Gunslinger Forums.com

New to this site and have a question before I buy.

Wondering if any of you own the steel frame version of the Rough Rider and do you find it better than the Aluminum Alloy frame. Have heard that the finish is better on the steel and that it will hold up better as well but would like to hear from someone with first hand knowledge.

I plan on getting the BirdHead 3.5" and am wanting to know if it is worth the extra cash. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Great site by the way, just what I was looking for.

Mine are all alloy. Only problem I've ever had specifically due to an alloy frame, is after thousands of rounds, one of mine developed excess barrel/cylinder gap. Fixed with shims, so can't really say that is so much of a problem. A friend of mine has a 3.5" birdshead--he loves it and swears by it. I've never had one, but they do seem to be novelties to me, so I'll probably have one eventually.



***Oh Lord, I'm showing my mental capacity here --it developed excess cylinder endshake and was fixed with shims, not excess barrel/cylinder gap***

I have an alloy framed gun that was made in the mid 70s. its actually older than the herritage co. I got it from my uncle who had dropped it in the bottom of his boat and forgot about it till he was cleaning the boat out some months later. it had sevier pitting on the one side. after cleaning it up and replacing the trigger spring it still shoots with the best of them. I have repainted it a couple of times but thats about it for repairs. I would not be shy about buying another alloy framed gun. DR



its on the right in this pic.

Welcome to the site.

I'd like to tell you if there is any performance or durability difference between the two frames, I only have the aluminum frame for the Rough Rider. I can say that I haven't had any probelms with it after four years and thousands of rounds through it. i will say that the finish isn't as nice when it was new, but because i was new to guns, I washed the whole thing down in solvents and scrubbed the inside of the ejector rod housing with a wire brush so...

I have three with alloy frames, one of which is a 3.5" bird's head. I'm not a metallurgist, nor do I play one on the interwebs, but I don't think alloy vs. steel is much of an issue with .22/.22 Mag. I haven't fondled any steel frame versions so I can't comment on the finish there. The finish on my bird's head is a bit rough but not so bad that I feel an urgent need to redo it. I have a 6.5" with the satin finish and it's starting to show some wear but again, not enough to bother me. I can tolerate a lot of wear because for me they are shooters, not museum pieces, and wear just adds - wait for it - character!

If there's the slightest doubt in your mind about the alloy frame, by all means go for the steel one. It doesn't cost that much more and you might be happier knowing you have a sturdier frame, especially if you're thinking heirloom.

I'm right there with you, whichfinger. Mine aren't for show by any means. They are shooters. I like the 'seasoned' look.