There was a time when Heritage Manufacturing Co. was best known for its budget-priced .22-caliber single-action revolvers. The expansive Rough Rider series is still this company's bread-and-butter line up. But starting in 2023, Heritage expanded its catalog to include a variety of imported shotguns.
Their first scatter guns were members of the Badlander family. These 18.5” barrel, side-by-side coach guns sport internal hammers and Turkish walnut stocks. By 2024, the shotgun options had expanded to include the .410 Bore Range Side, styled after the famous Winchester 1894, along with the Badlander field-grade sporting models with 28 inch barrels and interchangeable chokes.
Khan Arms is among the largest firearms exporters in Turkey.
Near the end of 2024, the Heritage Coachwhip arrived. Although the Badlanders are designed to emulate Old West styling, the 12-gauge Coachwhip takes a step further into the cowboy-action shooting theme with features that include a case-color finished receiver and a pair of exposed hammers. This model was prominently showcased at the 2025 SHOT Show, where it caught my eye. It took a bit longer than I had hoped it would to complete an evaluation but here is a closer look at what this double-barrel brings to the table.
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The Coachwhip is a handsome example of the 19th century coach gun.
The Heritage Coachwhip is a boxlock action, break-open, side-by-side shotgun. As of this writing, it is available only in 12-gauge. The company has yet to announce if or when it might be available in other calibers. Although it borrows design features from the Badlander series, it has several distinctive touches unique to this model. The shotgun is manufactured by the Khan Arms Company in Turkey for importation by Heritage. Established in 1985, this manufacturer is now among the largest Turkish exporters with products shipping to more than 50 countries. By importing this model, Heritage provides features and a level of quality for less than their competitors' offerings.
The barrels are fitted with a single brass bead front sight.
At the heart of this handsomely crafted coach gun is the case-colored receiver. Although this rippling, multi-color surface hardening treatment is often reserved for just the receiver, in this case it has been generously applied to the hammers, release lever, trigger guard and the pair of triggers. Even the fore-end strut is case-colored for an elegant and uniform appearance. The 18.5" long, side-by-side double barrels have been treated with a black chrome finish. This emulates the appearance of a polished blued finish but with notably improved corrosion and wear resistance. The sighting system consists of a single brass bead mounted above the barrels' cylinder bore muzzle.
The Turkish walnut fore-end is checkered for added purchase.
The release lever is pressed to the right to hinge open the action. This exposes the chambers and an extractor, which lifts spent casings out from the chambers about a quarter of an inch so that they can be manually extracted. The barrel markings indicate that this model is chambered for commonly available 2.75" and 3" long 12-gauge cartridges. It will also safely fire the 1.75" mini shells for those who are looking for a bit less recoil.
The case-color finished receiver’s pins and screws are enhanced with simple star pattern engraving.
The spurred hammers are rebounding. This means that after they are fired they lock back, or rebound, a fraction of an inch back from the exposed firing pins. This is a safety feature intended to prevent the gun from firing if bumped or dropped. The tang-mounted safety slider moves back into the Safe position and is thumbed forward into the Fire position. It should be noted that this slider does not automatically reset to the Safe position when the action is opened.
All of the controls features the same case-color finish as the receiver.
The deeply curved dual steel bow triggers are protected by a traditionally styled trigger guard. In this case, the forward trigger drops the right-side hammer with the rearward trigger actuating the left. Both triggers were smooth in their operations. The forward trigger exhibited a slightly longer arch of travel with a trigger pull of 6 lb. 15 oz. while the rear trigger was a bit shorter and crisper with a 6 lb. 7 oz. trigger pull.
The chambers feature an extractor to aid in the manual removal of spent cartridge casings.
This shotgun's furniture is carved from Turkish walnut with a dark oiled finish and checkered grip surfaces. The beaver tail style fore-end features a spring-loaded release button which allows the fore-end to be removed so as to separate the barrels from the receiver. The shoulder stock features a Prince of Wales (POW) shotgun grip. This is an open curve, or semi-pistol grip intended to provide enhanced control without hindering the quick hand movements required to operate double-trigger shotguns like this one. The rear of the stock is enhanced with the Heritage “H” logo on both sides and a black rubber buttpad. Unloaded, it tips the scales at 6 lbs. 8.4 oz.
The stock’s Prince of Whales grip is both comfortable and handy.
At the shooting range, the Coachwhip exhibited a handy, well-balanced feel with an action that would swing open with easy when the release lever was actuated. Some folks are looking for shotguns that can rattle off rounds with great haste. This is not the shooting experience that an exposed hammer, double-barrel shotgun provides. But for those who do appreciate this 19th century design, the triggers cycled smoothly and the hammers produced a satisfying click when fully cocked. The stock's grip proved to be particularly comfortable to hold.
The fore-end’s release button allows the barrels to be separated from the receiver for more compact storage or routine cleaning.
All of the ammunition tested fed, fired and extracted smoothly without any malfunctions. As expected, the levels of felt recoil were typical for 12-gauge, which is to say, on the stout side of the shotgun scale. The formal pattern testing of the 18.5" cylinder bore barrels was conducted at 25 yards by firing individual rounds of three different 2.75" loads into Action Target's 35" x 23" paper IPSC targets with clearly visible lettered zones.
Federal Premium's High Overall is a target and competition birdshot round launching 1 1/8-oz. of No. 7-1/2 size lead pellets at a listed velocity of 1,250 f.p.s. At this distance, the pellets spread out enough to form a relatively thin pattern evenly covering the target from top to bottom. The other two loads used were reduced recoil defensive buckshot options. Remington's Ultimate Defense Managed Recoil round is stoked with 21 pellets of No. 4 lead buckshot at a listed velocity of 1,200 f.p.s. All 21 pellets are clearly visible on the paper with a fairly even pattern. There were 7 pellets in the A zone, 11 in the C zone and 3 in the D zone. In this case, there was no wad mark.
The author used IPSC targets to pattern the shells
Hornady's American Gunner Reduced Recoil 00 Buckshot round fires eight lead pellets at a listed velocity of 1,350 f.p.s. This pattern was a bit more difficult to read due to target tearing. It looks like five pellets landed in the A zone with three veering off to what could be called the right “shoulder” of the D zone along with the wad. It was not the more even pattern I've seen with this particular load but occasionally buckshot can wander a bit.
The Heritage Coachwhip side-by-side 12-gauge proved to be as well made and reliable as it is good looking. The company has listed this model as a suitable option for cowboy shooting competitions, self-defense and close-range hunting. Yes, it can do all of those things just like other 18.5" barrel, cylinder-bore shotguns in this caliber.
Heritage also says this gun has the look and feel of an," heirloom... like a treasure from the past." This is true too. The clean finish and the thoughtful period touches make it just as suitable for hanging over a mantel piece in the den as for putting to work at home or in the field. For more information, visit heritagemfg.com.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Khan Arms, Kahan, Turkey
Importer: Heritage Manufacturing Co.
Model: Coachwhip; black chrome and case-color finish
Action: break-action; double trigger; side-by-side shotgun
Caliber: 12-gauge, 3" chambers
Barrel: 18.5", fixed cylinder bore chokes
Sight: brass bead front
Stocks: checkered Turkish walnut
Overall Length: 35.43"
Weight: 6 lbs. 8.4 oz., Unloaded
Capacity: 2 rounds
Trigger Pull: 6 lb. 15 oz. (front), 6 lb. 7 oz. (rear)
Accessories: Lock, Owner's Manual
MSRP: $984.99
