor curled up in a sleeping bag.
It was actually my dad that introduced me to the Heritage Rough Rider revolver a few years ago. We were down in Arizona for our annual family reunion. We usually like to do something outdoors and on this occasion we got together to do some target shooting.
We actually had a competition. There were several rifles and pistols in the 22 Long Rifle caliber to shoot. My dad set up targets and devised a point system, complete with cool prizes! I was pretty proud when I won first prize which was a nice Winchester branded hunting knife that I still have today.
At some point Dad broke out his revolver, made by Heritage Manufacturing Inc., very much like the ones you see in the picture above. I hadn't seen it before and I was intrigued. It's a genuine six shooter and it belongs in the hand of a cowboy, or at least someone who has a little bit of cowboy or cowgirl at heart. I actually used it to help me win first prize in the competition.
One neat feature of these revolvers is the fact that you can use two different cylinders in them - a 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire or a 22 Long Rifle cylinder. You can purchase these revolvers with or without the extra 22 Mag cylinder. I bought mine without the extra cylinder and for the longest time I thought I had made a mistake. The truth was that I had! I had to rectify the situation. Eventually I found a brand new 22 Mag cylinder on ebay for about $39. I ordered it! I was very happy when it arrived and it fit my revolver perfectly and shoots very accurately. Now it's like I have two revolvers in one!
I went out shooting with my friend last Saturday. We drove two separate trucks up into the woods so we could keep our distance during this coronavirus pandemic. We went up to a gravel pit and set up some targets to do some shooting. He brought his revolver too and we had fun shooting our revolvers and snapping the picture above. His is about 10 years old and in great shape. Mine's about 3 years old and in similar condition.
I can't say enough good about these single-action six shooters. They are so fun to shoot and very accurate for the money. They run anywhere from $100 - $150 on the lower end with just the 22 LR cylinder and $150 - $200 for the revolver with both cylinders. It all depends on when and where you buy them. There are some models that get more expensive, but what a great deal for such a solid firearm!
We had a great time and we let out the cowboys in us a little bit shooting these and my lever action .357 magnum made by Henry Repeating Arms.
They also sell these revolvers in larger calibers. One of these days I'm going to get one in $357 Mag to accompany my rifle.
What do you say? Do you have a little cowboy or cowgirl in you?
A couple nice shooters there. I've not done much with the .22 calibre as I never shot as a kid and went straight to centrefire. I'd like a little .22 revolver though for sure, plus a semi-auto also as they can be a lot of fun...Some day I guess. Those revolves in this post would run up a little higher in price here, but it's a good value entry to firearms and with the .22 round being so cheap once can shoot a lot.
Thanks for posting in The Pew. This has been curated for Curangel so you should receive a little vote-love shortly. :)
Thank you very much! Yeah, gotta get some 22s for some low stress and cheap plinking. A semi-auto pistol in 22LR would be fun. I'm thinking the Ruger Mark IV Hunter maybe or maybe the 22/45 Lite or Target, lol or something higher capacity. So many choices.
You're welcome.
Hey, you can't go past a Ruger .22 for sure.
Have you seen @ksteem's build? I'm not jealous. OK, yeah I am...See the link below. It's a bit sexy AF! Lol.
https://peakd.com/hive-139358/@ksteem/new-pistol-build-ruger-mark-iv-tactical
That thing is sick and yes, I am jealous!
It right? I mean...Jealous is the only thing to be! Lol.
I wanna shoot it.I want one.
Me too!
Hey, @bbrewer.
Sounds like a good time to me. :) That's also a great price! Since I'm rather a novice, what's the difference between the two cylinders when used in the same gun? Sounds like the bullets are the same, right? Didn't know they made different cylinders for guns. Learned a lot here. :)
The magnum packs more powder and has a greater velocity and better trajectory. This means less drop over the same distance, so better accuracy. Essentially the magnum is better for greater distance. The two rounds are not interchangeable as it has a slightly longer case to fit the extra powder. The projectile is the same. The .22LR is much cheaper to buy which makes it very popular around the world and is generally the go-to for plinkers and those looking to hunt small game.
That's a basic difference I guess...There is probably other differences.
Hey, @galenkp.
Aha. Okay. More powder in the magnum, velocity, trajectory, better accuracy. All makes sense.
Every time I see a gun like that, or a rifle, I'd really like to get one. I don't see myself traipsing around the forest in October around here when deer season opens, but it would be nice to go a shooting range on a more frequent basis than twice a score, or find some dirt backstop to shoot into.
