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Armybrat
12-22-2018, 12:08 PM
.... my first Ruger Bearcat. This tiny new Shopkeeper .22 caught my eye & wallet.

http://i.ibb.co/YXXR3fX/E4101-ECF-E7-B7-42-BE-B56-B-526-FEE6-E8387.jpg

Bawanna
12-22-2018, 02:34 PM
Very nice, I almost brought one home last month from the gun show but alas I left it behind. They are nice little guns.

Armybrat
12-22-2018, 06:16 PM
CDNN Sports out of Abilene, Texas had them for $379.95 for a couple of weeks, then raised the price to $399.95 after I ordered mine. Still a bargain, as the stainless ones are $130 more.

ltxi
12-22-2018, 07:04 PM
I bought one in stanless sometime this past year. Did not know Ruger was producing a birdshead model until I stumbled across one at a gun show. I'd always liked and wanted a Bearcat but the plow handle version just never worked for me. Birdshead fits/suits me perfectly. Ecstatic about this .22 I am.

gb6491
12-23-2018, 02:22 AM
.... my first Ruger Bearcat. This tiny new Shopkeeper .22 caught my eye & wallet.

http://i.ibb.co/YXXR3fX/E4101-ECF-E7-B7-42-BE-B56-B-526-FEE6-E8387.jpg


I bought one in stanless sometime this past year. Did not know Ruger was producing a birdshead model until I stumbled across one at a gun show. I'd always liked and wanted a Bearcat but the plow handle version just never worked for me. Birdshead fits/suits me perfectly. Ecstatic about this .22 I am.
Congrats to you both on acquiring Shopkeeper Bearcats (smoking deal on yours Armybrat:) ).
I have a stainless one and have been very pleased with it. It carries nicely in a little cross draw rig. Enjoy them folks!
Regards,
Greg

CPTKILLER
12-23-2018, 08:03 AM
This is my small ranch carry pistol for varmints in Central Texas.

Armybrat
12-23-2018, 10:11 AM
That is a cool carry rig you have there, not to mention the Single Seven. For a Texas A&M Aggie, you have excellent taste! {wink}

So do some of us sips.... :D

http://i.ibb.co/BgXhbC9/48-DFD2-C7-2477-4-BFD-88-EA-79265-C9-C2-A80.jpg

Better cover your eyes for this one.... lol

http://i.ibb.co/Bfy27Yq/75-AFB300-835-F-489-B-A675-D07-A81-A0-F761.jpg

Armybrat
12-23-2018, 10:22 AM
On the Bearcat Shopkeepers, I notice there are two major differences between the stainless & blued versions. Stainless has the unfluted & "engraved" cylinder and a 3" barrel, while the blue comes with the fluted cylinder and a 3.5" tube.

The ejector rod head on mine is "open" shaped like a comma so it can slide all the way down over the cylinder pin to the frame. I guess to have better empty ejection efficiency. Do those with the stainless versions have any problem with ejecting empty shells?

Also, it would be interesting & definitely tempting if Ruger would make these Bearcats in .22 Magnum. My tiny North American is a bit of a Mini- handful to shoot.

Bought this nice pig-lined holster at Texas Jack's in Fredericksburg 3 weeks ago for the Single Seven (It was made by El Paso Saddlery to fit the small frame Uberti/Cimarron Lightning .38), but proved to be slightly too small. However it fits the Bearcat perfectly and does not have to be returned:

http://i.ibb.co/NnmYb0j/966-EF190-7-D8-C-4-D48-BF9-E-66-A9-DD9-A5-F53.jpg

dustnchips
12-23-2018, 02:17 PM
@arnybrat. A fellow told me that 22mag is useless in a pistol length barrel since it produces no more power than a long rifle. Don't know if its true since I never cared enough to check it out.

Bobshouse
12-23-2018, 02:36 PM
@arnybrat. A fellow told me that 22mag is useless in a pistol length barrel since it produces no more power than a long rifle. Don't know if its true since I never cared enough to check it out.

I've talked with several who have said that until they shot one. They are wrong. I've shot many over my chronograph and they are at least twice as fast as a .22 out of my S&W 6 inch model 48.

They even have a nice little kick to'em.

Bawanna
12-23-2018, 04:20 PM
I have a Ruger convertible and I agree with Bob. Night and day. Stuff hit with the 22 mag knows it's been hit good.

