Review: Heritage Manufacturing’s Big-Bore .45/.410 Rough Rider Revolver

The .45/.410 single-action revolver from Heritage Manufacturing is a heavy-hitting handgun for home defense that manages to go easy on the budget.

A few years back, Taurus started the trend of revolvers chambered with the .45 Colt cartridge that also took .410 bore shotshells with its five-shot Judge revolver. Since then, it has been so successful that their website now lists some 18 different models.

Not to be outdone, Smith & Wesson introduced its Governor .45 Colt/.410 revolver and not only is it a six-shooter, but it will also chamber the .45 ACP cartridge using half-moon clips.

Now along comes Heritage Manufacturing. The small, family-owned outfit in South Florida has introduced a new variation of the Rough Rider line it calls the .45/.410.

Revolver Details
The Heritage .45/.410 revolver differs from the rest in that it is a single-action (SA) rather than a double-action (DA) revolver like the Taurus and S&W. They have basically taken the Big Bore Rough Rider in .45 Colt and done a “stretch job” on the cylinder and frame. The result is the cylinder is now 2.75 inches long, which necessitated elongating the frame to 4.25 inches, giving this revolver an overall length of about 11.5 inches from muzzle to butt.

While the cylinder is long, to keep it within reason the revolver is limited to 2½-inch .410 shotshells only. The cylinder is not fluted and the chambers are recessed to enclose the case heads in a protective ring of steel.

With the loading gate open, it’s easy to see the rear of the cylinder is counter-bored for extra safety. Also note the firing pin that is frame-mounted.

One feature you will find on the .45/.410 Rough Rider that is unique to Heritage SA revolvers is a safety. Located within the recoil shield on the left side of the frame; the safety lever (when pushed up into the “on” position), interposes a steel bar between the hammer face and the frame-mounted firing pin. With the lever down in the “off” position, a red dot is exposed on the back of the recoil shield and the bar is now flush with the inside of the frame allowing the hammer nose to contact the firing pin.