New Barkeep coming!

[WestKentucky]

I have wanted a heritage birdshead for about as long as they have existed. For various reasons I just haven’t ever gone and got one. Then the barkeep came out and that added a little bit of gusto to the desire to have a compact pocket sized single action. $150 worth of academy gift cards came my way between Christmas and birthday gifts. The whole heritage line has a $30 rebate right now for the holiday season. Academy doesn’t have the exact gun I want, but for $159 they had one awfully close. I can opt for birdshead later on, but for now I’m satisfied with the 3” barkeep purchase. The 3.5” birdshead seemed a bit wonky anyways with a too short ejector to work right but still having an ejector to snag. When I get the rebate I’ll be buying a grip frame and grips most likely. Unless I find more AR parts that are needed to finish up the carbine in building for my kids.

I know… not much of a pic but until the gun comes in that’s what ya get.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Kind of a big grip for a tiny pistol!

 

[WestKentucky]

Kind of a big grip for a tiny pistol!

That’s a whole lot of the reason I want to birdshead the gun. With the rebate i will be 190 bucks into the gun after I swap to the grips I want. Still cheaper than buying the exact gun I want from buds and paying for a transfer. That’s the good thing about buying corporate where I can pick up local…no transfer fees and no shipping usually.

 

[ontarget]

That's the best part about the Heritage lineup. Grip frames and grips are all available cheap from the factory and they are all interchangeable. 22 mag cylinders are cheap too. No fitting required.

 

[WestKentucky]

That's the best part about the Heritage lineup. Grip frames and grips are all available cheap from the factory and they are all interchangeable. 22 mag cylinders are cheap too. No fitting required.

I doubt I go 22mag with this one. I have a 9” single six for that. This will just be a fun gun to burn 22 ammo with. My kids have gotten into watching Lone Ranger and Rawhide when they go to their grandparents houses so they will get the cowboy gun allure too. I suspect that this gun will see a bunch of bulk ammo.

 

[Peakbagger46]

That should turn out great, and 3” ain’t too short to shoot well with!

 

[WestKentucky]

That should turn out great, and 3” ain’t too short to shoot well with!

This is where I’m headed. I think. It’s $60 in parts away from where I am now. Less the 30 dollar rebate, that puts me at 190 all in. The pistol below is out of stock most places but I have found it for 175 free shipping. The best local deal I have found is 50 transfer. I can transfer cheaper for a long gun but handguns I’m stuck in Tn and people here charge more. So that’s 225 less 30 dollar rebate and it’s still going to be 195 all in. Buying it through academy I’m $5 cheaper and end up with an extra grip frame and grips.

 

[Tallball]

I did the opposite, switched mine from bird's head to plow handle.

It just takes a few minutes and is easy to do.

Congratulations. They're fun little 22's.

 

[Oninotaki]

Thats what I did with mine. It is a very comfortable little shooter in that configuration. Handles the little kick .22 WMR just fine too

 

[bannockburn]

WestKentucky

I like the bird's head and 3' barrel configuration. It looks wll balanced and should handle really well.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

FWIW, my friend Bob really likes his 'bobbed' .38 Special's grip from Cimmeron:

 

[Old Hobo]

Some .22 mag ammo is now being produced that is designed to get up to velocity in the very short-barrelled revolvers.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=22+Magnum+Speer+40+Grain+JHP+Gold+Dot+Short+Barrel+tested&&view=detail&mid=8F1044F775864F3E0C7F8F1044F775864F3E0C7F&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=/videos/search?q=22+Magnum+Speer+40+Grain+JHP+Gold+Dot+Short+Barrel+tested&FORM=HDRSC3

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?&q=22+Magnum+Speer+40+Grain+JHP+Gold+Dot+Short+Barrel+tested&view=detail&mid=B52C03301C72322EFB0DB52C03301C72322EFB0D&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=/videos/search?q=22+Magnum+Speer+40+Grain+JHP+Gold+Dot+Short+Barrel+tested&FORM=HDRSC3&rvsmid=8F1044F775864F3E0C7F8F1044F775864F3E0C7F&form=VDRVRV&ajaxhist=0

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=22+Magnum+Speer+40+Grain+JHP+Gold+Dot+Short+Barrel+tested&&view=detail&mid=C65EE8CBEAC0CFBB223FC65EE8CBEAC0CFBB223F&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=/videos/search?q=22+Magnum+Speer+40+Grain+JHP+Gold+Dot+Short+Barrel+tested&FORM=HDRSC3

