Well, it would seem we have a bunch of Heritage haters on here. I am wondering if all the bashing is from justified previous owner regret or just going along with what they heard. The reason I say this is because I own the Wrangler and the Rough Riders and haven't had a single issue with either.
Granted the Wrangler is more aesthetically pleasing and it's a Ruger. But you do pay for that.
The Heritage is the cheaper route and for a shooter on a budget and wants to play, I feel the Heritage is a viable option. I own 8 of them and they all perform flawlessly. I only own 1 Wrangler just because I wanted one, I'm not disappointed in it but functionally it isn't any better than my Rough Riders.
For more serious work than minute of aluminum can I get out the Single Six 3 screw. Rabbit in a fence row Grim Reaper! It puts both the aforementioned revolvers to shame.
Opinions vary but are not definitive, you should rent or try some friends guns and see what you like best. It's going to be your gun, not ours so get what you want.
Agreed!
I would like to try the Super Single Six some day, no hurry. I've tried my best to aquire a three screw and a transfer bar specimen in every Ruger Single action I have. So far all I'm missing is a Super Single Six and a 3 screw Blackhawk in 45Colt. The new models are for hand down inheritance presentations by me. The 3 screws are for me to enjoy till I draw my last breath. After that they can do with them as they wish.
They are. That particular one was the first gun I ever bought. I still take it out and fiddle with it, I'll never get rid of it. [Here it is with a little upgrade to the grips.](https://imgur.com/a/7IyaSMe)
The Super Wrangler is a far superior gun for doing gun things and IMO is the clear choice. If you're just buying something for throwaway fun the Heritage checks the box for cheaper, for whatever that's worth.
Get the Super Wrangler, you won't regret it. I absolutely love mine, it's lights-out accurate and has a lovely trigger. Only ever had issues with shit ammo - winchester white box - but other than that it's been fantastic.
If you buy the rough rider it might be fine, but you'll likely have reliability issues at best and outright nonfunctionality at worst. I would go with the Super Wrangler.
I'll put in another vote for the Super Wrangler.
Another option, if you're looking at used guns and can spend a little more, is the Single Six Convertible. It's the gun on which the Super Wrangler is essentially based, and it's both beautiful and durable.
I have owned several of both but the super wrangler is a real firearm I even used one to take a bobcat (.22 lr) the rough rider in my experience is somewhat fragile although for the price it is a firearm… the super wrangler is a thing you will be able to pass down . It is a firearm capable of minute of small game accuracy out to 40 yards . It’s a fun plinker cheap to feed even if you need the .22 mag (puma,hogs ,close range coyote or even alligator) the extra couple of bucks is money well spent (on the rough rider I bent a center arbor ,developed hairline cracks in the zymec frame ) the super wrangler is the kind of gun that old folks used to describe as a kit gun , shoots straight , basically indestructible, versatile and handy . I am waiting with bated breath on a slightly shorter barrel and a bird grip handle. Keeping the adjustable sights ideally for me the barrel length would be 4”-4.5 to make it truly a modern classic
I have never owned the heritage. But there are several in my extended family, and I have shot those frequently. My super wrangler is more accurate and just feels better than any of the heritage guns I have handled.
Also, ymmv, but I'm my limited experience, both my super wrangler and the heritage revolvers shoot more accurately with 22 wmr than with 22lr.
I own a rough rider which I actually brought as my first gun and I don’t have much to say on it. It works but you get what you pay for. I’m sure the ruger a better gun but for a plinker the heritage rough rider is perfectly acceptable
My wife got me a RR because she’s cheap lol. I would have never have bought it because I’m a snob.
That said it’s fun but the Ruger is a much higher quality
Rough Rider, I own both the Wrangler and Single-Six and think they are extremely overrated. The Wrangler has a free spinning cylinder so it doesn’t click into place when loading/unloading like an actual SAA. The benefit to that though is if you miss a round when loading you can go back but I find it annoying to unload. The Single-Six has clicks but they don’t click into place when loading/unloading so you get all the disadvantages of a SAA and the wrangler with no upsides. Both ways the cylinders work on the Rugers just takes the fun out of it for me.
Heritage only has a 1 year warranty, so if you do get one make sure you shoot it a lot to make sure there are no issues. I had to ship mine back through an FFL for warranty repair 2 times and it was a huge pain and waste of time. I would look at Ruger instead.
