Is there any point to buying a Bearcat...

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MalteseFalcn

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 14, 2009
Messages
1
...if I already own a Single Six?

I enjoy shooting my .22 revolver, and was wondering whether the Bearcat offers a different shooting experience or if it would just be redundant to take both of these to the range together?

I should add that I'd just be using these for plinking, there's no target competition or advanced shooting goin' on here.

Thanks for the opinions! :)
 

rugerlovah

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
196
i own a single six and im thinking about getting a bearcat too ... if that helps any

i have done some shooting with a bearcat and its a different animal from the SS. real lightweight, so it moves a little when you shoot it. not on the same level of accuracy for me, due to the light weight and more difficult to see sight picture. but still accurate enough and a lot of fun to shoot
 

Cholo

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
8,208
Location
Georgia
Well, I walked into the gun shop one day in the middle 90's with nothing on my mind. Spotted a new Bearcat, fell in love with it, and bought it on the sperm of the moment :wink: Even had an El Paso Saddlery holster made for it. It's fit/finish equals any Ruger I have! Need to do something about the heavy, but crisp, SA pull. I'll get around to it someday.

I can sure hit better with my longer barreled .22 Single Six's, but there just something about a Bearcat. It's not for everyone though. I know mine's not for sale...
 

mattsbox99

Hunter
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
3,391
Location
Montana 'Merica
They are a lot of fun to shoot, and they are quite a bit smaller than the Single Six.

No doubt its on a must have list for the Ruger SA shooter.
 

maxpress

Buckeye
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
1,280
Location
Central Washington
something wrong with being under gunned- never over gunned.

seriously though a bearcat is just the ticket for a "survival kit gun". the single sixs take up alot more room though. they are great in a takle box to.
i like to load one up with snakeshot on my off side along with my primary just in case. lots o rattlers round here and they go down fast with a head shot.
 

COR

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
850
Location
Pittsburgh, Pa
I love the Bearcat and I owned a 4 5/8" Single Six for a long while. For the Bearcat I got a neat little Lawrence 120 style holster from Rob Leahy and threw in a #5 style basepin and I carry it everywhere I used to carry the Single Six. Tin can accuracy at 30 steps with Federal bulk pack HP's.

Check out the Gunblast articles that Boge Quinn has on Bearcats and you'll see what they can be transformed into...

Everyone needs a Bearcat...
 

Hammer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Messages
231
.

Have played with all the various Ruger Single-Sixes in their various barrel lengths and configurations. They're fun.

Have played with the Bearcats too. A whole different kind of 22 fun. The Bearcat is a great gun for an inside-the-waistband holster or tight-against-the-belt holster. Won't even remember that you're carrying it.

Get a magnum rimfire cylinder for your Bearcat. There are some gunsmiths who will do it.

Think John Linebaugh will convert the Bearcat to 32 H&R for the ultimate Old West hide-out gun. Think you can get a pair in 32 for under $6,000. Engraving and ivory are extra.


.
 

Old Judge Creek

Single-Sixer
Joined
Nov 1, 2001
Messages
320
Location
1881 Ranch, Nv & Northern Ca
My Bearcat is rarely my "primary" handgun. OTOH: its diminuitive size makes it almost criminal to not have it stowed in my gear when I'm the bush or prospecting.

When I belt on a sidearm it's either because I'm going somewhere where I might need to use it to save my hide... or simply for a plinking session. Plinking sessions can be well served with a rimfire cartridge, but in those cases where I might truly need a sidearm, I stick with centerfire: when I need a gun, I need a gun.

I have two Single Sixes and a Bearcat. The Bearcat is most often with me. I can imagine being without it.

For some time now I've been saying that a 5 shot Bearcat chambered for the 327 would become an icon for Kit Guns.
 

Calthrop

Single-Sixer
Joined
Sep 27, 2001
Messages
314
Location
Pima County Arizona
The centerfire round is too big for the cylinder. G-2 had a rig made up by Alan Harton that I believe is for sale; if it's not gone. .22Magnum is the caliber of choose for conversion. Same bullet mass [as the long rifle] and good bullet selection. The same velocity with four times the power.

We all know the BearCat can be a challenge to shoot accurately.
State wide there have been just about three hundred attacks on humans by rabid animals. Not all have been "in the country". Arizona is an open carry State and a Shall Issue one. Folks used not to flinch to see an armed person out for a stroll. If you go out with a Blackhawk sized gun it can get a "man with a gun call" call to the Sheriff's office. The BC is small even in open carry.

Whichever way you cut it if a firearm is discharged in the City/County it is a crime. An enhanced BearCat will work on a feral or rabid dog attacking your leashed dogs. I think it is worth the up grade.

If you do not like the Magnum get ahold of Paco Kelly. If he is still selling his kit for the Nasty Nose for the .22 it works great out of the BC. Learn to shoot with both hands. Calthrop
 

Tommy Kelly

Buckeye
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
1,045
Location
MISSISSIPPI
My son has both single six and bearcat I have shot his bearcat. I have a 4 5/8" singlesix I didn't like the bearcat and neither does he we both use our single sixes a lot. The bearcat was bought for his wife and she doesn't shoot much at all. My son told me the only thing he uses the bearcat for is shooting bumble bees. He said he loads it with ratshot and sit's out and shoots bees with it in flight. He lives out in the country and can shoot anytime in his yard. He enjoys it for that but shoots his single six for regular shooting of rimfires.
 

old 41

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 14, 2006
Messages
61
Location
SW Idaho
Got my first Single -Six in the 60's, have carried and shot one a lot. Always kinda wanted a Bearcat, couple of years ago the wife bought me one for my B-Day. It is my carry when fishing or whatnot.
Handy, small, and shoots great. I have been pleasantly surprised how well it knocks empty shot gun shells around at the range while I am waiting for a gun to cool.
Handy dandy's
 

winterwood

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
296
Location
central KY
Can''t imagine not having a Bearcat. My first Ruger in the late fifties and the first gun I bought after being out of shooting for over twenty-five years. I enjoy my other rimfires (new and old model single sixes) but when I step out of the deck to run through a box or two shells, I always grab the Bearcat first. Even though I am in a clear shooting area, I usually shoot CB shorts. They are deadly on cans, bottle caps and old Rx bottles and the noise is minimal even with the short barrel.
IMHO: take one home tomorrow. 8)
 

flatgate

Hawkeye
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
6,784
Location
Star Valley, WY
No! Don't buy a Bearcat! I need them.....

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Besides, if I don't "get 'em" then "SHE" will get them!

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Aww, I'm just jealous to be "trumped" by a higher skilled collector.....

flatgate
 
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