New Heritage Roscoe .38 special DA Revolvers

MIKR410

MIKR410

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Aug 3, 2022
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Well folks it looks like Heritage is doing well enough to really expand it's product line. What started with adding lever guns and SxS shotguns has moved on to DA revolvers in calibers bigger than .22

Behold the .38 special +P Roscoe, available in 2" and 3" varieties.

Roscoe - Compact Carry Revolver | Heritage Mfg

The Heritage Roscoe is our tribute to legendary gunfighters of the 1930s, 40s & 50s: hard-boiled detectives, movie sleuths, & real world cops.
heritagemfg.com heritagemfg.com

Honestly I am a little surprised it's not in .32 S&W long to maintain that Americana image.

What do you guys think? I personally am wondering how it compares to the RIA m200 & m206.
 
It's going to be smaller than the Rock Island and it looks better than it too and I expect it will feel better made with regards to how the cylinder opens and closes. Prices look like they'll be under 300, so it hits that sweet spot people are often looking for, but this is still Heritage we're dealing with and their customer service is more in line with old Taurus than current Taurus. Which is to say, I don't have faith in them taking care of a customer with a problem with any of their guns.

And that's what drives me away from the brand.

You do have a point tho with Heritage that it seems they're evolving from being the cheap SAA .22 manufacturer into a one stop shop for all old west firearms up to the early 1900s. In that case, bring back those old cheap top breaks that H&R and Iver Johnson made millions of and make them in .22 and .32. Heck, do a repro of the S&W Model 1 but in .22 LR instead of Short. How about something I keep seeing asked for on these forums is a modernized Rossi Princess or H&R Young America size revolver 5 shots of .32 ACP (or S&W Long wadcutter) and 7 shots of .22 LR in a 9oz double action revolver? Still an old western revolver, they were first made in the 1880s those H&R Y. Americas.

I'm sure this Heritage .38 will find some success as at the sub 300 mark the only competition is Taurus, Charter, and Rock Island. Charter is awful, the Rock Island is a different size class, so it's really Taurus that's the competition and we know that there is a substantial segment of the market that hates Taurus and would never buy one, so this being a Heritage might get them to buy one. So, now that I think of it, yeah, this does make sense for Heritage to just basically make all the same stuff Taurus does but with a better finish and a different name other than Taurus on the side of the gun.
 
TTv2 said:
It's going to be smaller than the Rock Island and it looks better than it too and I expect it will feel better made with regards to how the cylinder opens and closes. Prices look like they'll be under 300, so it hits that sweet spot people are often looking for, but this is still Heritage we're dealing with and their customer service is more in line with old Taurus than current Taurus. Which is to say, I don't have faith in them taking care of a customer with a problem with any of their guns.

And that's what drives me away from the brand.

You do have a point tho with Heritage that it seems they're evolving from being the cheap SAA .22 manufacturer into a one stop shop for all old west firearms up to the early 1900s. In that case, bring back those old cheap top breaks that H&R and Iver Johnson made millions of and make them in .22 and .32. Heck, do a repro of the S&W Model 1 but in .22 LR instead of Short. How about something I keep seeing asked for on these forums is a modernized Rossi Princess or H&R Young America size revolver 5 shots of .32 ACP (or S&W Long wadcutter) and 7 shots of .22 LR in a 9oz double action revolver? Still an old western revolver, they were first made in the 1880s those H&R Y. Americas.

I'm sure this Heritage .38 will find some success as at the sub 300 mark the only competition is Taurus, Charter, and Rock Island. Charter is awful, the Rock Island is a different size class, so it's really Taurus that's the competition and we know that there is a substantial segment of the market that hates Taurus and would never buy one, so this being a Heritage might get them to buy one. So, now that I think of it, yeah, this does make sense for Heritage to just basically make all the same stuff Taurus does but with a better finish and a different name other than Taurus on the side of the gun.
Click to expand...
It is a current production Taurus just slapped with the Heritage name. It is made on the same assembly line as Taurus and Rossi. No different than buying a GM 1500 or a GMC 1500. Other than the badge, it is the same internal parts.
 
