Who's shooting a Bearcat these days?

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Fri Aug 03, 2018 5:31 pm

Dang things are so darned handy. I can remember a bunch of us had the "I wants" pretty bad when the little birdshead model came out. Who is shooting a Bearcat today -- in any configuration? How do you like it? I see Lipseys even has an adjustable sight version out. This kind of begins to defeat the no-nonsense appeal of the Bearcat, but can't argue with enhancing accuracy.

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:32 pm

I have a plain blued one from about 2000.....

haven't seen it in a long time so thanks for this post.....reminds me to look for it.....

carried it along on a deer hunt once in uncle's forest where the squirrels were quite annoying.....got a painful reminder that right under the pine straw and leaves is solid granite and quartz.....

cci minimag right back at me.......that was one long limping hike back to the truck.....

yooper2 · Post by **yooper2** » Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:43 pm

I had an old aluminum frame model as my first trapline pistol. It was a handy devil and mechanically accurate. 1-1/4" groups at 25 yards with ammo it liked (early Stingers?) off a sandbag. Problem was I couldn't shoot it that well without a rest; my hands are just shy of 5" across the knuckles and I had/have a hard time hanging onto the tiny Bearcat with any consistency. I (actually my dad) sold it when I was 19 and I picked up a High Standard Sentinel, bit larger but I can shoot grouse in the noggin off hand no problem. It's been my trapline gun ever since with Lord knows how many critters under its belt.

Eric

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:05 pm

I've had a Single Six for a very long time. I shot a Buddy's Bearcat (Bestlever's) and after that I decided I'd stick with the Single Six.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:39 pm

Picked this one up for Y2K years ago. His first handgun. Had the grips made by Klamath River (the guy passed away years ago as well). Picture makes them look big, but they fit perfectly.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Fri Aug 03, 2018 8:43 pm

BlaineG wrote: ↑Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:05 pm I've had a Single Six for a very lone time. I shot a Buddy's Bearcat (Bestlever's) and after that I decided I'd stick with the Single Six.

That's about my story too. ....I've probably owned 50 single action Rugers over the years...only one was a Bearcat.......Super Bearcat which was NIB and I figured (Late seventies) I'd keep it that way as a 5" Single Six fit my needs.

I've shot other people's Bearcats...to me it was hard to shoot accurately.....fast.----6

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:28 pm

.

I like the blued fixed sight Bearcats, as IMO adjustable sights only make zeroing a little less demanding, and make no difference in accuracy.

I went through at least a half-dozen of various Old Model BC's (including SBC's) in the past 43 years , trying to find one that would shoot to the POA with all the different .22LR ammo I typically keep on hand, w/o luck.

That is, until I stumbled across this 1969 (OM) standard BC that did...………………. with several different makes/types of ammo I have.

The chambers are tight, not accepting some brands of ammo, but I'm OK with that (no, I'm not gonna mess with the chambers, and it hasn't been back to Ruger for the safety conversion).

I have the issue walnut grip panels, but liked the Elkhorn Stag grips made by Sack Peterson (over on www.rugerforum.com ) better, and he was nice enough to install a set of new Ruger medallions on them.

.

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:34 am

Very nice grips, Jay and Pete.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:15 am

I seem to remember Terry Murbach writing about how accurate he found his.

765x53 · Post by **765x53** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 11:54 am

Pete44ru wrote: ↑Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:28 pm .

The chambers are tight, not accepting some brands of ammo, but I'm OK with that (no, I'm not gonna mess with the chambers, and it hasn't been back to Ruger for the safety conversion).

.

If you have been hording ammo, check it for lead oxidation. I have over 1000 rounds that can only be used by forcing them into a single shot.

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 5:03 pm

Sixgun wrote: ↑Fri Aug 03, 2018 8:43 pm
BlaineG wrote: ↑Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:05 pm I've had a Single Six for a very lone time. I shot a Buddy's Bearcat (Bestlever's) and after that I decided I'd stick with the Single Six.

That's about my story too. ....I've probably owned 50 single action Rugers over the years...only one was a Bearcat.......Super Bearcat which was NIB and I figured (Late seventies) I'd keep it that way as a 5" Single Six fit my needs.

