Ruger Wrangler or Heritage in .22LR ?

[tercel89]

Which one would you pick and why ? I am looking for something simple for shooting steel for my 15 year old , nothing fancy or crazy. I am just looking for reliability . She is 15 years old and new to shooting. I dont want to have something crack or break. I know Ruger was king of reliability but the days of the Ruger P-Series reliability are over so that is why I am asking . I see the Heritage pistols all over the place but I have never had one. I am asking because they are cheaper which is good , but they also use Zinc and other metals and that makes a difference. I could buy here a Ruger Single-Six but that is in the $500 range. Thanks for any information. 

Edited May 17, 2022 by tercel89

[et45]

Of those two choices I would go with the Ruger

[Garufa]

I'd go with the Wrangler as well, unless you wanted a 22 lr/22 mag convertible or an awesome 16" barrel.  That's where Heritage can't be beat for the price.

[WindHawk]

2 minutes ago, Garufa said:

I'd go with the Wrangler as well, unless you wanted a 22 lr/22 mag convertible or an awesome 16" barrel.  That's where Heritage can't be beat for the price.

Beat me to it.  Shawn, if you're looking for a .22 LR revolver the Ruger Wrangler is a nice mid-point between a Heritage and the Single-Six.  I have both (Heritage & Wrangler) and haven't had any issues with either in light use.  But I prefer the Wrangler.  The Heritage is OK for casual plinking, etc. but the Wrangler just "feels better".  Both make birdshead models that are a little smaller if hand size is an issue.

I've bought some nice used Browning Marks and Buckmarks at reasonable prices but might be hard to do today.  

[Mowgli Terry]

Opinion: I have not had a heritage but do own a Wrangler. I was so-so on the Wrangler until one come my way in a trade. I found the fit and finish to be good.  After getting acquainted with the gun accuracy is very good .

This is not about the gun. I just do not like the looks of a Heritage.   I could care less about a magnum cylinder. I have a track record with Ruger. Should there be something wrong with the Wangler it would be fixed. I Just don't know about the other handgun.

[Moped]

Just wish Ruger had made the Wrangler with an 8 or 9 shot cylinder, in .22LR. In this day and age, there just isn't a reason not to. I know Heritage also comes with a 6 shot cylinder, but they also make a replacement 8 shot cylinder and paw and I understand they are fairly easy to swap out. That's about the only reason I see in going with the Heritage, though.

Now that I have my Henry Classic .22LR LR, I'm planning on looking for a nice .22 single action, to go with it. Remember that @Grayfox54 in the coming weeks.    

[tacops]

I would pick the wrangler between those two...but to muddy the water just a little, I have an EAA Bounty Hunter single action revolver in .22 and .22 magnum.  Very well built, shoots very nice and I chose it over the others.  It does cost about a Franklin more.

[Choatecav]

While I am a lover of Ruger products and own several, for this situation, I am going to go against grain and say you should buy the Heritage.  I have one of these, as well and it is super reliable, accurate and more versatile (6 shot and 9 shot, 22lr and 22mag) and is perfect for a young person to train with.  It also has a safety that you might feel better about.  

Now, if you were delving into competitive shooting or more quality in .22 lr, I would go with the Ruger Mark IV but that is not practical in this discussion.

[10-Ring]

No experience with the Ruger.  I've owned a Heritage for 10+ years, it's never impressed me.  The accuracy on mine has never been anything to get excited about.  If it were me I'd save up a little more, buy a Single Six and never think about wanting something nicer again. 

[Jeb48]

I have shot both but don't own either. After shooting both I was ready to buy the Wrangler (just felt better) then I decided to spend a bit more and get a Single 6. So I would go with Wrangler but now you have a bunch of variations to chose from.

[gun sane]

I'm still with my Wrangler birdshead.  Call it pride if you will, but I just can't dumb myself down to a safety on an SA revolver.

[tercel89]

My daughter decided to go with the birdshead grip and the matt stainless look. I like the looks of it too. I figured that Ruger would be easier to contact with help in case there was ever a problem. Ruger sent me a very hard to find spring one time on a 20 year old pistol that isn't made anymore so that stands out to me about great Ruger customer service. Thanks to you members who provided information and opinions. It helped a bunch. 

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by tercel89

[F250nguns]

I am late to the party but you made an excellent choice.

[ballenbrowning]

That's a sweet looking ruger. She made a good choice 

[Murgatroy]

Late as well. I have a pair of Heritage .22s. One with a convertible cylinder for the WMR. My wife and daughter LOVE shooting them, and I won't lie, I do as well.

I also have a Pietta 10(?) shot that is based on a full size that I tend to shoot more, just as it fits my hand better.

In the last week or so though, I have decided that I MUST have a Wrangler Birdshead. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find one in stock. Your picture just made my desire worse. Thank you for that. I hope you and your daughter have fun with it, you can not go wrong with a Ruger single action IMO.

 

[jeff43]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:43 AM, tercel89 said:

My daughter decided to go with the birdshead grip and the matt stainless look. I like the looks of it too. I figured that Ruger would be easier to contact with help in case there was ever a problem. Ruger sent me a very hard to find spring one time on a 20 year old pistol that isn't made anymore so that stands out to me about great Ruger customer service. Thanks to you members who provided information and opinions. It helped a bunch. 

 

How does yours group? Does shoot dead on? I bought one exactly like yours, I love the looks of the birds head. Mine group ok at first then it started drifting about 2” to the left.Grouping was still good( about silver dollar at 10-15 yards),but to the left.I called Ruger about it, and the lady told me to send pics of my targets , ammo used , distance.I did and they said that was within their standards for a budget gun.So I sold it, told the guy that bought it how it shot. He didn’t care to much about it.I put about 500 + rounds through it while I had it.

Fun little guns to shoot. 

[tercel89]

13 hours ago, jeff43 said:

How does yours group? Does shoot dead on? I bought one exactly like yours, I love the looks of the birds head. Mine group ok at first then it started drifting about 2” to the left.Grouping was still good( about silver dollar at 10-15 yards),but to the left.I called Ruger about it, and the lady told me to send pics of my targets , ammo used , distance.I did and they said that was within their standards for a budget gun.So I sold it, told the guy that bought it how it shot. He didn’t care to much about it.I put about 500 + rounds through it while I had it.

Fun little guns to shoot. 

I havent shot it for the purpose of dead-on accuracy yet, I just showed her how to shoot it and shes been hitting a steel target and hearing it ring. I'll try to check for accuracy next week and post it. 

[Grayfox54]

I've looked at both but haven't bought. I prefer adjustable sights on my .22s. There's just too much variation in the many types of .22 ammo out there. 

[jeff43]

16 minutes ago, Grayfox54 said:

I've looked at both but haven't bought. I prefer adjustable sights on my .22s. There's just too much variation in the many types of .22 ammo out there. 

Yeah, I got a couple of single sixes with adjustable sights I love to shoot.

[juliangunney]

I have 2 Heritages. The newest one is  a 9 shot with 22WMR cylinder also. The newest one has an adjustable fiber optic sight. I don't see why anyone would pay the extra for the Ruger name.

[NGraham]

I like the wrangler more especially with rugers customer service