Rough Rider for Christmas

[CajunBass]

I've got a Colt "Frontier Scout" from 1967 that I bought last year. I remember thinking when I first saw it that it looked a lot like a Rough Rider. Much nicer fit and finish, but the same lines and such. It also cost about twice as much (or more).



I don't think Heritage was around back then, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Heritage hadn't copied the basic Colt design.

I don't think the Heritage is as nice as a Colt, or a Ruger, but I suspect it will shoot just as well, and probably last just as long given the same level of care.

I don't have a Heritage, and probably never will buy one. I've got this Colt, and a couple of Rugers, but if I didn't have a 22 pistol and wanted one, but didn't have or want to spend a lot of money, the Heritage looks like it would do the job.

Oh, and most rimfires shouldn't be dry fired because the F/P can/will hit the edges of the chamber and over time, deform the chamber edges. Some modern ones, like Rugers, don't have this problem because they use a F/P stop to keep the F/P from contacting the edges of the chamber/cylinder.

 

[Little Red]

Yes and no. The company as we know it today was not around, but the company that became Heritage was and they were building a RR style SA in 22 back in those days. But they went under and were brought back as Heritage. Coincidentally, they were/are both Italian companies. If I understand it correctly, the current version is made here only in the aspect of it being assembled here. The parts are still made in Italy.

Ruger, has a completely different design/mechanical format, in other words those items I pointed out that were similar to a Colt on a Heritage are not on the Ruger.

Cajun Bass, if you just photoshop some wood grips on that Colt and reduce the length of the cylinder flutes, it would look just like a RR. I would almost bet their outlines would even match up.

Whenever Colt did buy those unfinished overseas parts, they always did finish them to a higher standard than the company who supplied the parts did when they sold the completed firearm under their Italian name.

 

[gb6491]

Cajun Bass, if you just photoshop some wood grips on that Colt and reduce the length of the cylinder flutes, it would look just like a RR. I would almost bet their outlines would even match up.

Well, the Scouts started production in the late 50's and as I have never seen anything (until now) about the Scouts, Peacemakers or New Frontier .22s (or parts there of) being made overseas: wouldn't it be more likely that Colt came up with the design and that it was later copied? I'm just curious (not knocking the RR and, by the way, I do like that steer skull carving); if anyone has a copy of COLT SCOUTS, PEACEMAKERS, AND NEW FRONTIERS IN .22 CALIBER by Don Wilkerson, does it shed any light on the subject?
Regards,
Greg

 

[CajunBass]

The only Colts I ever heard of being made overseas was a run of black powder revolvers Colt marketed for a time in the 80's I guess it was, but I'm not a Colt expert, and never played one on TV.

 

[jogar80]

So how do these rough riders compare in physical dimension to a full size peacemaker? I would love a .22 that feels like the big bore in your hand.

 

[Little Red]

GB6491, given the information you provided, you are likely right, the Colt is likely a US built model, from start to finish (oh, by the way, thanks for liking the grips, I’ve done 2 sets for a local range shop on their own grips @ $25 a pair so far, may have to put up something better than a picture there).

CajunBass, that Cap and Ball reissue first started in the 70’s but had it’s start back in the mid 60‘s with all those spaghetti westerns coming out. A couple of Italian companies, well one at the start, started up making pretty good reproductions of those old firearms to be used in those moves, and of course Val Forgett started importing them to the U. S. under his label Navy Arms (but on the big screen, invariable they were cartridge conversions, even when portrayed in a time period before cartridges of the caliber show were even available).Later when Colt saw there was a buck that could be made from this they did to, but wanted the parts shipped to them unfinished or assembled. It is my understanding that an Italian company named Urbertti was the one who supplied Colt those parts. Colt then took these parts and finished them to their standard and called the finished firearms the "2nd edition". However, there was very little difference between how Colt was finishing them and Urbertti was, thus when Colt did the 3rd edition, they let Urbertti do the whole thing from start to finish. This batch had a representation of Sam Colts signature on the backstrap and as such they are easily identified and also carry a stigma of not being perceived as not as well finished as those finished over here and thus do not sell for as much. I had the pleasure of seeing a pair at a local gun show owned by the same dealer and if it was not for that signature, I would be hard pressed to tell them apart.

Jogar, I do not have a Big bore in hand, but do have a scale line drawing of a target model peacemaker I have in an issue of GunDigest shows an overall length of 11 ½ inches for a version similar in porportion to my RR. This looks to be about 7/8 scale or so, since mine in the same dimensions is only 9 ½ inches overall. I seem to recall also reading this in a blog somewhere too. It does have a grip feel and overall dimensions of my 1851 Navy, and although they are a .36, there are copies made today that are 44.

 

[sciether]

 

[sciether]

After all the mods

Custom made scope mount and comp.