It's kind of fun to slip in the mag cylinder once in awhile to liven things up. I don't have a chrono or none of that scientific stuff but there's no doubt it's pushing considerable harder and faster.

CM9
12-23-2018, 05:25 PM
Nice lookin bearcats. My wife always gets kinda teary eyed when she sees one. She got the one her Dad had when he passed over. We lost it when we lost our house to a fire back in 1978. She loved to shoot the little rascal.

Bawanna
12-23-2018, 06:07 PM
Seems like we ought to see about getting her another one. Maybe we can take up a collection, keep our eyes peeled for just the right one.

Stainless or blue, birdshead?

ltxi
12-23-2018, 06:46 PM
[QUOTE=Armybrat;403222]On the Bearcat Shopkeepers, I notice there are two major differences between the stainless & blued versions. Stainless has the unfluted & "engraved" cylinder and a 3" barrel, while the blue comes with the fluted cylinder and a 3.5" tube.

The ejector rod head on mine is "open" shaped like a comma so it can slide all the way down over the cylinder pin to the frame. I guess to have better empty ejection efficiency. Do those with the stainless versions have any problem with ejecting empty shells?

Also, it would be interesting & definitely tempting if Ruger would make these Bearcats in .22 Magnum. My tiny North American is a bit of a Mini- handful to shoot.

Bought this nice pig-lined holster at Texas Jack's in Fredericksburg 3 weeks ago for the Single Seven (It was made by El Paso Saddlery to fit the small frame Uberti/Cimarron Lightning .38), but proved to be slightly too small. However it fits the Bearcat perfectly and does not have to be returned:

/QUOTE]

I've no issue/problem with full ejection. And the shorter barrel a big reason I got the stainless.

ltxi
12-23-2018, 06:51 PM
@arnybrat. A fellow told me that 22mag is useless in a pistol length barrel since it produces no more power than a long rifle. Don't know if its true since I never cared enough to check it out.

That's utter nonsense. In any barrel length, including my 1 5/8 inch NAA Mini, .22 Mag the is the more power effective cartridge.

ltxi
12-23-2018, 06:58 PM
Seems like we ought to see about getting her another one. Maybe we can take up a collection, keep our eyes peeled for just the right one.

Stainless or blue, birdshead?

I'm in. You gonna act as the agent/POC on this one?

Bawanna
12-23-2018, 10:10 PM
If it's meant to be, I'm your man and I'm in. In case anybody ask, what's a POC?

kenemoore
12-24-2018, 06:02 AM
Point Of Contact

BirdsThaWord
12-24-2018, 12:41 PM
I’ve been looking for a steal of a deal on one of the stainless versions. Problem is, I geuss nobody wants to let one go at a price I’d be willing to pay around here. Everybody who gets one must want to keep them. I’m looking for handled/carried one, so I can get it cheap, then polish it into a jewel!!!

dao
12-24-2018, 01:45 PM
I'm a little confused. Ruger's site lists all of their Bearcats as .22LR. I have never played with .22 handguns before. So, will the Bearcat fire either .22LR or .22mag?

Bawanna
12-24-2018, 02:57 PM
Not 22 mag, that takes a different cylinder. The convertibles come with two cylinders so you can shoot 22 short, long, long rifle or switch the cylinder and shoot magnum.

I've never seen a 22 mag Bear Cat. Don't mean there isn't any but I've never heard of one. Not sure there's enough frame size for the longer cylinder.

Armybrat
12-24-2018, 04:37 PM
I do believe you are correct.

dao
12-24-2018, 07:01 PM
I see, thanks Colonel.

ltxi
12-24-2018, 07:36 PM
Point Of Contact

yep...

ltxi
12-24-2018, 07:39 PM
I do believe you are correct.

...x2

gb6491
12-24-2018, 11:19 PM
On the Bearcat Shopkeepers, I notice there are two major differences between the stainless & blued versions. Stainless has the unfluted & "engraved" cylinder and a 3" barrel, while the blue comes with the fluted cylinder and a 3.5" tube.

The ejector rod head on mine is "open" shaped like a comma so it can slide all the way down over the cylinder pin to the frame. I guess to have better empty ejection efficiency. Do those with the stainless versions have any problem with ejecting empty shells?