I've shot other people's Bearcats...to me it was hard to shoot accurately.....fast.----6

Same story for me. The Single Six fits my hand size perfectly.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 5:13 pm

Buddy of mine has a Bearcat with black mother of pearl grips. Yeah Patton hated pearl but boy is his cat sharp!
I've always liked the Bearcat, although I dont have one.
I do however have a single six in .44 special- now that's a fine carry rig!

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 5:51 pm

765x53 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 04, 2018 11:54 am
If you have been hording ammo, check it for lead oxidation. I have over 1000 rounds that can only be used by forcing them into a single shot.

Not exactly hoarding, as I haven't bought .22RF ammo since before Obama first got elected - I just bought a large lot, once upon a time.

I got a deal on 10,000 rounds after a local GS owner passed away.

Around when I retired in 2004, I offered to take all his RF ammo off his widow's hands, and she took me up on my offer.

I currently have somewhere around 2,000 rounds left - enough to last until I go for my Dirt Nap. (No, there no lead oxidation so far - probably because it's stored OK.)

.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:15 pm

GunnyMack wrote: ↑Sat Aug 04, 2018 5:13 pm Buddy of mine has a Bearcat with black mother of pearl grips. Yeah Patton hated pearl but boy is his cat sharp!
I've always liked the Bearcat, although I dont have one.
I do however have a single six in .44 special- now that's a fine carry rig!

A Single Six in 44 Spl??????? (My favorite caliber).........how many does the cylinder hold? 3? For real, I've never heard of such an custom animal...I have one in 32 Mag but 44 Spl?!---6

JerryB · Post by **JerryB** » Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:28 pm

MY father inlaw bought a new Bearcat back in the late 1960's. The only time I shot it I killed a nice big cotton tail with it so one shot can tell much but it was accurate.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sun Aug 05, 2018 4:44 am

Hey Six yes it's a 5 shot. While I was at TSJC Gunsmith school i ordered a .32 and with a littler help from classmate John Gallagher we made a new cylinder and re-barreled it to 44spec. It's a bit crude but it was one of a kind.
It is a great little packin pistol.

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sun Aug 05, 2018 7:38 am

Here's my .44 single six

20180805_075220-600x800.jpg

20180805_075210-600x800.jpg

20180805_075154-600x800.jpg

Used the orignal front sight, had to reprofile the base. Orignal base pin too. We actually made 2 cylinders, first one we got a little thin on cylinder walls.
Around the house I'd keep shot shells in it for packets and snattlerakes/ bull snakes. When I go up in the mountains fishing I was stoke it with 240s.

cas · Post by **cas** » Sun Aug 05, 2018 8:34 pm

Sadly I found out last fall that I can no longer see the sights on my Bearcat.

vancelw · Post by **vancelw** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 1:20 am

cas wrote: ↑Sun Aug 05, 2018 8:34 pm Sadly I found out last fall that I can no longer see the sights on my Bearcat.

Yeah!....that's The ticket.
I think I'll use that excuse...
(I'm making fun of me, not you)

I bought an old style Bearcat off a friend a few months ago. Tried to dispatch a coon in a trap and ended up spending the last round with the barrel in his face.

Need to shoot it on paper...

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 7:59 am

Cas, thanks for the prompt on seeing the sights. I may be in this same bucket o' mud ...

cas · Post by **cas** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:21 pm

I shot at the same squirrel... 13 times(?) last year, over about 40 minutes and a hundred plus yards. Only managed to scare him.

I was thinking I should sell it and buu an adjustable sight model with a fiber optic front. That will buy some time. Even that setup is a struggle for me now. It happened real quick.

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 7:31 pm

IMG_20180806_101910_hdr_kindlephoto-189346680.jpg

Found it......never was really lost....hidden in plain sight....

jhrosier · Post by **jhrosier** » Tue Aug 07, 2018 8:56 am

I've got two Bearcats that I've not fired in recent memory.
One is steel framed and the other alloy.
They both have terrible sights, rough chambers, poor triggers, and indifferent accuracy.
When I grab something to go plinking, it is usually the single six hunter or the 22/45 lite.

