Heritage Settler Lever Action Rifle Review [Hands-On Tested]

Heritage Settler Specs & Features

Specs

• Caliber: .22 long rifle
• Action: Lever
• Capacity: 15
• Length: 37.9″
• Barrel length: 20″
• Width: 1.55″
• Height: 7.35″
• Weight: 5 lbs. .72 oz.
• Comes with: Cardboard box, owner’s manual, gun lock

Features

• Adjustable Buckhorn sights
• Walnut furniture
• Simulated case hardening
• 20″ barrel

Heritage Manufacturing Company has been making old-school cool firearms for decades. With offerings ranging from revolvers and shotguns, to lever-action rifles, the brand breathes new life into the Old West.

We recently got our hands on two versions of their Settler, a .22 caliber lever-action rifle. A couple of the more salty ranch hands saddled up to see if these irons were true enough to ride for the brand.

We’ll share the results with you below, so read on partner!

How We Tested the Heritage Settler

For this review, we tested the Heritage Settler and Mare’s Leg with iron sights, measuring accuracy at approximately 20 yards.

We went through 250 rounds of ammunition, using CCI Varmint 36 grain, CCI Target 40 grain, and Remington Subsonic 40 grain.

At the helm was Sean Curtis, who has been shooting since childhood but really began to delve into guns more during his law enforcement career of over two decades. He received continued training for his roles in SWAT and was a POST-certified handgun instructor.

Background

Started in 1992, Heritage Manufacturing Company is owned by Taurus. They produce their Western classics in Florida and strive to balance affordability and quality in a market rife with high prices for old technology.

They offer several different firearms, some made in Brazil, others in the US, but all of them hail from the Old West: revolvers of different configurations, lever-action rifles aplenty, side-by-side shotguns, and even a revolver-style carbine.

Who Is It For?

The Heritage Settler is a fun plinker with a strong emphasis on fun. The lever action has a certain Western charm that makes me wistful for movies of that genre.

Adults will certainly enjoy the Settler for the smiles it provides though the rifle could certainly be employed to hunt or varmint to some degree.

Kids graduating from BB guns would be another natural role the Settler could fill.

Ergonomics: Fit & Feel

The first thing I noticed when picking up the standard Settler was the weight. With a 20-inch barrel, being made of metal and wood, it’s got some heft to it despite being chambered for rimfire.

The overall fit and finish are nice, lending themselves to a quality working tool rather than shiny lavishness. The simulated case-hardening on the aluminum alloy receiver and barrel band blends well with the wood grain on the stock and forend.

The alloy steel barrel features a nice polished black oxide finish, and this pairs well with the black, satin-finished butt plate. There is no pad on the end of this rifle.

Fitment and operation were very clean, though I was able to find a little bit of wiggle on the forend. Cycling the lever proved smooth and crisp.

Buckhorn sights adorn the barrel with the rear being completely blacked out and the front utilizing a brass bead. With some practice, they were fairly intuitive to use.

Loading the rifle to fill the 15-round magazine was simple and straightforward. After twisting the magazine plug cap and pulling out the inner tube, you simply insert the rounds in the recess cut in the shape of a .22 round and let them slide down the magazine.

After the count of 15, you reinsert the inner tube and secure the cap. Then, you’re off to the races.

Controls

Controls are simple and ergonomically situated. Shooters can access the lever, trigger, cross-bolt safety, and hammer by placing their firing hand on the grip.

The loop itself is a nearly perfect size—not the thin rectangle of older guns, and not the enlarged hula hoop sometimes found on tactical lever guns. Cinderella must have specced this out because it’s just right.

How Does the Heritage Settler Shoot?

Heritage was kind enough to send out two guns for this review, a 20-inch barrel standard Settler and a Mare’s Leg Settler. Both were an absolute hoot to shoot!

I took my daughter out with me to see how she’d like these guns, and over the course of the day, we developed some preferences. It was also good feedback for anyone considering picking up these guns for kiddos.

I definitely appreciated the four points of contact and smooth recoil of the standard Settler, while my daughter liked the reduced weight of the Mare’s Leg version. She was able to aim and shoot the full-sized rifle well, but it got heavy after a few rounds.

In addition, while I was able to shoulder and run the Settler’s action while on target, we found it was easier for her to put the butt plate on her hip and cycle the lever. These were simple adaptations that did not diminish the fun in any way.

Between the weight of the rifle and the tame recoil of the .22 round, you can run through an entire magazine rapidly and soon find yourself reloading again. The recoil impulse is next to non-existent.

In contrast, the Mare’s Leg was a lot of fun to shoot, though more challenging to aim because of the aforementioned missing points of contact. Regardless, we were still able to plink away and hit everything we aimed for.

Pressing the trigger on the two guns was the same. There are a few millimeters of pre-travel before hitting a wall, and then it breaks crisply at an average of three pounds on a Lyman Digital gauge.

Cycling the action was extremely smooth and solid. The Settler fed, fired, and ejected with perfect reliability in all cases except for one.

When doing my level best to imitate Chuck Connor’s Rifleman, I ran the lever at a blurring speed and short-stroked just once. That was enough to cause a round to lodge in the top of the receiver.

This was completely my fault, though it wasn’t a major issue. After fishing out the errant projectile, we resumed plinking, more mindful of the full stroke. That was the only issue over the course of 250 rounds.

When it came to accuracy, we set up a fun kid’s target at roughly 20 yards and fired away at various Western characters. Shooting from a kneeling position, I obtained a few good groups, the best of which was around an inch using CCI Target ammo.

Why is the Heritage Settler Unique?

The Settler strikes an interesting middle ground in the proposition of value. It’s a solid performer with upgraded features, some of which are cosmetic (faux case-hardening), and others are practical (enlarged lever loop).

It is a handsome, subdued rifle with excellent performance and should last a very long time.

Final Verdict

My daughter and I had a great day testing out these two guns. We challenged each other to shoot villains, bottles, and other targets while learning the fundamentals of marksmanship and practicing safe gun handling.

Anyone looking for a quality lever-action rifle that won’t break the bank would do well to consider the Heritage Settler.

Will you mosey on down to the general store and pick up a Settler? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to check out Best .22 LR Rifles: Bigger Isn’t Always Better for even more plinking fun!