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Heritage Rough Rider

• easy
• Shop tier 2
• medium confidence
• Revolver
• revolver
• single action
• rimfire
• loading gate
• manual hammer block
• budget

field strip ~2 min · reassembly ~3 min · detail strip ~20 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• The Rough Rider has a MANUAL hammer-block safety on the left of the frame — a small lever that physically blocks the hammer. This is unusual on a single action and is not the same as a transfer bar. It must be disengaged to fire and should be engaged when the revolver is loaded and not in use.
• Unless your revolver has a transfer bar, treat it as a load-five design: rest the hammer on an empty chamber rather than carrying six.
• Loading and unloading happen one chamber at a time through the loading gate. Check every chamber individually.
• Do not dry fire — this is a rimfire and the firing pin can peen the chamber mouths.
• Convertible models ship with both .22 LR and .22 WMR cylinders. They are not interchangeable in use — fire only the cartridge the fitted cylinder is chambered for.

Under spring tension

• Mainspring
• Base pin latch spring
• Loading gate spring

Easily lost parts

Base pin · Cylinder (and the second cylinder on convertible models) · Hammer-block safety lever

Tools

No tools required for the field strip.

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 2 Tier 2 — moderate among revolvers, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. Few parts (44 pieces in a list that includes caliber and grip variants) in an SAA-pattern .22, but the frame strip frees a flat trigger spring on a screw, a manual hammer-block with its own spring and detent, and a loading-gate spring and detent, and Heritage sends any disassembly to the factory or a gunsmith.

Parts: 41 numbered parts (Single Rough Rider small-bore list (41 line items) covering .22 LR/.22 WMR cylinders, 6/9-shot, barrel-length and grip-frame variants, so one gun has fewer), from Rough Rider Small-Bore Revolver Instruction Manual — Heritage Manufacturing, p. 26–27 heritagemfg.com [2].

Bench time: about 20 min to strip, 35 min to rebuild (estimate). Estimated: SAA-pattern frame-screw strip of a small .22 with fewer parts than the Ruger single actions; rebuild longer for the trigger spring, hammer-block spring/detent and gate detent.

Small parts: 9 pins, 7 springs, 2 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Cylinder and ejector: base pin (lock nut, spring and screw), cylinder(s), ejector tube screw, tube, rod and spring — fitted screwdrivers
• Grip frame: grip screw and grips, back strap screws and back strap, hammer spring, trigger guard / front screw — fitted screwdrivers
• Lockwork: trigger spring and screw, trigger and screw, cylinder bolt and hand, hammer screw, hammer, hammer block with spring and detent, loading gate, spring and detent — fitted screwdrivers, small punch
• Frame: firing pin, spring, cup and pin only if required, front sight blade — pin punch

Special tools

• Fitted hollow-ground screwdrivers — Back strap, trigger, hammer and gate screws

Known pain points

• Heritage recommends that any disassembly beyond cleaning be done by the factory or a qualified gunsmith. (both)
  Source: Rough Rider Small-Bore Revolver Instruction Manual — Heritage Manufacturing heritagemfg.com [2] — “In special conditions, such as repairs, when disassembly is necessary, it is recommended the firearm be returned to the factory or sent to a qualified gunsmith.”
• The manual hammer block has its own spring and a captive detent that come free when the frame is stripped. (both)
  Source: Rough Rider Small-Bore Revolver Instruction Manual — Heritage Manufacturing heritagemfg.com [2] — “2.3 HAMMER BLOCK DETENT”
• The loading gate is held by a spring and detent that must be refitted under tension. (reassembly)
  Source: Rough Rider Small-Bore Revolver Instruction Manual — Heritage Manufacturing heritagemfg.com [2] — “7.3 LOADING GATE DETENT”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Timing / carry-up: every chamber locks before the hammer falls, single and double action; cylinder gap and end shake — Standard revolver check after lockwork has been out; worn hand or cylinder stop gives the "does not lock up" fault under Common issues.
• Hammer block blocks the hammer in the up (safe) position and clears it when down — Heritage relies on the manual hammer block as its drop safety.
  Source: Rough Rider Small-Bore Revolver Instruction Manual — Heritage Manufacturing heritagemfg.com [2] — “Always keep the hammer block in the up (safe) position unless actually firing.”

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Manufacturer videos

Official videos from Heritage Manufacturing's own channels, linked rather than copied. Where a video and the steps on this page differ, follow the manufacturer's manual and video.

• Loading and Unloading a Single Action Revolver. Heritage Manufacturing clearing, operation · 2025-08-20
  Covers: Single-action revolvers (Heritage; model not named in description)
• Heritage Rough Rider Modularity Heritage Manufacturing field strip, reassembly · 2025-10-01
  Covers: Heritage Rough Rider

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Do not disassemble the barrel. 2. In special conditions, such as repairs, when disassembly is necessary, it is recommended the firearm be returned to the factory or sent to a qualified gunsmith." (Rough Rider Small-Bore Revolver Instruction Manual, p. 24 (Care and Maintenance))

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Heritage Manufacturing. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Rough Rider Small-Bore Revolver Instruction Manual — Heritage Manufacturing, p. 26–27 heritagemfg.com [2]) — Single "Part List" for the Rough Rider small-bore (.22 LR/.22 WMR, 6- or 9-shot) with exploded view on p. 26; covers barrel-length and grip-frame variants in one list.. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify every chamber is empty before each check.
• Cock the hammer and confirm the cylinder indexes and locks at each chamber.
• Engage the manual hammer-block safety and press the trigger. The hammer must not fall.
• Disengage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.
• Confirm the base pin is fully seated and latched.
• Confirm the fitted cylinder matches your ammunition on a convertible model.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Base pin
• Cylinder centre bore
• Hammer and trigger pivots
• Loading gate pivot

Cleaning notes

Rimfire fouling collects on the base pin and in the cylinder centre hole and is the usual reason a cylinder drags. Keep lubrication light.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 1000 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Base pin latch spring · Cylinder stop · Hand · Firing pin

Common issues

Also covers

The procedures above are reported to apply to: Heritage Rough Rider in various barrel lengths · Heritage Barkeep. Verify against the manual for your specific model.

Similar manual of arms

• Ruger New Model Single-Six
• Colt Single Action Army

Sourcing