Jack

Paladin · Post by **Paladin** » Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:38 pm

My daughter's Bearcat. Hasn't been fired for at least 10 years.

Stevie · Post by **Stevie** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:18 am

I need to shoot my Bearcat...I think mine is a 1972 vintage 'Super' Bearcat(steel frame)...pre-transfer bar version. My main issue with the Bearcat is that I own 3 Ruger Single-Six revolvers plus a Colt Frontier Scout and a German Hawes Buffalo Scout

Les Staley · Post by **Les Staley** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:03 pm

I took in a New Model Bearcat in trade at a gunshow last winter. Was running a trap line and it was perfect to carry along. Shot quite a bit to the left and low, so I made a tool to unscrew the barrel, anti seized the threads, and tightened it a little past where it had been. After a couple tries, it shot dead center, but still low, so a little careful filing and it hits where it looks. Now my favorite rimfire pistol!

2ndovc · Post by **2ndovc** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 2:43 pm

I keep looking at the new ones with the long barrel. I haven't bought one yet, I'm hesitant due to my experiences with the Single Sixes. I'm on my third one and still not impressed. I thought I would eventually come across the .22lr or Mag ammo that it would like. Still searching! The one I have now was a Christmas gift from my sister and wouldn't part with it but I'm really disappointed with the accuracy of this pistol. Maybe 6" at 25 yds. Pretty sad. Don't know what to do with it.

jb

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:52 pm

Jason if it were me I'd recut the crown, maybe the throat as well. Then if not any better then invest in one of Poco's accurizers.

2ndovc · Post by **2ndovc** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 4:31 pm

GunnyMack wrote: ↑Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:52 pm Jason if it were me I'd recut the crown, maybe the throat as well. Then if not any better then invest in one of Poco's accurizers.

I have a set of the Accurizers. No help with this one. I was poking around the 'net this morning. Found a couple different gunsmiths offering tune ups for the Single Six. I'll pick one out and send it off eventually. Not a huge priority, I have several accurate .22 pistols, my K 22 being the tack driver that it is makes the Ruger look like it came from the Taurus factory.

jb

GunnyMack · Post by **GunnyMack** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:23 pm

Yeah my K22 is my GOTO as well!

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:33 pm

Jason, I, too, have never been impressed with the accuracy of the Single Sixes that passed through my hands. Really so-so and they all went bye-bye. My most accurate Ruger rimfires have been the various Marks, including the "slab side" Government model and a not-often-seen Mark II Silhouette with 10-inch bull barrel. I sure wish I had kept that one.
My first cartridge handgun was a Ruger Standard Model with fixed sights and the 4-inch tapered barrel that Dad bought me when I was in high school. I got pretty handy with the thing, and while I didn't hit too many of the ground squirrels I shot at, a number of them became Baptists within 24 hours ...

2ndovc · Post by **2ndovc** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 7:24 pm

I'm glad that I'm not the only one. I have a MKII with a short Bull barrel that is quite accurate. It's not quite up there with the Colt Match Target, but when I dropped it on a sandstone outcropping in PA, I didn't cry like I would have if I'd dropped Grandpa's Colt!
No worries though, the S.S. is just going to hang out until I decide what to do with it.

jb

piller · Post by **piller** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:06 am

Never bought or fired a Bearcat. I have a Mark II with a tapered barrel and the standard sights, and from a rest it is the most accurate .22lr that I have ever fired. 10 round groupings from a rest in an area which can be covered with a dime with ammo that it likes have happened several times. Plenty accurate for head shots on squirrels. If you can see it and hold steady, that pistol can hit it. I have had it for over 30 years.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 10:49 am

.

FWIW, in my extended experience (since 1960), rimfire Ruger revolvers are plinking & trail guns, and not target pistols - to expect them to be as accurate as a target pistol like the Ruger Mark's is an unreasonable expectation.

Used within their design parameters & admitted limitations, they are excellent RF revolvers - almost as good as my Colt Frontier Scout.

.

piller · Post by **piller** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:18 am

Don't know if you are lumping me in as expecting the revolvers to be as accurate as my Mark II, but I have never tried a Bearcat or a Single Six. No expectations about accuracy, just too happy with the accuracy of what I already have to bother with shopping around.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:34 pm

piller wrote: ↑Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:18 am Don't know if you are lumping me in as expecting the revolvers to be as accurate as my Mark II.