I've been with @bbrewer before. It was a lot of fun. My wife, though, isn't keen on me owning any type of firearm (found that out way after the fact because the subject never seriously came up until then), even if he would be willing to keep it at his house under lock and key. :)
Plinking is fun and a .22LR (or magnum) is a good way to go. I know loads of people who want to get into it but partners veto that plan...Not uncommon. Seems your wife is very anti-gun. Faith doesn't mind guns at all, however isn't hot on my killing stuff. She just doesn't want to hear about it so I don't talk about it with her. It's a compromise.
Maybe your wife will relent at some stage and you can get a little revolver. They seem so cheap up there it would be a shame not to and have some fun. Good luck.
I'm not sure if she's so much anti-gun as she is not that knowledgeable about them. I'd have to learn quite a bit more about them myself to feel comfortable having them around, too. Once that took place, though, it would be good. We've just primarily relied on location as far as minimizing potential threats like robberies or home invasion—and in order to carry I'd need to get a concealed weapons permit, too. Thankfully, there's generally others walking around with those.
So, maybe one of these days. Having little ones and their parents about on a regular basis isn't so conducive to changing her mind, but once they move on, who knows? :)
Guns never jump up and injure or kill...There's always a person behind it.
Here we have to lock the firearm in an appropriate safe for the firearm different categories of firearm have different safes, and the ammo has to be locked separately. Never together with the gun. It's pretty safe. I don't know what the rules are but assume many keep their firearm loaded, especially if used for security purposes.
I guess it comes down to safety. I mean a firearm should never be left laying about in my opinion, even empty, and no one should touch one without the appropriate safety instructions first. I'm a pretty safe gun owner, observe all the form and safety rules of course. It's as safe as anything could be. A person is more likely to get hit by lightening in my front yard than shot (accidentally) by one of my guns.
I agree with you in that some more education needs to be undertaken before you make any decisions, but guns can be a very safe hobby if approached with responsibility and respect.
Maybe you should do a post about it mate, your decision-making process and reasonings...Pros and cons. That's would be cool. Stick in in The Pew if you want as it's certainly gun-related.
Hey @glenalbrethsen! Thanks for stopping by and the comment and upvote. I'm a little slow on the draw (pun intended) on answering your questions but @galenkp answered them very nicely.
Hey, @bbrewer.
No worries. I'm just glad to see a post from you and that I came across it quick enough. Sometimes, I'm the one who's slow on the draw.
That all sounds pretty inexpensive for something that looks of high quality (love the handle), and sounds to be very accurate and durable.
Always wanted a Chiappa myself.
I like their firearms...The Rhino revolver is nice (60DS Nebula) in particular although I find the grip just a little awkward. Kinda cool looking revolver though.
They make a nice 1911-22 also...(Also want of course.) Lol.
Yes, they are probably a little better quality than the Heritage firearms. Very nice for sure! Thanks for the comment and the upvote!
Yeeehaw! Awesome post! Love these revolvers. Shot one many years ago and it was great. Love the ability to switch cylinders and go from plinking rounds to medium game hunting magnum rounds in quick order. I'm still a big fan of revolvers, easy for teaching newbies, reliable to a fault, and easy to clean without an engineering degree to take them apart like some semi-automatics. Don't get me wrong, I like my semi-auto's too, but it's hard to not like just good performing simplicity sometimes.
Plus, it's a load of fun to practice the finger twirl (Empty weapon only please!) and quickdraw from western style holsters.
As far as moving up to larger calibers, my favorite's are .357 S&W, or Ruger GP100.
And then of course the Dirty Harry .44 Magnum S&W Model 29, a bit of kick in ,44 Magnum, but amazingly accurate in .44 special without the brutal kick and faster followup.
Enjoy!
Howdy pardner! Thanks for stopping by! I shot a 44 Mag like that a couple of months ago. Talk about power! I enjoy both the revolvers and the semi-autos. You can't have just one. :)
As much as I enjoy my .44 Mag, I found I am enjoying the new .460 Rowland even more. This is a converted .45 semi-auto, (Mines a Glock 21), that gets a new barrel, chamber and spring, and can then shoot the .460 Rowland cartridge. Nearly identical ballistics and power to the .44Mag, but much less recoil and more rounds in the magazine.
I've posted a couple writeups on it here, maybe the best is comparison shooting watermelons. I still chuckle a bit every time I watch it.
Holy cow! That thing disintegrated those last two watermelons! Great video!
I bought one of those, but it was damaged in a fire. I need to replace it!
My Son bought a 357 henry golden boy for Christmas me, it is a nice toy!
Plinking is a lot of fun, stay safe.
♡♡♡♡Yes I like the Henrys a lot and the Golden Boys are just beautiful. I need a Henry in 44 Mag with the gate feed and tubular feed that they are offering now.
I love the Henrys myself, and I keep a polish on it! The 357 is perfect for me, but any big bore is good!