Also, it would be interesting & definitely tempting if Ruger would make these Bearcats in .22 Magnum. My tiny North American is a bit of a Mini- handful to shoot.

Bought this nice pig-lined holster at Texas Jack's in Fredericksburg 3 weeks ago for the Single Seven (It was made by El Paso Saddlery to fit the small frame Uberti/Cimarron Lightning .38), but proved to be slightly too small. However it fits the Bearcat perfectly and does not have to be returned:

http://i.ibb.co/NnmYb0j/966-EF190-7-D8-C-4-D48-BF9-E-66-A9-DD9-A5-F53.jpg
That is a really nice rig!

As to the stainless Shopkeepers ejecting shells:
I've seen some comments posted elsewhere about sticky chambers on some and mine had this. I polished the chambers to remedied that...works just fine now.
The ejection stroke is not long enough to push empties completely clear, but they have enough impetus to fall free of the cylinder.
The ejector rod head is as you describe on your's.
https://i.postimg.cc/hG116r5v/bcat.jpg (https://postimages.org/)


I'm a little confused. Ruger's site lists all of their Bearcats as .22LR. I have never played with .22 handguns before. So, will the Bearcat fire either .22LR or .22mag?


Not 22 mag, that takes a different cylinder. The convertibles come with two cylinders so you can shoot 22 short, long, long rifle or switch the cylinder and shoot magnum.

I've never seen a 22 mag Bear Cat. Don't mean there isn't any but I've never heard of one. Not sure there's enough frame size for the longer cylinder.
Ruger made a two cylinder (.22LR & .22 magnum) convertible Bearcat for a short time, but recalled them. The guns were returned minus the .22 Magnum cylinder.
https://ruger.com/pdf/newBearcatConvertible.pdf

.22LR to .22 Magnum New Model Bearcat cylinder conversions are done by these folks:
https://cylinder-slide.com/Item/CSM1433
http://www.clementscustomguns.com/bearcat.html

Regards,
Greg

Bawanna
12-25-2018, 10:51 AM
I'm not gonna lie to anybody. I love that little stag handled beauty. It just sings. I also agree that's a fine looking holster.
Probably one of the biggest down falls and things I miss the most about this full time sitting, can't wear nice rigs like that.
Being born a 100 years too late, I really like "cowboy" rigs.

Bawanna
12-25-2018, 10:56 AM
I missed that recall. Looks like it might have been very early on. The logo is still Red on the page, so perhaps before Sturm passed when they changed it to Black?

A 22 mag Bearcat would be a neat thing but I'd be completely pleased with a 22. I am partial to the stainless.
My aunt has one that is mint, a blued one, early model I think. Been trying to talk her into selling but so far she still loves it and won't part with it. Can't blame her.

dao
12-25-2018, 11:37 AM
Thank you Greg, good info. I had no idea of the power of .22 mag. Would be cool to have one of those Bearcats in that caliber. Not sure if they still sell them though. Having one converted, when you factor in the cost as well as shipping both ways would make it close to a $1K gun. Too rich for my blood.

dao
12-25-2018, 11:41 AM
Bad part of wearing one Colonel, then and now, is that it makes a target of you. Probably moreso then. But for me, I prefer not to open carry, even though we can here. Either way though I too have thought about living 150 years ago and sporting a nice looking rig like that and others.

dao
12-25-2018, 11:49 AM
Anyone had any experience with Heritage revolvers?

https://www.heritagemfg.com/product_detail.cfm?prod_id=3

Bawanna
12-25-2018, 12:15 PM
Bad part of wearing one Colonel, then and now, is that it makes a target of you. Probably moreso then. But for me, I prefer not to open carry, even though we can here. Either way though I too have thought about living 150 years ago and sporting a nice looking rig like that and others.

I never ever open carry, we can here too but not me. I used to wear them hunting and out in the woods. I would have liked back in the days where everybody wore one so it was more of an equal playing field at least in appearance. Of course there were the wicked fast ones with reputations but most wisely just viewed them as tools. Not so many sheep and undoubtedly very few democrats.

Armybrat
12-25-2018, 09:00 PM
Love those stags on your Shopkeeper!

Bawanna
12-25-2018, 09:41 PM
I knew you would, I'm already working on a search to find you some.