Nope. .

It's just that it seems there's a lot of folks out there (here, there - everywhere online) that seem to.

.

2ndovc · Post by **2ndovc** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 9:05 pm

Never expected the Single Six to out shoot my Mk II, Match Target or K 22, but I did expect less than 5" groups at 25 yds. Especially for what these cost new.
The above mentioned .22s will all shoot less than 2" at 25 yds, the K22 and Colt will do even better with Eley Target, Standard Velocity ammo.

They are nice little revolvers, just seems like you take your chances on getting one that shoots well.

jb

piller · Post by **piller** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 9:44 pm

If they were to earn a reputation for accuracy which the Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk have earned, then I would take another look. Sure, there are some pistols which are more accurate than the Super Blackhawk, but not at that price. The Super Blackhawks I have fired have all been 1 inch or less at 25 yards. The Bearcat would probably benefit from slightly larger grips.

vancelw · Post by **vancelw** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 10:42 pm

You people are killing me

I've always been perfectly happy with the accuracy of my Single-Six! I've killed lots of prairie dogs, squirrels and even coyotes and a fox with mine.

Never shot it on paper

Now I don't wanna

Better off not knowing

JB · Post by JB » Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

I'd like to pick up one of the adjustable sighted versions for a lightweight woods gun. I had a Shopkeeper version that shot close enough to point of aim for plinking cans and dispatching animals in traps, but shot a friends that that was about 5" left and several inches high at 50 feet with about every brand ammo we tried in it.

vancelw · Post by **vancelw** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 7:46 pm

oops

I was trying to edit my earlier post for spelling and ended up quoting myself.
I knew I shouldn't eat a sammich and surf at the same time...

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:10 pm

I will agree that Ruger Single Six's are not as accurate as their semi auto.....but......if you have an early flatgate or an Old Model that was made before the Single Six became a convertible gun...with the .22 mag cylinder........you have a very accurate .22 revolver. That's pretty much known in the Ruger world.

This flatgate, made in '57 (going from memory) is as accurate as my Mark 2/3's. The reason being that the early Rugers had .223 diameter barrels while the newer barrels (somewhere around '63) were .224. It takes more skill to shoot a revolver as accurate as a semi auto so you have to also put that into the equation.----6

a

tward · Post by **tward** » Fri Aug 17, 2018 3:23 pm

I picked up a used Bearcat at auction last year. It was a nice shooter but had been stored in its holster and had a lot of pitting. I sent it off to Ruger for refinishing. I got a call from customer service saying that it was unsafe for firing and offering me a New Model Bearcat at no cost, so I took them up on it. I got a nice stainless steel version. It’s a great little gun but it takes a lot of concentration to shoot accurately. It gets me grinning just to look at it!

Tim

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Sat Aug 18, 2018 2:36 am

tward wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 3:23 pm I picked up a used Bearcat at auction last year. It was a nice shooter but had been stored in its holster and had a lot of pitting. I sent it off to Ruger for refinishing. I got a call from customer service saying that it was unsafe for firing and offering me a New Model Bearcat at no cost, so I took them up on it. I got a nice stainless steel version. It’s a great little gun but it takes a lot of concentration to shoot accurately. It gets me grinning just to look at it! Tim

Welcome to the fire Tim, that sure sounds like a GREAT deal....

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Sat Aug 18, 2018 12:52 pm

gamekeeper wrote: ↑Sat Aug 18, 2018 2:36 am
tward wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 3:23 pm
I picked up a used Bearcat at auction last year. It was a nice shooter but had been stored in its holster and had a lot of pitting. I sent it off to Ruger for refinishing. I got a call from customer service saying that it was unsafe for firing and offering me a New Model Bearcat at no cost, so I took them up on it. I got a nice stainless steel version. It’s a great little gun but it takes a lot of concentration to shoot accurately. It gets me grinning just to look at it! Tim
Welcome to the fire Tim, that sure sounds like a GREAT deal....

That was a SUPER upgrade !

Welcome to the fire, tward !

.