The Heritage Rough Rider Rancher Carbine is a radically different approach to the classic .22 sporting rifle. Featuring a 16-inch barrel, six-shot revolver chassis, adjustable Buckhorn sights, and a beautiful walnut stock, the Rough Rider Rancher Carbine is what would happen if a classic Western Peacemaker wheelgun had a baby with a typical .22-caliber squirrel rifle. In a world covered in a thin patina of rimfire plinking weapons, the Heritage Rough Rider Rancher Carbine is reliably, refreshingly different.
Human Nature
There is a natural drive in all normal people to want to stand out from the crowd. On one end of the spectrum, it is the investment banker who chooses his particular tie for the day because it has some lovely stripes. On the other end, you find Elon Musk. Most of us live someplace in between those two extremes.
Guns were originally just tools. Nowadays, the inimitable engine that is capitalism has transformed our firearms into fashion statements, political commentary, grownup toys, and religious talismans. Whether we admit it or not, every proper gun nerd likes to wander out to the range on a lazy Saturday afternoon and draw a crowd of covetous onlookers. It’s much like your High School prom – only way more pathetic.
That being said, most all new shooters begin with a .22 rifle. There are sound reasons for this. Ammo is cheap, and recoil is not real. At a tender time when shooting needs to be placid and non-threatening, a .22 rifle will kindle that spark in a kid without the trauma of a large-bore handgun or 12-gauge cannon. Once we cut our teeth on that little sporting rifle, most of us maintain an example or three going forward – just for recreation, utility and nostalgia.
For most of us, that is some variation on the semiautomatic rifle theme. There are millions of them out there. They are fairly reliable and relatively inexpensive. But what of those who really do want to be a little bit different? If you like to stand out from the crowd and “average” is your personal equivalent of an unutterable racial epithet, then Heritage Manufacturing has the gun for you. The Rough Rider Rancher Carbine is the rimfire plinking rifle for the elusive freethinking traditionalist.
Particulars of the Rough Rider Ranch Carbine
At its heart, the Rough Rider Rancher Carbine is a basic six-shot rimfire revolver. Heritage utilizes investment cast frames to keep costs down. The workmanship is superb. So long as you don’t abuse it, your children’s children will be enjoying this gun long after you’re gone.
The barrel is indeed 16-inches long, so this bizarre shoulder arm actually qualifies as a rifle in the beady little eyes of the BATF. The nicely turned-out walnut buttstock is crafted to flow with the aesthetic lines of the gun. Sling swivels both fore and aft accept a nice Western-style leather
sling that comes with the rifle. The front sight is a fixed blade. The rear sight is a generous 19th-century Buckhorn readily adjustable for elevation.The gun comes chambered in .22LR. However, by depressing a detent and sliding the cylinder shaft forward and out, it is an easy chore to swap out the cylinder for the spunkier .22 Win Mag. Replacement .22 Win Mag cylinders are only $29.95 on the Heritage website. Running .22 Win Mag gives you longer reach and greater downrange thump.
Practical Tactical
Running the Rough Rider Rancher Carbine is just like the classic Peacemaker with a twist. A right-sided loading gate grants access to the cylinder for loading. A spring-loaded ejector rod kicks out the empties without a fuss. The generous manual hammer is intuitive and fast. As this is a single action firearm, the trigger is what your favorite GLOCK might someday aspire to become if it lives a righteous life and attends Sunday School regularly.
The only meaningful departure from Sam Colt’s original vision is a discreet safety lever built into the left side of the frame. Roll this puppy in line with the bore and you’re hot. Pivot it ninety degrees out of phase, and the gun won’t accidentally go off if you trip over your boots or jostle it unduly. This appendage does undeniably disrupt the gun’s classic lines. However, particularly should you be tempted to gift the Rough Rider Rancher Carbine to your favorite mini cowpoke, the extra layer of safety is a welcome addition.
The Rough Rider Rancher Carbine shoots just as straight and just as hard as any comparable .22 rimfire plinking rifle. Unlike a more traditional autoloader, it will also run .22 shorts without any additional adjustments. While I am positively Hitlerian in my affection for hearing protection while shooting, .22 shorts sound about like an air gun out of this rifle. For a covert backyard pest control tool, that’s tough to beat.
The Rancher’s manual of arms is a bit atypical. As this is a revolver, it tends to spit a little chaos forward from the cylinder when fired. As a result, the recommended firing position involves wrapping the weak hand around the wrist of the stock. There is a handy trigger-ish appendage to give you something to hang on to when doing so. The gun is so lightweight it is actually comfortable to shoot it in this manner.
Ruminations
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable way to transform bulk .22 rimfire into noise. The six-shot classic Western chassis offers five quick follow-up shots while discouraging profligate ammunition expenditure. Punching holes in discarded aluminum beverage cans is way more wholesome, edifying and enjoyable than that same time wasted in front of the TV.
The industrious soul who is blessed with an adventurous palate could easily stock a camp pot with bunnies and tree rats with a Rough Rider Rancher Carbine. The included leather sling makes the gun easy to carry in austere spaces. While I am a traditionalist myself, Heritage offers a version with a Picatinny rail for optics as well.
The rimfire world is a buyer’s market these days. You can’t swing a dead cat in your local firearms emporium without hitting half a dozen different accurate and reliable .22 rifles. However, there’s nothing else out there quite like this. With an MSRP of $356.99 and impeccable workmanship, the Rough Rider Rancher Carbine will indeed reliably set you apart from your peers.
About the Author
A native of the Mississippi Delta, Will Dabbs is a mechanical engineer who flew UH1H, OH58A/C, CH47D and AH1S aircraft as an Army Aviator. He has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning and summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times … always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains.
After eight years in the Regular Army, Major Dabbs left the military in favor of medical school. He has delivered 60 babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. Will currently works in his own urgent care clinic, shares a business building precision rifles and sound suppressors, and has written for the gun press since 1989. He is married to his high school sweetheart, has three awesome adult children and teaches Sunday School. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie “Aliens.”