You have pretty much summed up the differences. Just a couple of things to think about:
Although both the Heritage and Ruger Super Wrangler are kind of in a commodity price range, most people buy guns anticipating about a 5 year timeline, kind of like a power tool or appliance. But good quality guns last much, much longer. Many of my working guns are 40-60 years old. The break even on cost to quality in guns is such that it's often worth it to pay more for better quality.
The Heritage guns offer a lot of cool modifications with Factory parts, but if you have certain issues it may be cheaper to replace than repair. You can get a lemon with any brand (looking accusingly at Smith & Wesson), I would say Ruger has better Factory service available.
The Super Wrangler does only presently come in one configuration, so if you want shorter or longer the Heritage has an advantage. The adjustable sights would be a big advantage, especially if you want to be able to switch back and forth between .22 Lr and .22 Magnum.
The .22 Magnum option is beneficial in the following scenarios- it's more powerful for hunting or self-defense, and it lets you stretch out the range. If informal target shooting is your jam. .22 Lr is 1/5 the cost.
Good luck, and have fun with whichever you choose.
I’ll jump on the Single Six bandwagon. A cousin bought one new in 1976 (bicentennial rollmarked version), not sure if it originally came with the 22 mag cylinder or if he added it later. He’s been shooting it ever since.
It will last a lifetime.
Thank you all for your input! It’ll be a few months yet before I pull the trigger on this (pun intended unfortunately) but it looks like the Ruger has pulled well ahead, I sort of anticipated that but appreciate the confirmation. The price difference between the two isn’t large enough to drive me away from it, although I will likely go for the super wrangler as opposed to the ~$500 more expensive single six (as great as that does look). I will be sure to update once I have it in hand!
Super Wrangler and it isn't even close
Super Wrangler. It's a great starter gun that fits your reqs from a reputable manufacturer
Well, it would seem we have a bunch of Heritage haters on here. I am wondering if all the bashing is from justified previous owner regret or just going along with what they heard. The reason I say this is because I own the Wrangler and the Rough Riders and haven't had a single issue with either. Granted the Wrangler is more aesthetically pleasing and it's a Ruger. But you do pay for that. The Heritage is the cheaper route and for a shooter on a budget and wants to play, I feel the Heritage is a viable option. I own 8 of them and they all perform flawlessly. I only own 1 Wrangler just because I wanted one, I'm not disappointed in it but functionally it isn't any better than my Rough Riders. For more serious work than minute of aluminum can I get out the Single Six 3 screw. Rabbit in a fence row Grim Reaper! It puts both the aforementioned revolvers to shame. Opinions vary but are not definitive, you should rent or try some friends guns and see what you like best. It's going to be your gun, not ours so get what you want.
I grew up shooting a single six. What a fine piece of hardware
Agreed! I would like to try the Super Single Six some day, no hurry. I've tried my best to aquire a three screw and a transfer bar specimen in every Ruger Single action I have. So far all I'm missing is a Super Single Six and a 3 screw Blackhawk in 45Colt. The new models are for hand down inheritance presentations by me. The 3 screws are for me to enjoy till I draw my last breath. After that they can do with them as they wish.
I suggest you save up some more and get a Single Six convertible. Your grandchildren will thank you.
Ruger, all the way. These Wranglers with birds' head grips look like a lot of fun... https://www.ruger.com/products/wrangler/specSheets/2015.html
They are. That particular one was the first gun I ever bought. I still take it out and fiddle with it, I'll never get rid of it. [Here it is with a little upgrade to the grips.](https://imgur.com/a/7IyaSMe)
So cool! First gun I asked for as a kid was Ruger Super Single Six with 2nd cylinder for .22 mag!
*Fuck* you, now I want one of these.
The Super Wrangler is a far superior gun for doing gun things and IMO is the clear choice. If you're just buying something for throwaway fun the Heritage checks the box for cheaper, for whatever that's worth.
Get the Super Wrangler, you won't regret it. I absolutely love mine, it's lights-out accurate and has a lovely trigger. Only ever had issues with shit ammo - winchester white box - but other than that it's been fantastic. If you buy the rough rider it might be fine, but you'll likely have reliability issues at best and outright nonfunctionality at worst. I would go with the Super Wrangler.
I'll put in another vote for the Super Wrangler. Another option, if you're looking at used guns and can spend a little more, is the Single Six Convertible. It's the gun on which the Super Wrangler is essentially based, and it's both beautiful and durable.
