New Product Highlight: Heritage Badlander

If you’ve been waiting for a chance to live your old-west fantasy with a double dose of 00 buckshot, it’s your lucky day.

Enter the Heritage Badlander. 

Heritage is expanding its line of lever-action rifles and revolvers (including a particularly wild carbine-length revolver) with a gun no self-respecting lawman of the Old West would be caught without.

The Badlander is a stubby side-by-side 12-gauge shotgun that’s equal parts nostalgia and undeniable efficiency.

The 12-gauge Badlander has two 18.5-inch barrels, contributing to an overall length of just under 35 inches. Each gets its own trigger. That keeps the mechanism simple, and it means you can pop off two shells at the same time to achieve terminal ballistics.

Black chrome protects the barrels and break-open receiver. The walnut stock feels old-school, as does the rest of the shotgun. Up top is a tang safety, break-action release lever, and brass bead sight. It’s a no-frills setup that’s worked for ages.

Heritage doesn’t bother with striker-fire pistols and direct-impingement carbines. The Bainbridge, Georgia company prefers to cater to customers who want to relive the Wild West one single-action shot at a time.

Up until now, the brand’s revolvers and lever-action guns came chambered for any cartridge you want as long as it’s .22 LR or .22 WMR. This is Heritage’s first foray into the world of shotguns.

Jumping into the shotgun market is a bold move for Heritage, especially considering how many excellent options there are for a lot less money than you’ll shell out for the Badlander. They might be on to something because there’s something timeless and badass about swinging a side-by-side 12-gauge.

Whether you choose to make the Badlander part of your home defense plan, a passenger behind the seat of a farm truck, or just a range-day novelty is up to you. Just buy twice as many shells as you think you’ll need because this looks awfully fun to shoot.

Heritage lists an MSRP of $894.99 for the Badlander.

What do you think of the new Heritage Badlander? Let us know below. For more shotguns, ammo, upgrades, and more, check out our guide to home defense shotguns.