Miami_JBT said:
It is a current production Taurus just slapped with the Heritage name. It is made on the same assembly line as Taurus and Rossi. No different than buying a GM 1500 or a GMC 1500. Other than the badge, it is the same internal parts.
Click to expand...
Taurus doesn't make the 85 anymore, they make the 856 (6 shot .38) and the 605 (5 shot .357) and don't do a high polish blue for either.

This is probably the same design as the 85, possibly being made on the same machines, just at Heritage.
 
TTv2 said:
Taurus doesn't make the 85 anymore, they make the 856 (6 shot .38) and the 605 (5 shot .357) and don't do a high polish blue for either.

This is probably the same design as the 85, possibly being made on the same machines, just at Heritage.
Click to expand...
Taurus still has the tooling and the guns are marked as being imported at Taurus' Bainbridge plant in Georgia.

For Taurus, Heritage and Rossi are just brands.

1716075816405.png

The guns are marked as Taurus and made in Brazil.

1716075878435.png


It is just a Taurus Model 85.
 
That's cool, I wish they still did the rough rider in 32mag too so maybe going past rimfire rounds will be a step in the right direction
 
One of these would be cool. To go along with my ROSSI 45 COLT.

92 Black .44MAG 24" 12 Rds​

.44MAG, 24in, 12 Rounds, 24" Barrel, Black

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Antihero said:
That's cool, I wish they still did the rough rider in 32mag too so maybe going past rimfire rounds will be a step in the right direction
Click to expand...
I've been wondering why none of the makers of these budget single actions hasn't had the idea to make a 5 shot .38 Special that's not plus P. You can't tell me people wouldn't be interested in a $200 Heritage .38 even if it isn't a six shooter.

I guess these companies all figure that if someone is going to buy a .38, they want a double action. I think the reality is so long as you can make a single action cheap enough, people don't care what the caliber is and with the surging interest in .32 revolvers I think companies should consider making a .32 S&W Long revolver if they can make it very cheap. I could see the Super Wrangler being a good host for a .32 Lg wadcutter load and if they were $250 people would scoop them up.
 
TTv2 said:
Taurus doesn't make the 85 anymore, they make the 856 (6 shot .38) and the 605 (5 shot .357) and don't do a high polish blue for either.

This is probably the same design as the 85, possibly being made on the same machines, just at Heritage.
Click to expand...
They still make the 605, 905.. they share the 85 frame size format .. the 85 size frame never went away ..they just re- introduced the 856 .. slightly bigger cylinder and frame window to house 6 rounds over 5 …
And I’d feel just as comfortable buying a new Taurus revolver as a S&W … and thats a company that has QC problems on revolvers they charge twice as much ..
 
If you zoom in on the photo on the Heritage website you will see it’s definitely a Taurus. And…an added bonus…It appears they come with a factory turn line so you won’t have to worry about marring the cylinder finish on this bad boy. It’s factory pre-marred for you. ;)
1716122432317.png
heritagemfg.com

Heritage Roscoe 3" Wood

The 3" Roscoe 38Spl +P revolver is a fine choice for re-enacting your favorite noir films, or for defending yourself in the real world.
heritagemfg.com heritagemfg.com
 
Pat Riot said:
Love the “Roscoe” moniker. I have never called a revolver a Roscoe, but I recall watching old Cops & Robbers movies and shows as a kid and thought it was Prohibition Era slang.
I haven’t owned a Taurus. Maybe one of these might be my first. It does look all “Rosco-ish”. :cool:
Click to expand...
It is all part of Taurus' branding and marketing.

With Rossi, it was the "Magnum Country" advertisement campaign. With Heritage, it is the "Roscoe Gumshoe Detective Noir" advertisement campaign.



 
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