 

[Csinn]

I have wanted a heritage birdshead for about as long as they have existed. For various reasons I just haven’t ever gone and got one. Then the barkeep came out and that added a little bit of gusto to the desire to have a compact pocket sized single action. $150 worth of academy gift cards came my way between Christmas and birthday gifts. The whole heritage line has a $30 rebate right now for the holiday season. Academy doesn’t have the exact gun I want, but for $159 they had one awfully close. I can opt for birdshead later on, but for now I’m satisfied with the 3” barkeep purchase. The 3.5” birdshead seemed a bit wonky anyways with a too short ejector to work right but still having an ejector to snag. When I get the rebate I’ll be buying a grip frame and grips most likely. Unless I find more AR parts that are needed to finish up the carbine in building for my kids.

I know… not much of a pic but until the gun comes in that’s what ya get.
View attachment 1123274

Let me know what you think I’ve been looking at one

 

[WestKentucky]

The gun came in!!! And it’s going back!!!

The frame looked like it had been slid across the floor a few times with some scrapes and dings. The finish was just awful. I’m not sure how it was as bad as it was, but the casting lines were visible and sharp, and the painted on finish was not sticking to the frame in those areas. Visually it was a refusal from the time that the box got opened. I played with the gun though and it felt pretty good in the hand. I don’t know why I did it because I was going to refuse the gun, but I checked timing on it… mediocre but passing. I don’t think it would have spit lead but it wasn’t dead straight either. Lockup on the other hand… I have shot worse, but not much worse… and this thing was factory fresh. Just trash. I’m very disappointed. And they didn’t have anything that they could really offer in place of it because it was a special order from Lipseys so money all goes back to where it came from. I’m frustrated to say the very least with that part as well.

 

[WestKentucky]

Gun #2 came in. And it’s going back as well. This one looked much better. Not perfect, but acceptable. Went to cock it to check the trigger and lockup… no luck. The cylinder latch would not move down to allow the cylinder to rotate.

I have had some heritage guns over the years and while not incredible guns they did their job. That’s why I was willing to give them another try since they make an interesting configuration. I handled a few other heritage guns from the case, all had isssues I would not accept. I’m now done with Heritage.

 

[Buckeye63]

Mine has been a good little pistol’e…
I have just a 22LR cylinder…

 

[WestKentucky]

Mine has been a good little pistol’e…
I have just a 22LR cylinder…
View attachment 1127316

They have several identical to yours in the store. All of them have significant cosmetic issues, and some have mechanical issues. They also have the same gun with Planck pearl grips and black frame which again have cosmetic and mechanical issues. When the selection has gone roughly 0 for 10 I just can’t believe that the quality is what it used to be, or that if I got a gun that it would continue functioning. On top of that they screwed up my refund again and haven’t been able to rectify that yet, so currently I’m out $187 with nothing to show for it, and I have another 18 dollars floating around on 3 other gift cards. It’s a huge mess and I’m also very frustrated with Academy.

 

[sparkyv]

I hope Academy makes it right. I'm disappointed in hearing this poor Heritage report.

 

[WestKentucky]

I hope Academy makes it right. I'm disappointed in hearing this poor Heritage report.

I’m going to try to put in a call to Heritage Customer service and see if something can be done. I want to buy their gun. It’s the only gun in that particular configuration that I find interesting. Expensive, cheap, or indifferent, it is interesting and I want it. I will report back if something develops.

 

[Tallball]

I hope you get it worked out. My 3.5" Rough Rider has been good. Apparently I got lucky.

 

[Farmguns]

Can the grip frames be switched? I have a 10 year old birds head. Saw a plow handle frame for sale. Dealer said it won't fit, holes don't line up. Is it just the newer ones that are interchangeable?

 

[WestKentucky]

Can the grip frames be switched? I have a 10 year old birds head. Saw a plow handle frame for sale. Dealer said it won't fit, holes don't line up. Is it just the newer ones that are interchangeable?

Look on their website. Seems like it should fit.

 

[ontarget]

Can the grip frames be switched? I have a 10 year old birds head. Saw a plow handle frame for sale. Dealer said it won't fit, holes don't line up. Is it just the newer ones that are interchangeable?

They should be interchangeable. For all practical purposes the RR I bought in 1993 is exactly the same as the ones I've bought recently.