Heritage 22lr/22mag

[redkow97]

I'm buying a single action revolver. To play with, and eventually teach my girls to shoot. 

Heritage arms makes a colt clone (with some modern inprovements, like a safety) for $120-$150

my only questions are:

4.75 or 6.5" barrel?  I'm thinking 6.5, since I'll never carry this, and it will be more fun to be able to shoot accurately. 

Do I bother paying the extra $30 for the 22 magnum cylinder?  I'm thinking no. I don't keep 22 mag in my cabinet, and it costs as much as 9mm. If I needed a more powerful round, I would reach for a different gun, not the higher velocity cylinder. 

Thoughts?

there are 6 and 9 round models.  The choice seems obvious, but the 9 round is closer to $300. Wtf??? 6 is enough. 

[MidgetTodd]

Shorter barrel is lighter not so nose heavy if teaching kids to shoot

Mag cylinder opens more options during ammo shortages.

Personally I prefer to teach children to shoot with more modern style guns that they're more likely to encounter.

 

[max power]

My brother has one. It's a garbage gun.

[redkow97]

2 hours ago, max power said:

My brother has one. It's a garbage gun.

You're the first person I've found who has said so.   Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people on the Ruger forums talking about how shitty the Heritage guns are compared to a single six or single ten, but it costs $120...  It's a toy.  Granted, it's a toy I'd like to last a good long time, but I'm not going to be putting thousands of rounds at a time through a single-action revolver.

@MidgetTodd's point about barrel weight is well taken, and I would agree that a more modern gun is more relevant, but there's a high level of safety with a SA revolver that is annoyingly tedious to replicate in something like an SR22. 

does your brother want to part with his? 

[MidgetTodd]

As he said they are shitty guns, but as long as you understand you get what you pay for then it's all good.

The SR22 is a great gun. I have 2 of them and my daughter has one. Shes had hers since she was 12 I believe. Great gun to teach your kids to shoot with.

[redkow97]

what makes it shitty?

[Tpoppa]

I think they're are decent for the price.

 

[bandit12]

7 hours ago, redkow97 said:

what makes it shitty?

If you were standing here right now I could show you.

I bought my youngest boy one about six years back and he has probably only shot 200 long rifles out of it and maybe 20 magnums. I could hand it to you and pull the barrel out of it.

The frames are some sort of cast and the steel barrel is knurled and pressed into place, it will work loose over time and start coming out. Some people have had them actually fall out.

What's the fix, hard setting locktite and shove it back into place. One of these days I will locktite it and cross drill it for a roll pin, after all some rifles have barrels pinned in place.

Like MidgetTodd says, as long as you understand you aren't buying a top quality piece and it may come apart on you you should be ok.

Also my cousin bought one and it wouldn't shoot two holes because the cylinder was chambered evenly spaced, luckily they wouldn't fire as bad as they were misaligned with the forcing cone/barrel. It had to be sent back twice for the same problem. When they work they are swell but be warned. 

[MidgetTodd]

Those things ^

Basically a poor quality and no real set tolerances in the builds, no two of them are alike but all are loose, inaccurate and inconsistent. You get what you pay for.

IMO the SR22 is a far safer gun to teach a child to shoot with and a wiser choice as its modern and what your child is likely to come accross while at a friends house so why not teach them how to properly and safely handle and unload what they are likely to stumble upon. I personally see no reason or benefit to teach a child firearm safety and usage on a dated and overall poor quality gun.

[Rich B]

The Heritage Arms guns are bottom feeders. You get what you pay for. 

As far as teaching a kid to use a revolver as a first gun.....I am all for that plan. A revolver forces them to learn to shoot. Once they learn to handle a revolver, if they want to move on to a semi, great. 

Yes you will pay more for a better brand revolver in 22 than the Heritage Arms guns, but in the long run, it is worth the money 

[redkow97]

I just found conversion sleeves for the Taurus Judge, lmao.

I'm not rushing out to buy a Judge, but it's pretty cool that you could, in theory, buy 1 handgun, and adapter sleeves for 9mm, 45 ACP, 22lr, and shoot them all (albeit without great accuracy) from the same frame.

[redkow97]

bought a 9mm carbine with my lunch money instead.  Still interested in the 22lr wheel gun.  Held a Ruger single 10 and the Heritage 6 shooter.  You can feel the difference in quality, but the ruger is $400 more expensive.  I might just buy two of the Heritage revolvers and really cowboy it up!  

[MidgetTodd]

There are better brands than Heritage that are still well under Ruger prices 

[Tpoppa]

I had a Taurus 94 that was a pretty good shooter in single action.  It had a heavy double action trigger pull, but I think that's true for all rim fire revolvers.

[redkow97]

Like???

I want 3 things out of any gun:

- reliable.

- low maintenance (i.e. doesn't mind being run dirty, or it's pretty damn simple to clean) 

- accurate for its purpose (i.e. I don't expect much from a subcompact), but I would like a plinker to be good with open sights.

[Tpoppa]

9 minutes ago, redkow97 said:

Like???

I want 3 things out of any gun:

- reliable.

- low maintenance (i.e. doesn't mind being run dirty, or it's pretty damn simple to clean) 

- accurate for its purpose (i.e. I don't expect much from a subcompact), but I would like a plinker to be good with open sights.

