Old-School Cool: Reviewing the Heritage Roscoe .38

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	Heritage Roscoe .38	Check Price

Roscoe. First, if you are a Roscoe, forgive me. I’m not talking to you. Why did they nickname handguns “‘Roscoe”? The term, applied to handguns, came into use around 1914. So, if you were well-heeled back in those days, you might talk about your new Roscoe, gat, heater, piece… anything but your new handgun!

Heritage Manufacturing, a company owned by Taurus, introduced its version of this old-timey 5-shooter in May 2024. It was designed to mimic the S&W Model 36, otherwise known as the Chief’s Special. That gun was released in 1950 at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention and named in honor of police department chiefs. It was designed to be a small, concealable 5-shot revolver built on the (then) new J-frame. I have one, a new Classic-series gun with no internal lock, coming to review. 

The Heritage Roscoe is a fitting homage to that storied revolver. It mimics the 2-inch barrel (actually 1.88 inches), the overall frame and grip shape, and the under-barrel lug. The only way I was able to get the 2-inch version for this review has to do with the grip panels. Originally, they were made of wood.

The ones on my sample are faux pearl, the only 2-inch version they had in stock. I’m not sure how, exactly, Heritage decided to put this type of grip on the gun, but they did. Remember, Heritage is the company that manufactures the Rough Rider .22LR revolvers, which typically sell for under $200. They are well-built for that price and generally garner good reviews. I’ve owned a few of them. You can get pearl-esque grip panels on your Rough Rider, or buy them from the company. I imagine that’s why they offered these panels as an option – they already make (or at least sell) the type for other guns. 

I had a choice… I could’ve gotten a 3-inch version with real walnut grip panels, but I wanted to be true to the original Chief’s Special and stick with the shorter barrel. If I keep this gun, I’ll find a set of wood grip panels for it… it almost hurts to shoot it with the ones that are on it (more below).

So… what do we have here? Coming from Heritage, I was ready for just about anything. As I said, they are known for inexpensive rimfires. They do sell a line of more expensive copies of the 1873 Colt Peacemaker, but I believe those are made in Italy and rebranded for the company. This gun came in, and the very first thing I noticed (after shoving my eyeballs back into my head after seeing those pearl panels) was its finish. My photos do not do it justice. The gun features a deep, un-Heritage-like polished blue-black finish that resembles one found on a gun significantly more expensive than this one’s $363 price tag. Here’s one photo I took to try to convey the luster, but it comes up short… 

You can at least get an idea of the depth of the bluing. 

Let’s look at the specs, then more photos.

Specifications

• Caliber: 38 Special +P
• Capacity: 5 Rounds
• Front Sight: Fixed Serrated Blade
• Rear Sight: Fixed
• Action Type: DA/SA
• Trigger (my measurements): DA: 11 lbs, 4 oz/SA: 6 lbs, 3 oz
• Frame Size: Small
• Barrel Length: 2.00 In.
• Overall Length: 6.50 In.
• Overall Height: 4.80 In.
• Overall Width: 1.41 In.
• Overall Weight: 22.0 Oz. (Unloaded)
• Twist Rate: 1:16-in RH Twist
• Grooves: 6
• Frame Material: Carbon Steel
• Frame Finish: Polished Black
• Cylinder Material: Alloy Steel
• Cylinder Finish: Polished Black
• Barrel Material: Alloy Steel
• Barrel Finish; Polished Black
• Grip Wood: (standard; other materials optional)
• MSRP: $363

Where To Buy

Photo Gallery

First, the box… nice printing. Other photos are self-identifiable, for the most part.

The gun uses a transfer bar, so it’s safe to carry fully loaded.

Another safety feature is the white dot above. That’s a spring-loaded cylinder latch that fits into a matching recess in the frame. It’s one more locking feature for the cylinder yoke.

Comparison With The Original

I was fortunate in my timing to receive a S&W Model 36 from their newest Classic line of three revolvers… Models 10, 19, and 36. I also have the 19 coming for a later review, but I wanted to compare the Roscoe and the modern-day Chief’s Special since I had both.

Here are some photos and observations. Bear in mind that the MSRP of the Roscoe is $363, while that of the S&W is $849.

Weight

Triggers

Trigger pull weights of both…

S&W Heritage Roscoe

DA 10 lb., 1 oz 11 lbs, 4 oz

SA   2 lbs, 2 oz   6 lbs, 3 oz

The 36’s trigger is grooved, with a color case-hardened finish. The Roscoe’s is smooth and polished.

Muzzles/Front Sights

The 36 utilizes a lock at the ejector rod end. The Roscoe doesn’t, but it has an extra lock on the cylinder yoke that the S&W doesn’t have. Note the front sight configuration. The S&W is mimicking the original, 1950-esque half-moon sight of the Chief’s Special, while the Roscoe’s is a modern, serrated ramp.

