Heritage Manufacting SA revolvers?

[Hoss]

My son is considering purchasing a pair of Hertage Mfg 357s. I know they are made by Pietta, assembled by Heritage. Anybody have any experience with them? He is a teacher, budget is tight, these are less costly than Rugers or Ubertis, but I'm afraid they may not stand up to the rigors of our game. What think ye?

[Doc Fill 'Em 67797]

A friend started with Heritage Rough Riders in .357 Magnum. They are pretty good for the price. They had stiff actions when he got them but he smoothed them out to be pretty slick. The only negative is the cylinder has a lip around the outside edge that makes it hard to see the empty chamber. They have held up well so far.

[Cat Brules]

I would say there are other considerations, perhaps more important than the initial cost, itself.

 

First, your son should consider that buying a set of guns new, that will almost certainly turn out to be less suitable for him once he is into the sport (if he decides he wants to stay in the sport), is really false economy.

 

Second, your son should consider whether he wants to shoot Rugers or Model P's. That arguement may not carry the same weight it once did, because of the new, smaller grip "New Vaquero" revolver. However, the action/lockwork of the Ruger vs. the Model P are different and could be a deciding factor, as well. Once again, false economy, if he buys the Heritage but really likes the Ruger.

 

Third, Heritage Manufacturing is owned by Taurus, who presented the CAS community with the disasterous Gaucho a while back, a plague-ridden version of the Model P, which is no longer in production. With Taurus at the helm, what's going to make the Heritage gun any different, really? I personally would never purchase a Taurus gun. Many people think Taurus guns are okay, but I'm not in that group. I think I'd pass.

 

So, if your son likes the Model P design, he could go with used Uberti guns that might more closely follow the original Model P design AND provide more reliability, unless they've been trashed by a shade tree "gunsmith." And, if he likes Rugers, then used Rugers would be a better bet economically.

 

Anyway, that's my reasoning and the course I would follow.

 

Best wishes to you both, whatever you do.

Cat Brules

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I have read .

Heritage is now Owned by Taurus .?

[Diamond S Doug]

I used the Heritage Rough Rider .357 for 2 years. I had to have them slicked up, out of the box they were very rough. My gunsmith said they have an action that is like colt, ruger and something else mixed up. After 2 years of shooting them at least 2 matches a month one started dropping the cylinder lock early and was scarring the cylinder. Seems the lever for the lock is a knife edge running over a screw head type design. In my opinion, after the action job, they were excellent to shoot but just aren't designed for the rigors of competition shooting.

[Long Branch Louie]

If he can find a pair, tell him to check out Uberti Hombre pistols. They are the same inside as other Uberti's, but have a matte blue finish and not so shiny brass frame. They can be had for considerably less than other Ubertis.

[Cat Brules]

I have read .

Heritage is now Owned by Taurus .?

 

Rooster,

Yeah, I was surprised, too when I heard it. I queried it to make sure and here's a link that I found to a "press release" on the Taurus website. Looks like they did this last year about this time:

 

http://www.taurususa.com/news-detail.cfm?newsID=41

 

Cat Brules

[Lone Dog, SASS #20401]

A friend started with Heritage Rough Riders in .357 Magnum. They are pretty good for the price. They had stiff actions when he got them but he smoothed them out to be pretty slick. The only negative is the cylinder has a lip around the outside edge that makes it hard to see the empty chamber. They have held up well so far.

 

 

I had one. Like any other Pietta it did NOT have recessed chambers. Onliest 6guns I know of that DO have the rebated chambers are those made in Germany like the EAA Bounty Hunters.

 

Other than possibly breaking the transfer bars the Heritages should hold up just as well as any other Pietta.