There’s something about a side-by-side shotgun that just feels honest. No rails. It has no safeties you need a manual to understand. No race to stack a dozen shells in a tube. Just two barrels, two triggers, and a job to do.
There is Nothing More Classic Than a Side-by-Side – Heritage Badlander
The Heritage Badlander in nickel finish leans into that ethos hard. It doesn’t apologize for being what it is—a simple, compact, and ready-to-run scattergun. In a world full of polymer tacti-cool and six-position stocks, the Badlander is a throwback. But the question isn’t whether it’s nostalgic. The question is: would you ride shotgun with it today?
After spending some time at the range and running it through a mix of practical drills and ammo types, I think the answer is yes. Maybe even hell, yes.
Origins, Dust, and the Stagecoach
Before we talk modern applications, we’ve got to tip the hat to the coach gun’s history. The term “riding shotgun” didn’t start as a metaphor—it was literal. In the American West, stagecoaches hauling gold or mail were prime targets for bandits, and the man seated next to the driver wasn’t just there to enjoy the view. He held a short-barreled side-by-side, loaded with buckshot, and he had one job: protect the coach.
These guns didn’t need 15-round tubes or side saddles full of shells. They needed to be fast, hard-hitting, and reliable. Two barrels, two shots, and a powerful pattern to settle a problem before it started. In many ways, that’s still the formula today.
The Modern Aesthetic
The Heritage Badlander’s new look is worth pausing on. The blasted nickel finish on the barrels and receiver gives the gun a rugged, purposeful tone. It’s a matte silver that doesn’t scream for attention but doesn’t mind being noticed, either. Paired with the rich hardwood stock and its dark, handsome grain, the Badlander wears its cowboy roots proudly.
But this is more than just a pretty piece. Heritage fitted the gun with a thick rubber buttpad, which does a solid job of taking the edge off the heavier 12-gauge loads. It also gives the shotgun a bit of extra length and weight at the shoulder, which helps anchor the gun during recoil and follow-up shots.
The 18.5-inch barrels put the gun at 34.85 inches overall, which means it’s about as short as a factory-legal shotgun can be without falling into NFA territory. The Badlander makes good use of that length. It feels tight, almost stubby—but in a good way. That short length allows for quick manipulation in tight spaces, and for home defense, that’s a real advantage.
Barrels, Triggers & No Chokes
The Badlander is not choked, and that’s a feature, not a flaw. In a smoothbore, short-barreled 12 gauge like this, chokes can be as much a liability as a benefit, especially when shooting slugs or buckshot. Without them, you have complete freedom over the ammo you run—light bird loads, high-brass buck, or full-powered slugs. It’s not picky.
That also means you get true cylinder bore patterns, and you learn fast how your ammo behaves. This isn’t a 40-yard trap gun. It’s a close-quarters fighting tool—and the patterns it produces are tight enough to count when it matters.
Range Time
Out of the box, the action was a little stiff, but that’s no surprise for a break-action. A couple of rounds of slug through each barrel, and things started to settle in nicely. The gun locks up with authority, and the ejectors loosen spent hulls out without any drama.
I started at 50 feet with Remington Slugger ammunition, a classic smoothbore slug load. I was able to consistently ring a 6-inch steel plate, even with the short sight radius and bead front. The triggers—two separate units, one per barrel—break clean and crisp. There’s a certain rhythm to shooting a side-by-side that you don’t get from pumps or autos. One shot, then roll slightly to the left and let the second go. It’s fast, instinctive, and deeply rewarding when you land both shots.
Moving to Federal high-brass 00 buck, I dialed in to 28 feet, which matches the longest shot I’d expect in my home. I placed an 8-inch steel plate downrange and sent both barrels. Every single pellet from the 12-pellet load landed within the plate. That’s a pattern that counts—tight enough to prevent over-penetration or errant damage, wide enough to guarantee threat-stopping energy.
I rounded out the session with birdshot—standard trap loads—and the patterns were what you’d expect: wide, fast-dispersing, and not particularly useful beyond 10–15 yards. That said, they cycled just fine and would still be effective in ultra-close defensive use. If you ever need to make a quick raccoon reconsider its life choices, this’ll do the trick.
An Unconventional Contender
Let’s address the big question: Would I keep the Badlander for home defense?
Actually—yes. For a lot of reasons.
First, the compact length means this gun moves cleanly through hallways and doorways. It’s not a rifle, but it also doesn’t require much movement to bring it on target. The sight picture is fast—just raise the bead and fire.
Second, there’s no action to cycle. No pump to short-stroke. No bolt to clean. It has two mechanical paths, and two clear trigger pulls. If the first one doesn’t solve your problem, the second is only a twitch away.
Third, the simplicity is hard to ignore. The learning curve for a break-action shotgun is basically flat. If you need to arm someone with minimal training, a side-by-side might be the safest, most intuitive option available.
But the thing I came back to again and again was confidence. I knew where it patterned, how it shot, and what it felt like under recoil. And more importantly, I liked it. That’s something I can’t say about every gun I test.
Fit, Feel, and Final Thoughts
This is a well-balanced shotgun. The wood-to-metal fit is better than expected at this price point. The nickel finish holds up nicely to handling and grime. And the triggers—usually a weak point on affordable break-actions—are actually one of the standout features here.
There’s no rail, no sling points, no side saddle. That’s not the mission. This is a bare-bones scattergun, and it doesn’t try to be anything else. If you want rails and attachments, look elsewhere. But if you want a gun that feels like it came from another time—but works just as hard today—you might be surprised how well the Badlander fits into your plan.
Side-by-Side Classic
I wouldn’t use it for competition. I probably wouldn’t take it on a long duck hunt. But I would keep it near the bed, inside a truck toolbox, or hanging behind the door of a cabin.
Would I ride shotgun with it? Anytime.
Shoot safe.
Fore more information, visit:https://heritagemfg.com/shotguns/badlander-series/464-heritage-badlander-12ga-nickel