Overall… the 36 is built better in terms of stock fit and action regulation/trigger, but it ought to be, for its price. The Roscoe has, to my eye, the better finish in terms of a deep blue-black, polished appearance. The 36’s finish has a more matte look.

I was surprised by this – I’ve owned classic S&W revolvers before they were called that, and (with the exception of my Model 28 .357), all of them were highly polished, a dark blue-black. This one is different. It’s not bad, just different. If you could afford the S&W, that would be the way to go, of course, but the Roscoe is a very well-made revolver for its modest price.

(And, no, the 36’s wood grip panels do not fit on the Roscoe – I tried! They’re close, but no cigar.) 

Shooting This Little Beast

I didn’t have quite as much “fun” shooting this gun as I did when I recently shot the Ruger LCR for a review. That was a 20-ounce .357 Magnum. This is a 22-ounce .38 Special, so technically, the rearward “oomph” is not as much.

However, those faux pearl grip panels are really sharp around the edges. I would not care to put many rounds through the gun in one session. I definitely would swap them for wood or rubber. 

Anyway, I pulled a couple of boxes of .38 Spl ammo I had on hand and set targets up at 5 yards. I was not hopeful about accuracy at distance, so I kept it close.

I placed the front post in the center of the yellow, but both loads consistently shot to the right and slightly low. Here are a couple of sample targets…

Winchester 130-grain FMJ Practice load… not the best.

Magtech 158-grain lead “Police Load’ … better!

I would not shoot anything much faster than these or similar loads until the grip situation is improved. The gun did kick, fairly hard, but better grips would’ve negated that, so I’ll not ding the gun for doing that. 

I like to do the “full meal deal” in my reviews, as you might have noticed. I always try to list and link other equipment I used. I am always acquiring gadgets and doo-dads from manufacturers, so I can help you if you are looking for similar equipment. 

For instance, the pistol rest in the pics above is the new Caldwell Pistolero. This $45 rest is simplicity itself, but it is sturdy and adjustable to fit almost any pistol shooting need.   

Here are a few more pics…

We see the Pistolero rest sitting on the Birchwood Casey Xtreme Shooting Bench. This is one of the first portable benches that I can use, because the backrest comes off and I can get to the seat easily. I’ve had some health issues, and I’m not very flexible, so any advantage helps. It even has a movable cup holder, brass bag, and rest hook. It will support 300 pounds.

Other equipment I put on the bench for illustration purposes is BC’s filled shooting bags. For about $40, you can have a couple of very nice, heavy padded bags that will allow you to use different shooting positions. The final thing shown is the BC Alpha shooting rest. You talk about heavy-duty… this thing will hold whatever long gun you choose to put in it. Plus, those two red knobs under the front rest are windage adjustments.

You can get your gun roughly zeroed just by using the rest’s adjustments. This rest is serious, and it costs more than the shooting bench. 

Cleaning Ol’ Roscoe

I have one more item to show you. That is the BC Range Cleaning Kit. This is something that is truly portable and will almost guarantee that you will clean whatever gun(s) you take to the range. All you need that isn’t included is a solvent of some type and a rag (although you could stick a lot of patches in one of the pockets).

I provided a can of Ballistol and the required rag. This thing has enough cleaning rod sections to clean a long barrel, or a short one, in this case. Different brass brushes, chamber brushes for .223 and .30 caliber, and jags are contained on the left side. Rod sections, a cleaning rod handle, and picks are on the right.   

Summing Up

As I mentioned earlier, I have an actual S&W Model 36 Classic arriving soon. I will be anxious to compare that with the Roscoe. Of course, the 36 lists are for $849, and the Roscoe is for $363, so we’ll be comparing apples and tangerines (I like them better than oranges). Even so, I have a feeling that our pal Roscoe will acquit itself very well for its price point. 

For a hideaway .38, the Roscoe does a good job. I have nothing negative to report about it, except for maybe those grip panels. Even the trigger pull weights were in an acceptable range, albeit a bit on the heavy side. 

I love old-school things. Heck, I’m old-school! I have socks older than most of y’all. But old-school is only as good as it functions. If a shiny, cool-looking revolver looks like it came off the set of a 1937 Dick Tracy movie but it shoots like kaka, then I’m not interested. The Magtech targets got my attention where this gat was concerned. I like the Roscoe.  Hopefully, a new set of grip panels will help. (They might be required. I showed the gun to one of our granddaughters and she commented that the pearl grip panels made the revolver look like a toy… that’s not good!)

There is potential for accuracy here, and I aim to find it – literally! For a real-world price of around $300, you can have a lot of retro fun. I think I’m going to do that.