Sometimes, companies get really good at doing one thing, and that’s fine. For decades, Heritage Manufacturing has produced the Rough Rider. The Rough Rider is a .22LR single-action army clone. They’ve produced a number of different models of the Rough Rider, but it’s been the same core gun. It seemed like that was what Heritage did and would continue to do…until now. Heritage has kept the American Western motif but expanded into a side-by-side shotgun called the Badlander and a series of lever actions known as the Settler.
The Badlander and Settler – What’s In a Name
I’ll give Heritage Manufacturing credit for producing good, memorable names for their guns.
The Badlander is a 12 gauge shotgun with a box lock design. The gun has dark wood furniture that looks fantastic. The finish is also very dark and quite nice. The authoritative look of the double-barrel shotgun is captured perfectly. It’s very simple and arguably very plain. The sight is a simple gold bead that sits atop two trim 18.5-inch barrels. It occupies that coach gun look and feel, and while it’s likely intended to be a recreational shotgun, the Heritage Badlander could very easily be a working tool.
The Heritage Settler is a series of lever-action weapons. We have the standard Settler, the Settler Compact, and the Settler Mares Leg. The Settler has a 20-inch barrel, and the Settler compact packs a shorter 16-inch option. The Mare’s Leg is a lever action handgun with a 12.5-inch barrel. These guns have buckhorn sights, tubular magazines, and nice pretty wood furniture. Plus, the receivers have a burnt bronze look to them.
Heritage also released a Tactical Rancher carbine with a scope mount, which was a feature I really wanted when I purchased my Rancher carbine. The Badlander and Settler series are the stars of the show, but it deserves a mention.
Like most Heritage Manufacturing firearms, these are very affordable firearms. The Badlander has an MSRP of 893.99, and the Settlers are going for right around 500 dollars with some variation depending on the model.