Hundreds of thousands of 22 auto pistols have been sold, yet 22 revolvers are pretty uncommon.  It's party because double action and rim fire is not a great combination...it has to do with the spring pressure needed to accommodate the surface area of the firing pin.   That Taurus 94 I mentioned above was pretty good in SA, but wasn't as enjoyable to shoot as any of the 22 autos I've owned.   

Have you fired any of the 22 single action autos like the Buckmark, Ruger I-IV or 22/45, Smith 22A/S, Smith Victory?  These are all accurate and crazy fun.

I have a S&W 22S that's had something like 25-30k rounds through it.  I clean it about every 1k.  It's my favorite range toy.     

 

 

[MidgetTodd]

29 minutes ago, redkow97 said:

Like???

I want 3 things out of any gun:

- reliable.

- low maintenance (i.e. doesn't mind being run dirty, or it's pretty damn simple to clean) 

- accurate for its purpose (i.e. I don't expect much from a subcompact), but I would like a plinker to be good with open sights.

Of the 3 things the Heritage only meets #2 simple to clean. 

[redkow97]

The Mark IV(?) I shot didn't want to cycle reliably.  I switched to a single six, which didn't care about ammo at all.  That is part of the appeal of a revolver.  In a SHTF situation, my stockpile of 22lr may hang up my 10/22, but it should always cycle through the bolt gun and a revolver.

An SR22 or S&W 22 compact seems to be the best semi auto approximation of a true training gun for their bigger brothers, but they're pickier about bulk ammo... 

keep in mind as well that my carry 9 is DAO, so a long sloppy trigger pull on a DA/SA 22 revolver is good practice for that gun, if not for marksmanship. 

[MidgetTodd]

2 minutes ago, Tpoppa said:

Hundreds of thousands of 22 auto pistols have been sold, yet 22 revolvers are pretty uncommon.  It's party because double action and rim fire is not a great combination...it has to do with the spring pressure needed to accommodate the surface area of the firing pin.   That Taurus 94 I mentioned above was pretty good in SA, but wasn't as enjoyable to shoot as any of the 22 autos I've owned.   

Have you fired any of the 22 single action autos like the Buckmark, Ruger I-IV or 22/45, Smith 22A/S, Smith Victory?  These are all accurate and crazy fun.

I have a S&W 22S that's had something like 25-30k rounds through it.  I clean it about every 1k.  It's my favorite range toy.     

 

 

This all day long. There's a reason there's not much to choose from. 

Again have you actually used one or just think they sound good? 

As Tony said the Buckmark series. 

As I said the SR22. 

Both superior in every way to the Heritage. Both meet all 3 of your wants. 

Both are affordable. 

Both are a better training tool for your kid. 

If you insist on the revolver the Taurus as Tony said is a far better choice. 

Chippawa makes one too, budget minded yet still better than the Heritage. 

The problem I've found with teaching people anything, shooting and kids included, is nobody learns when there's not an interest or enjoyment. 

You will lose both of those key aspects trying to teach anyone to shoot with the Heritage and likely any single action revolver. 

They will shoot all day long with an SR22

[MidgetTodd]

1 minute ago, redkow97 said:

 

An SR22 or S&W 22 compact seems to be the best semi auto approximation of a true training gun for their bigger brothers, but they're pickier about bulk ammo... 

This not true. I've both and thousands of rounds thru them. Clean it once in a while and add a drop of oil where it's supposed to be and it'll shoot whatever you put in it. 

This is true with many of the P22 and Walther series pistols. Not the SR22. 

[Tpoppa]

1 minute ago, MidgetTodd said:

This not true. I've both and thousands of rounds thru them. Clean it once in a while and add a drop of oil where it's supposed to be and it'll shoot whatever you put in it. 

This is true with many of the P22 and Walther series pistols. Not the SR22. 

Agree.  I also have an SR22.  That's generally the first gun I grab when I teach someone to shoot.  It's eaten the bulk ammo I've fed it.

 

[JustinNck1]

I got one of the Smith 22A's and it's a blast to shoot. Accurate, not picky on ammo and I even threw my red dot on it one time. I usually let people who are new to shooting try it out first. Not as intimidating as others.

[redkow97]

I haven't priced SR22s in a while.

It makes me laugh that this could become the most expensive gun in my cabinet.  Even with the cheaper pink-frame model, it's $340.

[MidgetTodd]

I sell them for $325 and tax. 

If that is the most expensive gun you have I'm concerned with your daily carry choice. 

[redkow97]

16 hours ago, MidgetTodd said:

I sell them for $325 and tax. 

If that is the most expensive gun you have I'm concerned with your daily carry choice. 

My EDC is a KelTec PF9.  I know what it is and what it isn't.  It's compact enough that I actually carry it.   I can hit a paper plate sized target consistently at 5-7 yds.  I know it has a poor reputation for reliability in some circles.

Mine has never had a FTF or FTE - but I admit that I don't particularly enjoy shooting it, and don't shoot it very often.  I still have several hundred rounds through it, but probably fewer than a thousand. 

I carry it because it's almost completely forgettable.  I will probably get a glock 19 eventually, but that's obviously quite a bit larger than the PF9.  Assuming I love the 19, that might eventually lead to a 43.   I actually prefer Smith XDs over glocks (with admittedly limited range time with both), but the law enforcement pricing on the glocks can't be beaten...