In a day and age where semi-automatic pistols rule supreme, the mystique of the double-action revolvers still captures the imagination of the shooting sports community. It's true that modern pistols hold more ammunition, use removable magazines for faster reloading and they can be tricked out with all sorts of red dot optics, lights and lasers sights. It makes sense that they currently lead the way in defensive and competitive handgun roles.
However, in 2024 revolver sales still represented 20 percent of the handgun market in the United States. Some people still choose to use them for daily carry and personal protection, and there's nothing wrong with that. But others enjoy the nostalgia and the storied history of wheelguns which is still reflected in movies, novels and popular video games. These enthusiasts would like to add a revolver to their collections just for the enjoyment of owning one.
The Roscoe series is made for Heritage in Brazil by Taurus Armas.
I recently I worked with a pair of well made, all-steel Turkish clones of the World War II era M1911A1 and Browning Hi-Power pistols. With suggested retail prices around $400, and real-world prices closer to $350, folks who want to own a classically styled pistol can do so without having to shell out collector's item cash to do so. This makes them ideal for the more casual collectors. When the evaluation was complete, I thought, wouldn't it be great if some company would offer a classic double-action revolver replica at similar casual collector prices? It turns out that Heritage Manufacturing has done just that.
The Roscoes are styled like the classic Chiefs Special of the 1950s with old-school compact grips and a polished blued finish.
Launched in May of 2024, the Heritage Roscoe series of subcompact 5-shot revolvers takes their design cues from the short-barrel revolvers of the 20th century. In particular, they are styled after the polished blued steel version of the Smith & Wesson Model 36, a.k.a. the Chiefs Special, launched in 1950. The Model 36 set the standard for modern carry revolvers. Not only was it a standard sidearm for American law enforcement, but it also became a pop culture staple in dozens of detective movies and television dramas.
The cylinder holds five rounds of .38 Special or .38 Special +P ammunition.
The Roscoes are assembled for Heritage by Taurus Armas in Brazil. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because the facilities are owned and operated by Taurus which is a sister company to Heritage. These revolvers are available with 2" or a fairly unusual 3" barrel. Both barrel lengths are listed for $363.99 with real world prices drifting down to around $40 less. That makes the Roscoes some of the most affordable double-action revolvers currently in production.
The fixed sight system consists of an anti-glare serrated front sight blade paired with a trough milled into the top of the receiver which ends in a square notch that serves as the rear sight. On the bottom of the barrel is a small extension which shields the knurled tip of the ejector rod. The checkered, wedge-shaped cylinder release, located on the left side of the frame, is pressed forward in order to swing out the 5-shot cylinder to the left side of the receiver for loading and unloading.
The square notch rear sight is milled into the top of the receiver.
The smooth-faced trigger is housed in a rounded trigger guard typical of small revolvers. The Roscoes are double-action/single-action revolvers. This means they can be fired by simply pulling the double-action trigger, or, the exposed hammer's checkered spur allows the revolver to be manually cocked for single-action fire. In this case, both guns exhibited a long, smooth double-action trigger pull of 11.5 lbs. Cocking the hammers significantly shortened the trigger's arc of travel and resulted in a crisp, clean break with 6 lbs. of trigger pull.
The ramped front sight features anti-glare serrations.
This series features a compact, round-butt grip frame fitted with old-school compact grips, which are usually made from checkered laminated hardwood in the company's online catalog. But if you look around the various gun dealers’ websites you can find Roscoes that ship with smooth white synthetic pearl grips or hybrid grips that mix hardwood and the synthetic pearl that are not shown on the Heritage website.
The standard Roscoe Grip (left) is checkered laminated hardwood but some distributors offer models with unlisted grips including simulated pearl (right).
It should be noted here that the old-fashioned grips were not designed for use with speed loaders. I tried some different models from 5 Star Firearms and HKS. The loaders would align properly with the chambers in the cylinders but the grips get in the way. This means that if you do want to speed load, you'll either need to trade out the factory grips for a modern rubber boot grip or load the ammunition using 5-round speed strips, like the Tuff Products Quickstrip shown in one of the photos.
Their carbon steel construction gives these little revolvers an authoritative heft of 21 or 22 ounces, depending on the barrel length.
The Roscoe shares similar external dimensions with the Smith & Wesson J Frame. This means there's a plethora of holsters to choose from, especially for the 2”-barrel version. Galco Gunleather’s Scout 3.0 open top leather IWB holster ($115) has proved to be one of the most flexible and comfortable holsters for small revolvers that I've used. Because it has an open-bottom design, it can be used with either the 2" or 3" barrel Roscoes. The 3" barrel holsters are not quite as readily available. This is why Heritage has teamed up with UM Tactical to offer the 3" compatible polymer IWB clip holster shown here ($44.99) which is available through their online store at shopheritagemfg.com.
Available holsters include the Galco Scout 3.0 (left) and the UM Tactical polymer belt clip holster (right) made especially for the Roscoe.
Because of their all-steel construction, the 2" version of the Roscoe weighs in at 21 oz. unloaded, while the 3" version weighs just one ounce more. The overall fit and finish is top notch, especially for the price. I would have been happy with the degree of craftsmanship and the polished blued finish if this revolver was listed for a higher price. All of the controls and the action operated smoothly and cleanly right out of the box.
Both revolvers performed properly with all ammunition tested, including the three loads used for the formal testing.
Both Roscoes proved to be reliable operators at the shooting range. They chambered, fired and ejected all the ammunition used throughout the course of informal and formal testing. Both guns handled nicely. But because the 3" barrel is the less common configuration, and I have a personal preference for 3" wheelguns, it was used for the formal bench-rested accuracy testing conducted at 7 yards.
The 3” barrel Roscoe printed a best 5-shot group of 1.35” with the Winchester hollow point load.
The Roscoe's are rated for standard pressure .38 Special ammunition and the hotter .38 Special +P loads. With this in mind, the 5-shot group testing was conducted using ammunition with similar bullet weights to see how bullet energy and levels of felt recoil changed with the increases in pressure. The soft-shooting Federal American Eagle 130-gr. full-metal jacket filled the practice-grade ammunition slot. The two defensive rounds included Winchester's standard pressure Train & Defend 130-gr. jacketed hollow points along with Federal's Punch Personal Defense +P round topped with a 120-gr. jacketed hollow point. Here are the performance results:
Some companies that make less-expensive revolvers choose to toss the cosmetics out the window to achieve prices this low, leave the action a little rough, or both. The Heritage Roscoe revolvers impressed me because they are some of the best looking and best fitted budget revolvers I've seen in quite some time. With their fair pricing and smooth action, they are a great fit for first time revolver buyers who want to try a revolver on for size to see if it is a good fit for their needs. Their durable steel construction and reliable operation make them suitable for those who want a less expensive defensive .38 for daily carry. And thanks to its classic styling, the casual collectors or those who want to add a touch of hard-boiled detective nostalgia to their gun collection can do so without breaking the bank. For more information, visit heritagemfg.com.
The Roscoe is a great fit for a simple daily carry set that includes a flashlight, folding knife and a 5-round Tuff Products Quick Strip.
