Fun gun

[marc]

Well...........

I always wanted to get one of those fancy Röhm Gesellschaft’s coveted by collectors. But when you want to run with the big dogs, you have to be able to pee in the tall grass. So, with my budget constraints I settled for one of these instead, on sale for $110.00

Heritage Rough Rider



It’s an old style single action, fixed cylinder .22 revolver. I could get an interchangeable .22 Mag cylinder for another $30 but likely won’t. With a 4.75” barrel it will never approach magnum velocities.

This thing is just plain fun to shoot. It actually has a hammer block manual safety that lets everything function normally – except that it creates a gap between the hammer and the frame mounted firing pin. You can load/unload, partial cock, full cock and dry fire. This is going to be a great teaching tool for grandkids!

I was plinking with CCI Quiet in my shop. They make a loud “snap” about like me letting an empty hard wood pallet fall over on the concrete floor. Some scrap plywood/OSB makes a great backstop for shooting free lumber scraps from Home Depot.

Most importantly, I got some .22LR #12 shot shells. Federal makes them with a crimp instead the CCI blue cup approach. Copperheads get no quarter from me and these are whole lot quieter than my .38 or 12ga shot shells.

Sure, I'd rather have a Bearcat, but.........

Marc

[geron]

Hey, I have one of those and with a nice holster it follows me around like a little puppy when I'm out and about chores. Alternate rounds HP's and shot shells. Mine shoots high and to the left but I know where it shoots!

[Cwi555]

It doesn't have the RG's secondary flak mode, or explosive shrapnel capability using factory ammo. In fact, the RR357B4 model I have takes a steady diet of .357 +P just fine sans the flake and shrapnel. Don't have the .22 model but will soon after your review.

[marc]

It was an impulse buy, but I really do like it so far! Haven't shot it past 30' yet, but it shoots a little low/left - which is classic for lousy trigger technique on my part.

[USCGME2]

What does "fixed" cylinder mean?

[marc]

Oct 22, 2017 10:13:33 GMT -7 geron said:

Hey, I have one of those and with a nice holster it follows me around like a little puppy when I'm out and about chores. Alternate rounds HP's and shot shells. Mine shoots high and to the left but I know where it shoots!

I prefer that alternate loading approach in my GP-100, but I haven't patterned shot shells in .22 yet. 
My new .22 lives in a sturdy nylon holster with a snap strap and belt loop. Definitely need to upgrade down the road!

[marc]

Oct 22, 2017 11:15:35 GMT -7 USCGME2 said:

What does "fixed" cylinder mean?

It is removable for cleaning or swapping, but it doesn't swing out for loading/unloading. No crane setup.

You have push in and shake/push out each round one at a time by turning the cylinder to the loading port for each shell.

Old school cowboy style!

[marc]

Well heck! Another one followed me home from work.

As a .357mag/44mag guy, I always laughed at .380 caliber “mouse guns.”  I always figured that 9mm +P was a compromise in order to get 17 rounds. But after drilling some holes in lumber with the tiny Taurus .380 below, my view has shifted a bit.

This one is only 6+1 rounds - but it’s just so darned tiny I can’t help but like it! Look at it using the quarter and the .22 revolver for perspective. At less than 9/10th of an inch thick(!) it really disappears in a pocket with a sticky holster. Fifty six rounds of FMJ and hard cast down the pipe so far without a hitch. This is strictly an up close and personal "get off of me" gun.

[woodyz]

My semi-auto's will not cycle sub-sonic rounds and I like to shoot them so I keep .22 revolvers and bolt action .22 rifles for just that reason.

My last gun buy was the ruger LC9s I got for my wife to carry. I said in another post she had a browning/Beretta BDA 380, pre-'80, Butt it was just too stiff in the action and too heavy and she wouldn't carry it.

So I was going to get her the Ruger LCP II IN 380 AT 16 OZ.

I am glad she had trouble with the slide and felt it was small in her hand so we got an LC9s. It's exactly what I was wanting her good fit, 9mm and she shoots it well. We have been trying out holsters and purses for her to carry it in, she rarely wears a belt.

[woodyz]

We shot a lot more handguns this summer with the Grandkids visiting. They shot the rifles some buy mostly .22 handguns.

One thing I noticed to day where they were shooting .22 at one target area the target frames were 4x4 and many of the .22 rounds went all the way through.

I had not expected that.

I load some AK sub-sonic and they will cycle , but nothing else.

[woodyz]

it should be fun to shoot

[crashdive123]

I've got the TCP and like it. I've read a few bad reviews on it, but have never had any issues. I've probably put about 700 or 800 rounds through it with no issues.

[marc]

Crash, do you run hollow points through it?

I am a Ranger and PDX fan for my 9's. I may just stick with Buffalo Bore hard cast in standard pressure in my TCP to be sure of penetration. Need to see how HP's perform in terms of reliability.

[crashdive123]

Every now and then I'll run some hollow points through it, but mostly FMJ. For me, it's a "close encounter" weapon that I would probably not use outside five yards other than at the range.

[woodyz]

You get in a gun fight at 5 yards with a .380 both shooters are going to get hit.

I have seen the results of a .380 head shot from 2', it bounced off the skull. The guy got a bad headache.

At 5 yards you will be better off with a .22, I'm not kidding, you will control your shots better and they will penetrate better than a .380.

At 5 yards you have to hit first and hit the right spot and more than likely you will still take a couple of rounds.

At 5 yards you will have to initiate the action or you will be too far behind to not get hit. If someone is 5 yards from you when you see a knife, you are going to get cut. Only your first reaction is going to determine where you get cut before you even pull your gun.

If your target has on 3 layers of cloth half your .380 shots to center mass won't even penetrate.

So what do you do? You keep shooting, if your hit you keep shooting, if you get cut you keep shooting, if your on the ground you keep shooting.

If your 5 yards and you get the first shot put it in the throat and keep putting it in the throat until your gun is empty.

I'm not saying you don't need a close encounter weapon. But what if its 15 yards? That's 45 feet. Do you carry a close encounter weapon and a not so close encounter weapon?

70% of the people with a Conceal Carry Permit don't carry 50% of the time. The bad guys who have a gun carry 97% of the time.

I don't know exactly what I am trying to say except a gunfight at any distance is a losing proposition. In a situation you have to shoot first and you have to end it quick or its going to go bad for you.

I don't think a .380 with a <3" barrel is what I want to be carrying the day I need it.

practice/practice/practice train/train/train