Gunslinger Forums.com

Thought I'd try and get the party started on the big bores!

I recently picked up a pair of nickel 4 3/4" Rough Riders to work as my backup and guest guns for CAS. They aren't my main match guns 'cause I have a pair of Long Hunter USFA Rodeo's that are just plain too hard to beat ;) A feller needs a pair of guest guns for when family is in town or when new shooters are introduced to the sport. Criteria for a guest gun: Reliable; Accurate; Inexpensive; Sturdy finish (in that order). Basically, you want something that works well, won't break the bank, or make you wince too bad when somebody mars the cylinder or accidentally drops the gun in the dirt.

I thought I'd try my luck with a couple of Rough Riders for the following reasons:

1) Price: Hard to beat a Case Hardened finish for $350 or Nickel for $370

2) Company: While the parts are not manufactured in the US (Pietta of Italy), the assembly is done here and I'd rather help out a US owned and operated company when I can.

3) Unique: Everyone shoots Vaqueros or Ubertis or Gauchos or Colts (if they can afford 'em). I haven't met anyone else shooting Rough Riders and it's fun to be unique.

Fit and Finish
I'll be honest. The Rough Rider is no USFA, Colt, or High-end Uberti Type when it comes to fit and finish. But then again, you don't pay $1000 for one either ;) For a third of the price, you get more than what you pay for IMO. The nickel is decent and cleans up nice. The cocobolo grips, while plain, are a nice touch. I like to see a manufacturer logo's on a grip, but that's just me. What I don't like to see is all of the warning verbiage stamped all over the barrel. On the left side the words "Rough Rider Single Action Cal .357 Mag" are stamped above the phrase "Keep Empty Chamber Under Hammer" despite the fact this has a transfer bar safety. On the right side of the barrel "FLLI Pietta - Made in Italy" is stamped right above the words "Read Owners Manual Before Use." The good news is that is about the worst thing I can find about the gun. There are places where the grip could be a little more flush and where the fit isn't as tight as the high end revolvers, but for the price, I think the finish of the Rough Rider beats out other low end Italian and Eastern European guns.

Performance
Both of mine were accurate right out of the box. This is a joy to a cowboy! And mechanically sound after 100 rounds through each. Certainly more time is needed, but often when a gun has mechanical issues, it's evident fairly soon. The action is solid and sound. By no means are they race ready out of the box, but a cowboy smith can change that if desired. Neither are they too stiff. Just about right IMO for someone trying to get the hang of centerfire single action six guns. The design lacks the full authenticity of the Colt and USFA firearms, but remember what these are for and how much you paid.

Accessories
The cardboard box was nothing special and the foam was cut for a 5 1/2" barrel. An obligatory trigger lock and test fired casing was included along with a small manual and warranty insert.

Overall Opinion
I am VERY pleased with the centerfire Rough Riders. They meet several needs and would be the perfect guns for somebody just getting started into the sport of CAS or just wanting a solid performer that provides high value for the dollar. If you want a pair and are having trouble finding some, pm me and I'll see if I can wrangle up a couple for you! (I am a very small time FFL dealer -- not trying to drum up business with this post -- just willing to provide a service to the forum members if requested.)

It's good to hear from someone who has a big bore version finally! I've been wanting to get one or two of the .45's along with a Henry Big Boy lever action .45 to play around with! I don't like the safety stamping stuff either but it's a small price to pay for the small price to own one! How much do the case hardened .45's go for? Also, are the .45's the .45lc just like the Henry? Since part of my reasoning for having them in the same caliber is to keep the different types of ammo to a minimum.

Once again, welcome to the board!

Welcome!

I know little about CAS so I am curious as to what you mean when you say a cowboy smith can make them "race ready"? What are people into CAS looking for in a gun?

BTW, whare are you located? Is CAS mainly a western US thing?

Again, good to see you here, hope you stop by often.

Splitter

I haven't seen any CCH BBRR's in local stores of late but the plain blue was selling at Cabellas for $399 the other day. Today I noticed a single CCH .45 on gunbroker for $375 (which boils down to about the same price after shipping & FFL fees). The .45's shoot the same round, the .45 LC, as the Henry Big Boy. I've been tempted to pick a Henry up myself but haven't had the financial opportunity. I shoot a Marlin 1894 Cowboy as my main rifle with a Rossi '92 as backup. While Henry is a great company, both the Marlin and the Rossi's are currently more affordable. Either way, having a lever action carbine and a single action army in the same caliber is both practical and just plain AWESOME!

Good questions. First, if you are interested in CAS head on over to the Single Action Shooting Society for a wealth of info: http://www.sassnet.com/

Here, shooters dress up and play cowboy for the day, combining accuracy with speed. The contests are timed and you get seconds added on if you miss.

Folks who are used to working on cowboy guns can "slick" them up a bit and give them an action job. This is basically fine "tuning" the gun so that they run faster and can hold up to the many rounds that are sure to fire through your pistols.



Thank you kindly for the invitation Splitter! I live just west of the Wasatch range and updated my profile to indicate. I did a quick looksee and noticed that there are 6 SASS clubs that operate out of Maryland. You should drop by and visit one!

I've also been thinking about getting into some CAS splitter. And from what I've read and heard you can pretty much find it in every state! Plus if you go to a match just to watch you'll probably get the bug even worse! That's my issue right now. But like Predacessor was saying.....I like to be a bit different than the in crowd, and that's part of the reason I want to use Heritage's! I like it when the gun snobs look to see what you have and then scoff at you and tell you how sorry you'll be sooner or later. lmao I get it all the time for my Kel Tecs so I'm used to it. And now that I have a Heritage and a Phoenix I even have some KT guys scoffing at me. lol Must be the teenager in me that likes it when people don't approve? You'd think at 42 that would go away?!?!? LMAO

Thanks for the price check predecessor. That's basically about the price's I've seen as well. And I was pretty sure they were the same round as the Henry but it never hurts to check.

That's a great write up! Fair and Honest. I want to find out how well the Nickel finish holds up over time.

CAS/SASS is a great sport and I love the enthusiasm that surrounds it. The closest group by me that has a good set up is the Myakka Misfits and one day I will go watch them do their thing.

And those are some good prices you're offering on those guns.

Definetly good prices! And I'm pretty sure I'll be contacting you when I'm ready for some new toys! ;-)

The prices I mentioned up above are from Cabela's and another dealer on gunbroker. Not too bad. But as I mentioned to Abe in a PM, I can deliver a tad under those at the moment

got any pics of those two new hoglegs?

Here's some pic for you off his account at gunbroker.





And a link to his site

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SellerAuctions.asp?User=823572