It's been quite interesting to watch over the last decade or so as classic firearms from the 19th century have been modified and updated to suit the tastes of 21st-century shooting sports enthusiasts. Among the most notable models inducted into this trend are the lever-action rifles. I’ve watched as they have been transformed from Old West cowboy guns into a variety of thoroughly modernized models. Some of them look like props right out of central casting dressed up for sci-fi or post-apocalyptic movies.
Well known for its diverse selection of affordably priced Rough Rider .22-cal. revolvers, Heritage Manufacturing, Inc. has also boarded the modernization train. The first model to receive the updated treatment was the Tactical Cowboy released in 2022. The primary changes to this 6.5" barrel revolver included a threaded muzzle, a fiber optic front sight, and a short Picatinny rail mounted to the top of the receiver to support micro red-dot optics. This proved to be an exceptionally enjoyable combination of features to work with.
This modern take on the revolver carbine features an optics rail and a threaded muzzle.
After evaluating the Tactical Cowboy, I had an opportunity to meet with one of the company's engineers at the following SHOT Show held annually in Las Vegas. During our conversation, I mentioned the idea of offering a version of the Rough Rider Rancher Carbine with the same optics rail and threaded muzzle as the Tactical Cowboy. Obviously I was not the first or only person to make this suggestion because late in 2023, Heritage launched the Tactical Rancher carbine. Here is a closer look at what this unusual revolver carbine has to offer.
The left-side safety lever blocks the hammer from striking the firing pin.
The Tactical Rancher is assembled around Heritage's standard single-action, 6-shot .22 LR alloy revolver receiver. Most Rough Rider receivers have a groove and notch along the top which serve as the rear sight. In this case, the receiver has been topped with a 2.5" long 6-slot aluminum Picatinny optics rail. My only disappointment with this model is that the company did not pair this rail with the same fiber-optic front sight as found on the Tactical Cowboy. Because there is no front sight an optic is the only option for a sighting system. For this evaluation, the Tactical Rancher was fitted with a top-notch Leupold DeltaPoint Pro 2.5 M.O.A. micro red-dot optic.
The right-side loading gate rests just above the finger hook trigger guard.
The 16.12" long round-profile carbon-steel barrel has a matte-blued finish and a muzzle threaded at 1/2 x 28" TPI. This allows the muzzle to be fitted with a variety of popular .22-cal. compatible brakes and compensators. A ring-style sling mount is attached to the barrel, just ahead of the aluminum ejector housing. There's also a sling swivel stud set into the shoulder stock to support the black nylon webbing shoulder sling that ships with this model.
The factory installed black beech wood stock can be traded out for other stock finishes including the Green Camo laminate shown here.
On the left side of the receiver you'll find the cylinder pin release button positioned in front of the cylinder. A modern safety lever is also found on this side of the receiver, located next to the hammer. The safety swings up into the SAFE position which blocks the hammer from coming into contact with the firing pin. Thumbing the safety down, into the FIRE position, exposes a clearly visible red dot painted on the frame. To the right side of the receiver is the swing-down loading gate which is opened to insert fresh cartridges or to eject spent cartridge casings.
The soft-shooting Tactical Rancher is lightweight and nicely balanced.
The checkered spur of the exposed hammer allows it to be manually adjusted between four different positions. When the hammer is fully forward, usually after the gun has just been fired, it's resting against the firing pin. Gently thumbing the hammer back until you hear and feel the first click sets it into a safety position. The hammer is now out of contact with the firing pin and the trigger is blocked from cycling.
Moving the hammer further back until it reaches the second click sets it into what’s called the half-cock position. The trigger is still blocked from moving but the cylinder will now rotate when the loading gate is opened. The third hammer click indicates that the gun is now fully cocked, or ready to fire. If the trigger is pulled when the hammer is fully cocked then the hammer will fall forward to fire the gun. Then the cycle begins again with the hammer fully forward against the receiver. One of the features that keeps me coming back to the Heritage Rough Rider revolver series is the smooth, clean and light pull weight of their triggers. This particular carbine's trigger pull weighed in at an easy-going 3-lbs. 4-oz.
The 6-shot .22 LR cylinder can be swapped out for a drop-in .22 Mag. caliber conversion cylinder.
A noticeable feature of this series of carbines is a hooked finger rest located along the bottom side of the trigger guard. It's intended to aid in proper aiming with the straight-gripped shoulder stock. It's very important to keep both hands behind the front of the cylinder when shooting so as to avoid getting burned by hot gases escaping sideways through the cylinder gap. This American Rifleman video demonstrates the proper two-handed grip to use with this type of revolving carbine.
The Leupold DeltaPoint Pro micro red-dot optic was a just-right size for this compact carbine.
The Tactical Rancher leaves the factory outfitted with a straight-grip, matte black beech wood shoulder stock which brings the gun's unloaded weight to 4 lbs. 2.1 oz. with the shoulder sling attached. The stock features a checkered grip, for improved purchase, and a 14.25" length-of-pull (LOP). It's capped off with a checkered polymer butt plate. For those who would prefer a different stock finish, Heritage offers several different shoulder stock options on the company's shopheritagemfg.com website. Shown in the photos is the Green Camo laminate stock (#367-0004-02, $69.99). The website also lists an impressively diverse selection of decoratively engraved .22 LR cylinders along with.22 Magnum caliber-conversion cylinders which are compatible with this carbine.
This unusual carbine provides for a unique experience at the shooting range.
In working with the Heritage Rancher carbines I’ve found them to be a hoot to shoot. They are lightweight, low recoil and balance nicely even with both hands back around the grip. Adding a red dot optic made aiming just that much easier. As with other Heritage revolvers, this gun was simple to operate and reliable with the mix of .22 LR ammunition tested. Although .22 LR semi-automatics can be ammunition sensitive with some brands or bullet types, this is not an issue with single-actions like this one.
Rimfire single-action revolvers do not suffer from the ammunition sensitivities more commonly seen in semi-automatic actions.
But there are some reasons why revolver actions did not catch on to become a standard carbine action type like bolt-actions and lever-actions. The two worth noting here are blowback and performance. The cylinder is closer to one's face with a shoulder-stocked carbine than with a revolver held at arm’s length. As a result, expect some blowback when shooting. Although I have yet to be burned or injured by the occasional bits of rearward moving debris, wearing eye protection is a must.
As for ammunition performance, this carbine's revolver-style action causes it to behave more like a handgun than a carbine. The cylinder gap allows a portion of the high-pressure gasses to escape sideways causing a pressure drop which in turn reduces bullet velocity. The result is noticeably low levels of felt recoil but with the trade-off of reduced bullet energy levels. Formal five 5-shot group bench rested accuracy testing was conducted at 50-yards using CCIClean-22 Subsonic Target, Federal Champion and Winchester Wildcat Super Speed loads. Here are the results:
The Heritage Tactical Rancher is among the most unique rimfire carbines currently on the market. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea it's certainly enjoyable to shoot, a real conversation starter for the shooting range and a great addition to any Rough Rider fan's collection. This model has a suggested retail price of $356.99. If you would like to learn more about how this carbine and other Heritage revolvers are made, take a look at this ARTV video.