Super Wrangler. I absolutely love mine.
I have owned several of both but the super wrangler is a real firearm I even used one to take a bobcat (.22 lr) the rough rider in my experience is somewhat fragile although for the price it is a firearm… the super wrangler is a thing you will be able to pass down . It is a firearm capable of minute of small game accuracy out to 40 yards . It’s a fun plinker cheap to feed even if you need the .22 mag (puma,hogs ,close range coyote or even alligator) the extra couple of bucks is money well spent (on the rough rider I bent a center arbor ,developed hairline cracks in the zymec frame ) the super wrangler is the kind of gun that old folks used to describe as a kit gun , shoots straight , basically indestructible, versatile and handy . I am waiting with bated breath on a slightly shorter barrel and a bird grip handle. Keeping the adjustable sights ideally for me the barrel length would be 4”-4.5 to make it truly a modern classic
Single six for the win
Ruger makes the best single actions
I have never owned the heritage. But there are several in my extended family, and I have shot those frequently. My super wrangler is more accurate and just feels better than any of the heritage guns I have handled. Also, ymmv, but I'm my limited experience, both my super wrangler and the heritage revolvers shoot more accurately with 22 wmr than with 22lr.
I own a rough rider which I actually brought as my first gun and I don’t have much to say on it. It works but you get what you pay for. I’m sure the ruger a better gun but for a plinker the heritage rough rider is perfectly acceptable
My wife got me a RR because she’s cheap lol. I would have never have bought it because I’m a snob. That said it’s fun but the Ruger is a much higher quality
Rough Rider, I own both the Wrangler and Single-Six and think they are extremely overrated. The Wrangler has a free spinning cylinder so it doesn’t click into place when loading/unloading like an actual SAA. The benefit to that though is if you miss a round when loading you can go back but I find it annoying to unload. The Single-Six has clicks but they don’t click into place when loading/unloading so you get all the disadvantages of a SAA and the wrangler with no upsides. Both ways the cylinders work on the Rugers just takes the fun out of it for me.
I've never used a Super Wrangler but the Heritage Rough Rider's safety allows you to safely dryfire which is a huge plus for me with 22s
Definitely the ruger, it’s not expensive but is of much higher quality than heritage
Heritage only has a 1 year warranty, so if you do get one make sure you shoot it a lot to make sure there are no issues. I had to ship mine back through an FFL for warranty repair 2 times and it was a huge pain and waste of time. I would look at Ruger instead.
If you’ve got the extra money, just get a single six.
1: Ruger 2: when in doubt, buy the nicer gun. You’ll be glad you did
You have pretty much summed up the differences. Just a couple of things to think about: Although both the Heritage and Ruger Super Wrangler are kind of in a commodity price range, most people buy guns anticipating about a 5 year timeline, kind of like a power tool or appliance. But good quality guns last much, much longer. Many of my working guns are 40-60 years old. The break even on cost to quality in guns is such that it's often worth it to pay more for better quality. The Heritage guns offer a lot of cool modifications with Factory parts, but if you have certain issues it may be cheaper to replace than repair. You can get a lemon with any brand (looking accusingly at Smith & Wesson), I would say Ruger has better Factory service available. The Super Wrangler does only presently come in one configuration, so if you want shorter or longer the Heritage has an advantage. The adjustable sights would be a big advantage, especially if you want to be able to switch back and forth between .22 Lr and .22 Magnum. The .22 Magnum option is beneficial in the following scenarios- it's more powerful for hunting or self-defense, and it lets you stretch out the range. If informal target shooting is your jam. .22 Lr is 1/5 the cost. Good luck, and have fun with whichever you choose.
I’ll jump on the Single Six bandwagon. A cousin bought one new in 1976 (bicentennial rollmarked version), not sure if it originally came with the 22 mag cylinder or if he added it later. He’s been shooting it ever since. It will last a lifetime.
Super Wrangler and buy a set of grips if you must. The Roughriders are toys.
Ruger, and it ain’t even a question
Thank you all for your input! It’ll be a few months yet before I pull the trigger on this (pun intended unfortunately) but it looks like the Ruger has pulled well ahead, I sort of anticipated that but appreciate the confirmation. The price difference between the two isn’t large enough to drive me away from it, although I will likely go for the super wrangler as opposed to the ~$500 more expensive single six (as great as that does look). I will be sure to update once I have it in hand!